Kaufman School of Dance hosts BFA midterm shows
Freshman and sophomore students at the Kaufman School of Dance performed their mid-semester showcase Saturday.
Directed by choreographer and assistant professor Bruce McCormick, the event included five pieces of varying composition and tone. These pieces mostly featured set choreography from master choreographers, but one, titled “Material from ‘Whelm,’” included choreography created by the Kaufman class of 2022 in collaboration with Bret Easterling, a lecturer at Kaufman.
Other pieces were “Symphony of Psalms,” originally performed by the Netherlands Dance Theater in 1978; “Delicate Balance,” choreographed by Jodie Gates, “Lickety Split,” a piece featured in the 2018 mid-semester Kaufman showcase and an excerpt from “Monger,” originally performed at the Suzanne Dellal Dance Centre in Tel Aviv.
The five pieces offered diversity in both style and form. “Delicate Balance,” a piece focusing on weight and lifting, highlighted the push and pull among multiple dancers moving synchronously. It was immediately followed and juxtaposed by “Material from ‘Whelm,’” which was fast-paced and featured multiple solos. Through the wide variety of dances, the audience witnessed the vast skill repertoire of the students. McCormick noted this method’s significance.
“We pride ourselves on our hybridity,” McCormick said. “That’s what really makes Kaufman unique and we try to bring in a repertoire that really showcases the versatility and hybridity of the students.”
Another highlight of the evening was “Lickety Split,” which featured three female and three male dancers. This extended piece told three separate but parallel love stories, each portraying different emotions of desire, yearning, intimacy and joy. At the end of the piece, all six dancers joined one another onstage. The focus shifted to the group and their movements, as solo dancers stepped out to the front of the stage to highlight their individual talent. Professor Thomas McManus, who assisted in the staging of “Delicate Balance,” spoke about the dance techniques featured in “Lickety Split.”
“Lickety Split’ is about a kind of grounded-ness,” McManus said. “And sometimes there are gestures that are ‘thrown away’ — we say ‘thrown away’ in dance, which means that you don’t execute them perfectly and with a kind of intent. They’re a little bit more unconscious, almost.”
The mid-semester showcase displayed the students’ hard work and discipline. They will now continue their practice as they begin preparing for the final showcase in April.