"Danstage" to open at UWSP April 28

Four faculty members and visiting artist David Berkey have choreographed works for the Theatre and Dance Department’s annual production of "Danstage" at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. The production will be staged April 28-30 and May 4-6.

Berkey, an alumnus of UWSP, returned to work with students during the semester and has created a piece entitled "Head-long" for "Danstage."

Susan Hughes Gingrasso, professor of dance, worked together with area women, students and other UWSP faculty members to create a work inspired by the histories of ten women. Associate Professor Joan Karlen’s dance was inspired by the work of modern sculptor, Richard Serra. Guest choreographer Mary Fehrenbach, a lecturer in dance, created an exhilarating piece using alternative music. Professor James Moore has revived a dance he choreographed eighteen years ago and staged a dance to a set of poems.

Performances will open April 28 at 8 p.m. in Jenkins Theatre of the Fine Arts Center. Other performances will be at 7:30 p.m., except the Sunday, April 30, matinee at 2 p.m.

Admission for the performances is $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and $6 for persons under 18. Students with a UWSP ID may purchase tickets for $3 in advance or free on the day of the production if seats are still available.

Tickets may be purchased at the Arts and Athletics ticket Office by calling (715) 346-4100 or 1-800-838-3378 or at the door. Tickets are also available at the CenterPoint MarketPlace ticket outlet for an additional 50-cent service charge.

Berkey’s piece, "Head-long," is an ensemble dance with a theme of jumping head-long into love, Berkey said. It was inspired by Rachmaninoff’s vibrant "Second Piano Concerto" together with the youth and vitality of the UWSP dancers, he added.

Fehrenbach created "Evening at La Fitte’s." She describes it as "a wild adventurous frolic through a medley of music by Squirrel Nut Zippers and one woman’s romantic fantasy." Fehrenbach’s contemporary choreography is well known for its homespun charm, wit and wisdom.

In "Walking Along I Looked Up," choreographed by Joan Karlen, dancers interact with a large fabric structure inspired in part by the work of Richard Serra. An American sculptor, Serra creates large-scale installations that focus on illusion. The choreography is set to a music collage that includes the Belgian group Zap Mama and contemporary artist Moby.

James Moore has staged a set of poems by Emily Dickinson, Tennessee Williams, Robert Lowry and Charles Ives. The poems are combined with music by Paul Bowles and Aaron Copeland. Moore was inspired by a performance last year with Steve Bjella, associate professor of music, on violin, and Michael Keller, professor of music, on piano with text narrated by Linda Martin Moore, a former faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Dance. This staging of the piece, entitled "Poems," adds dancers and Bjella has arranged the vocal for violin.

In his second piece, "Tarantella," Moore has revived an energetic dance he choreographed years ago to the music of Louis Gattschalk.

"I find this music very exciting and I have the dancers to do it justice," Moore said. "This is a romp and a half for four dancers that is a challenge to their technique and stamina. For nine minutes they seldom have time to breathe."

"The Path Out of Ourselves," a dance that brings the spoken words of 10 Central Wisconsin women to life, was conceived and directed by Gingrasso. She worked with members of the cast to create the movements for the piece, then John Strassburg, UWSP dance accompanist, wrote original music to connect the vignettes. Susan Sherwin, assistant professor of theatre and dance, is costume designer for the piece.

Gingrasso interviewed the participants with the help of UWSP faculty members Robert Wolensky, sociology, and Patricia Ploetz, Information Technology. Clara Cleve, Stevens Point, a private practice social worker, helped her devise questions and assisted in bringing together the women who were interviewed.

Gingrasso was motivated to create the piece by her interest in collecting oral histories and her work on a Women’s Oral History Project at the YMCA. Teresa Merchale, Wisconsin Rapids, and Paula Anderson, Stevens Point, were among the women who Gingrasso interviewed for the project during the fall semester. Cleve, Merchale, and Anderson will dance in "The Path Out of Ourselves" along with 13 students.

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