Grindley created a contemporary work called “What Remains,” inspired by the death of her father after a multi-decade battle with Alzheimer’s, and her 11 years of caregiving. She hopes viewers will find connections to their own lives, relationships and journeys.
“I wanted to investigate the idea of memory but also legacy, and what we take with us, but also what we leave behind when we are gone,” Grindley said.
The work’s 17 dancers contributed to making “What Remains,” with music by Yann Tiersen, which field recordings of various landscapes and almost forgotten languages, she said.
“I asked the dancers to write journal entries based on memories of their own, things they remember and don’t know why, things they want to hold onto and keep in their memory, and what they’d like to be remembered for or leave behind — anywhere along their journey,” Grindley said. “The journal entries inspired the initial movement material, along with my own phrase work from my personal memories and experiences, and then used throughout the work in a group collaborative effort of building and layering, learning from each other, sharing movement and stories, using traces of each other’s movement, and building new material from those experiences.”
Lynch choreographed a 12-person contemporary ballet piece with pointe work titled “Shades of Meaning,” an abstract exploration into the psychological and physiological effects that color can have on individuals or a group.
“The dancers form many different relationships throughout the piece, and many dance genres are displayed, from classical and contemporary ballet to modern and contemporary forms, partnering and lifts, as well as some current dance styles such as whacking,” Lynch said.
The music is a recomposed version of two of Vivaldi’s “Summer” tracks from the Four Seasons with a short minimalistic score in the middle titled “Ferme Les Yeux,” he said.
“The piece was created in collaboration with the dancers, and I enjoyed the process very much,” Lynch said. “I know I pushed them outside their comfort zone, and they rose to the challenge.”
Students will also perform work by Teague and Tommi Galaska, ECU’s dance area coordinator and teaching associate professor of dance.
In addition, ECU students and community youth will perform together on stage at each showtime in collaboration with local dance studios. The guest studio schedule is:
Friday, 7:30 p.m. — Katura Dance Academy of Greenville
Saturday, 2 p.m. — B*PAC Dance Studio of Wilson
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. — North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts of Greenville
For more information, call 252-328-4186 or email [email protected].
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