Weber State students took the stage on Aug. 31 to audition for the Orchesis Dance Theatre’s fall performance and the Dance Program’s Moving Company.
The auditions were held under the direction of Amanda Sowerby, professor of dance, who welcomed students of all ages and skill levels to participate.
Weber State has hosted the Orchesis Dance performance for nearly 25 years, and, this year, it will be held in the Val A. Browning Center’s Allred Theater from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17.
In addition to trying out for the dance theatre’s fall performance, students also had the option to try out for the Dance Program’s outreach and performance class, Moving Company.
Moving Company is a yearlong course that gives students an opportunity to reach out and involve themselves within the community. Sowerby, who has taught at WSU’s Department of Performing Arts for over 18 years, is the director of the course.
Regarding the purpose of the class, Sowerby explained, “Moving Company is supposed to be very collaborative and interdisciplinary. It allows students to explore the possibilities of dance and reach out to other disciplines.”
This year, the course will be collaborating with sculpture students and Professor Jason Manley, of WSU’s Department of Visual Art and Design, to create art for the live performances.
In addition, the music department’s Dr. Carey Campbell will be composing an original electronic score for the dance.
Sowerby said within the Dance Program, “There is a focus on how do we reach out and connect with others, who are our audience members, and how are we trying to engage them and communicate with them through the form of art.”
Throughout the year, Weber State will be partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Weber-Davis to bring dance education classes to their after-school program. WSU students will teach and help connect the relationship between visual arts and dance through simple art projects.
Moving Company’s collaboration and outreach are supported by a John A. and Telitha E. Lindquist Faculty Fellowship, a Hemingway Collaborative Award and an Alan E. and Jeanne N. Hall Endowment for Community Outreach grant.
Students who are a part of Moving Company will also perform in the fall and spring Orchesis performances this year.
Students cast for the fall performance are required to take a dance technique class to continue working on their dance proficiency throughout the semester.
For the next three months, students will meet regularly in the studio to learn and perfect their pieces for the fall performance. Although students put in extra hours and effort, Sowerby said all the hard work and dedication eventually pays off.
“To be involved in a performing art is a wonderful and enriching experience,” Sowerby said. “There is a lot of growth, reflection and learning that happens with students in the studio.”
An ongoing focus of the Dance Program is to support Dance majors in the creation of original art by involving them in the process.
“We highly value and encourage student’s creative participation and their interests,” Sowerby said.
Cyntera May and Kristen Houskeeper, WSU dance majors, will feature their first dances for the main stage in the November’s performance.
“I am super excited about it, and I’m really excited to work with all these new faces,” May said.
After graduation, May hopes to use her degree as a choreographer.
Dr. Michael Hamblin and Emily Bokinskie, department of Performing Arts adjunct faculty, will be choreographing new works to premiere in the fall dance performance as well.
Hamblin, who has been an adjunct dance teacher for 17 years, is approaching the end of his time at Weber State. He expressed his appreciation for the time he had to get to know the students and teach dance.
“The majority of students have the inclination to move,” Hamblin said. “Dance is simply a way to show them how to get it out through moving their body.”
Both May and Houskeeper, now starting their third year at Weber State, describe the Dance Program as being influential and welcoming.
“The people here are so pure,” May said. “They are so nice and accepting, and nobody here is going to tear you down.”
Houskeeper, who only began dancing four years ago, expressed her appreciation for the support of teachers and fellow students within the Dance Program that helped her excel in her classes.
“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been dancing,” Houskeeper said. “What matters is that you’re here.”
