Monday, February 2, 1998
Portrait of a lady
DANCE Masters thesis project makes for great evening of dance
entertainment
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Silence. Lights dim. A dancer cloaked in a swirling lavender
dress stands in a secluded corner of the stage, dancing the same
moves continuously. Suddenly, a handful of dancers clothed in
earthy browns, golds, yellows and greens prance across the stage
with their backs arched and arms held straight out in perfect
unison. Every twist, turn, even facial expression, illustrates an
emotion.
An evening packed with expressive, fluid modern dance is what
viewers can anticipate at the two-act dance concert "Portraits,"
which opens Friday for two shows.
Aside from being part of the Upstart Series put on by the UCLA
department of world arts and cultures (WAC), this concert plays
another important role as the thesis project for Lauren
Winslow-Kearns, a masters in fine arts (M.F.A.) candidate
concentrating in contemporary choreography, modern and post-modern
dance technique.
"Modern dance originally started off as a rebellion against
ballet," Winslow-Kearns says. "And it originated as an art form
that expressed emotion, social ills, world views, through the body.
It used a different movement vocabulary than ballet. In a nutshell,
modern dance, post-modern dance – in my view – is a form that is
expressed through the physicality of the body."
Also, "Portraits" tugs at the heart strings by using modern
dance to express views on an array of issues – from the
Mars-and-Venus relationship of men and women to the importance of
female empowerment. Winslow-Kearns says she hopes to show how
styles and forms of modern dance can narrate personal stories,
certain emotions and self-identity.
"Some choreographers like to do dance drama where it’s a real
structured, set story with characters and you can follow it similar
to following a play. And they want the audience to get exactly
that. I myself prefer to work in an abstract framework. I enjoy
allowing the audience to interpret the work," Winslow-Kearns
says.
With a master of arts (M.A.) in dance education already under
her belt, Winslow-Kearns returned to UCLA in September 1996 to
pursue her M.F.A. after three years of teaching dance at the
Universities of Vermont and Illinois. Her preparation for
"Portraits" began from the day she enrolled at UCLA. Besides taking
on duties of choreographer, producer and artistic director,
Winslow-Kearns hand-picked dancers from the WAC department – who
have the option of collecting performance credit for their
participation – for the mostly female cast. As a result, she treats
all the dancers like professionals.
"What I really respect about her is her process – how she runs
rehearsals, how she’s always prepared and always on time," says
Sally E. Lambert, an M.A. candidate in dance. "And in the creative
process, she respects a dancer’s input. We all put in bits and
pieces."
One essential element to "Portraits" is its music, which serves
as another mode of conveying emotion. David Karagianis, the
concert’s music director, met Winslow-Kearns when she took his
class, "Music as Dance Accompaniment." From there, a "synergistic"
collaboration formed and
Karagianis helped select instrumental accompaniments for the
concert, composed a multimedia sound score and wrote original music
for the first-act routine, Episodes of the Heart.
"In ‘Episodes,’ there are four strong movements designed to
drive the dancers, set the tone, create shifts of energy and tell
us what they are feeling. It is open to various interpretations,"
Karagianis explains.
Similar to the spectrum of emotions expressed by the dancing, a
range of genres is covered by the music, from a "jazz-tinged blues"
motif to ’90s techno. Karagianis attempts to write something
different every time he composes a new piece.
As a classically trained composer, he used techniques from
classical music along with technical devices to display more
texture and deeper meaning.
"This concert has a multi-faceted personality," says Karagianis.
"The first half is urban, electronic, glitzy, sexy and with
sensations. The second half is more humanistic, unplugged, with
live music. It’s an interesting contrast."
Another significant contribution to the creative process was
Winslow-Kearns’ own journey of self-discovery. "Evening Shade," a
24-minute ensemble performance dedicated to breast cancer survivors
and their loved ones, draws from Winslow-Kearns’ personal bout with
the disease. Having finished her treatment last September, she
choreographed "Evening Shade" as a symbol of camaraderie and the
need for support during the healing process. Beginning with a
three-minute solo where Winslow-Kearns shakes, the routine
chronicles a healing process which is illustrated by the partnering
movement of the other women as they literally lift each other and
dance step-to-step in perfect unison.
"As soon as you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you become a
survivor," says Winslow-Kearns.
"I think it’s important to note … though my breast cancer has
certainly informed my work, I think if you were to look at the
work, it really reaches out universally. It is not just about
breast cancer at all, and not just for breast cancer survivors
because it touches on such a wide variety of emotions and
identities."
Even the demands of breast cancer treatment could not dampen
Winslow-Kearns’ dance schedule. She felt compelled to share her
belief that a breast cancer diagnosis does not equate a death
sentence for a woman. As a result, Winslow-Kearns maintained her
physical lifestyle and passion for dance, which has rubbed off onto
her fellow dancers.
"Lauren is very close to a professional level. For my dancing to
have integrity, I need to respect the choreographer. I realized
it’s not about the paycheck or just working; I really have to love
the dancing. I only want to be working at a more professional
level. Lauren has helped me to find a more mature level," Lambert
says.
"Portraits" marks the end of Winslow-Kearns’ grueling schedule
of rehearsals and production duties, which kept her busy more than
30 hours a week. Although exhausting at times, Winslow-Kearns does
not regret juggling her thesis project with her quarterly job as a
teaching assistant.
Aside from establishing close collaborations with her
colleagues, she takes pride in knowing her master’s thesis is
written not only for the eyes of a professor, but for the eyes of a
live audience.
"Having 250 people in the audience watching, that’s 250
different interpretations, and that’s 250 different energies that
are swirling around the room. As a performer, you sense that, you
feel that. As a choreographer, it’s fascinating to me to know that
I have 250 different people out there who all have different
viewpoints, different world views and different backgrounds … and
that’s exciting," Winslow-Kearns says.
DANCE: "Portraits" opens Feb. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. in Theater 200
in the UCLA Dance Building. Tickets are $9 and $6 for students and
can be purchased at the Central Ticket Office. For more
information, call (310)825-3951.
Photos by JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
(above) Sally Lambert, an MFA graduate student and Larry
Carpenter-White, also a MFA graduate student, prepare for the dance
program.
(left) Lambert and Carpenter- White rehearse.Sally Lambert and
Larry Carpenter- White rehearse.