The best way to warm up the end of the long term is to attend “Red~Roja,” the annual Winter Dance Concert, at the Yulman Theater March 4-6. The show is a vibrant and colorful theatrical experience that spins through the poetry of Pablo Neruda and the music of composers from Latin America.
Directed and written by Miryam Moutillet, this powerful collaboration of professors and students from the Theater and Dance Department includes more than 30 performers and musicians who explore the extreme emotions of the human heart.
The emotions are a “celebration of life as seen through dance,” says dancer Valerie Angell ’10.
The show also will premiere student choreographies by Angell, Sara Jacobson ’10, Kira Moldow ’10 and Samantha Zayas ’10, along with students from the Staging Explorations course.
Neruda’s poetry will resonate with Professor Charles Batson’s participation. An eclectic mix of Latin American dance styles combined with traditional techniques of ballet, this dynamic show is animated by a core of modern, jazz and rhythms. One highlight is “Voodoo Buster,” choreographed by dance instructor Marcus Rogers, which uses the rhythms of five dancers working with their bare feet and various hand-held instruments.
Acoustic music will bring together the selection of melancholic songs, with Sulay Lora '12 on vocals, and musicians Harry Pellegrin (faculty guitarist), Tristan Allen (pianist and bassist), Ron Herout ’12 (drummer) and Colin Turley (violinist).
“With the live band, new dances and an energetic cast, the show will be tremendously fun to watch,” said Moldow, who will perform a solo on a Spanish rope, dancing and spinning mid-air. Jacobson’s piece is a mix between aerial acrobatics and modern dance, in which she dances some 10-20 feet in the air throughout. Moldow and Jacobson have been attending workshops to train for their demanding performances.
“Red~Roja,” show times are 8 p.m., March 4-6, and 2 p.m., March 6. Tickets are on sale at the Yulman Theater Box Office 12:30-1:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is $7 with a Union ID card; $10 for general audience. Call the Box Office at ext. 6545.