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The Theatre Department will make its first foray into dance production with the premiere of ”Rising UP: A Dance Showcase,” which will be presented tomorrow and Saturday evenings in the Robsham Theater Arts Center.
Under the artistic direction of faculty member Sun Ho Kim, the showcase breaks new ground and continues the 30th anniversary season celebration of Robsham, organizers note.
In addition to Kim, “Rising UP” features choreography by faculty members Robert VerEecke, SJ — Jesuit artist-in-residence and artistic director of the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble (BLDE) — Kirsten McKinney and Margot Parsons.
"There are so many different dance languages," says Kim. "We want to explore as many as possible, including ones not often seen on campus."
With a cast of more than 60 student dancers, “Rising UP” will present various forms of the genre, including jazz, modern, liturgical and ballet. Most pieces will be performed by students enrolled in Theatre Department dance courses.
The show also will feature the BLDE and a guest performance by “Danza Fusión Universitaria,” a student dance troupe from Ibero-American University Puebla in Puebla, Mexico. Led by faculty member Esperanza García Aguilar, the company is in residence on campus as part of a cultural exchange through an association with Fr. VerEecke to participate in Holy Week events at St. Ignatius Church.
At the showcase, the troupe will present a piece Fr. VerEecke choreographed that combines classical, modern and flamenco dance. As “Rising UP” coincides with the beginning of Holy Week, Fr. VerEecke also created a piece — which will feature two alumni and other dancers — that he says explores interpersonal dynamics between Jesus and his followers before the events of his Passion and Death.
“Rising UP” is the latest development in an expansion of dance programming at BC in recent years, organizers note, and with this showcase, the Theatre Department joins the growing list of dance producers on campus. Following the opening of a dance studio on the Brighton Campus, Kim’s arrival in 2010 brought the department its first full-time dance faculty member. A professional dancer, Kim also is the founder and artistic director of a performance ensemble.
"There's a longstanding tradition of dance in the Robsham Theater Arts Center and lots of terrific student dance organizations on campus," says Theatre Chair and Associate Professor Scott Cummings, "but the Theatre Department itself has never produced a dance concert. We want to create more opportunities for student dancers.
"Dance is on the rise at BC," he adds, "and we want this showcase to reflect that."
“Rising UP” production team members are costume designer Assistant Professor of Theatre Jacqueline Dalley, lighting designer BC senior Patrick Brazil and professional sound designer David Wilson.
The showcase runs March 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m. on the Mainstage in the Robsham Theater Arts Center. Tickets are $15, $10 for students, seniors, and BC faculty and staff. All tickets are available online at www.bc.edu/theatre, through the RTAC Box Office, or by calling 617?552?4002. For more information, see www.bc.edu/theatre.
A related photo exhibit in O’Neill Library’s Level One Gallery, the “Rising UP Project,” will be on display at next month’s Arts Festival, featuring images of student dancers taken by student photographers at campus locations. The exhibit was inspired by the “Ballerina Project,” a series of photographs of ballet dancers created by a New York City photographer.