Senior Dance Major Investigates Nature and Spirit
Senior Jeremy Cline ’11.5 will present his thesis dance “Climbing on the World Tree” at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19, in the Mahaney Center for the Arts Dance Theatre. A joint major in dance and religion, Cline focuses his work on elements of ritual performance and investigates the nature of our relationships with spirit. Cline, a cast of five dancers, and live musicians explore the many facets of human consciousness through original choreography.
Cline’s piece is inspired by consideration of the levels of creation, a motif that appears in many religious traditions. The three realms of heaven, earth, and the underworld serve not merely as metaphors, but as actual modes of experience.
In “Climbing on the World Tree,” dancers Davis Anderson ’13, Jessica Lee ’13, Otto Pierce ’13, Alexandra Vasquez ’12, and Meredith White ’15 seek to embody these different modes of being. Original music by Elias Alexander ’13 and Yuki Takeda ’14 embellish this exploration. Drawing on movement from traditional cultures as well as modern dance, the dancers work as an ensemble to create a world outside of the ordinary. Included in the piece is work on the single-point aerial trapeze. Also known as dance trapeze, this low-hanging apparatus allows for dancing through the air. Expect an evening of unconventional performance as the work reflects on moving realms and our own mental perceptions.
Tickets are $12 for the general public; $10 for Middlebury College faculty, staff, alumni, and other ID card holders; and $6 for students. For tickets, go to http://boxoffice.middlebury.edu/index.php. For more information, call x-6433 or go to http://go.middlebury.edu/arts.
— Photos: Alan Kimara Dixon