The Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus Adolphus College is pleased to announce the 2006 spring concert of the Gustavus Dance Company (GDC), entitled Pushing the Limits. This annual event includes works choreographed and performed by its dance faculty and students, and guest artists Megan Flood, Mathew Janczewski, and Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner. Performances will be held on campus in Anderson Theatre on March 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and March 19 at 2 p.m.
This year’s concert opens with the premiere of Stack, a dance choreographed by Gustavus Theatre and Dance faculty member Michele Rusinko to an original score by Michele Gillman of the Gustavus Department of Music. Performed by three musicians, the composition is polymetric, with three separate time signatures that could be interwoven as a chamber piece or interpreted as three solos interacting simultaneously. Stack explores the interrelationship between these three musical lines and movement, and the resulting uneasy unity between musicians and dancers.
Maria Gomez Tierney, a Gustavus Theatre and Dance faculty member, choreographed Mysterious Realms, a dance that slinks along the exterior and then bursts through to the interior of an ancient and mysterious dominion. This dance showcases four of Gustavus’ finest dancers.
Closing the first half of the concert will be Return, choreographed by guest artist Mathew Janczewski, Founder and Artistic Director for the ARENA Dances. This very muscular dance challenges each dancer and shows how much work relationships involve through demanding lifts, throws, and catches.
Returning for a second year as a guest artist in the Department of Theatre and Dance, McKnight Fellowship recipient Megan Flood presents a splash of spontaneity with Larpenteur. Accompanied by one live musician, the dancers use skillful improvisation to interact, keep the flow of the dance moving and connect with the audience.
Peripheral, choreographed by dance majors Matt Dittes and Britta Peterson, moves to the main stage after its memorable performance in the December Shared Space concert. Making a social commentary, this piece explores through everyday, more pedestrian movement missing moments in life and the effect the real world has on showing our true colors.
Topping off the evening will be Heavy Bad Sugar, choreographed by guest artist and Gustavus Dance faculty member Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner. This three-part jazz work was created as a saucy response to jazz great Nina Simone. Heavy Bad Sugar explores the deterioration of love, moving from a playful and sweet beginning to a stale and bitter end. Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner’s work has been produced by numerous theatres throughout the Twin Cities, Phoenix, Arizona, and in Washington D.C. She is a three-time winner of the Arizona Choreography Competitions Professional Division and is currently a visiting artist at both Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota.
Tickets for the concert in Anderson Theatre are required as all seating is reserved. The cost is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are free for Gustavus students, faculty and staff. Please purchase tickets through the Student Activities Office by calling the Gustavus ticket center at 507.933.7590.