“The Wintering” is one of the shows the Gustavus Dance Department puts together each year, and took place in late January. This is a notable show because it features a guest choreographer, faculty choreographers, and student choreographers.
Eleanor Charlson ’26, one of the student choreographers, shared a little bit about the experience of dancing in and choreographing separate pieces in the showcase. As did Natalie Thorson ’28, who was in Eleanor’s piece, along with the freshman piece.
Charlson is a Psychological Science and Anthropology double major with a minor in Dance. She has been dancing for 8 years, but started off more interested in theater then dance. This changed when she transferred to a conservatory for highschool. She is now a part of the senior dance company here at Gustavus, and has only good things to say about it. “Everyone in this department is so dedicated to it, we all spend so much time dancing,” Charlson said. Due to such dedication and the sheer amount of time they spend together they “all just become best friends,” which really helps to make the Dance Department a welcoming community built on trust and a love for dance.
Thorson echoes this by saying “all of the dancers here are very inviting.” Thorson has also had a long history with dance, beginning 16 years ago. She is most familiar with ballet and modern, but is fluent in most styles of dance. In addition to this she has also taught kids both tap and ballet.
The piece Charlson choreographed for this show was inspired by the piece she had previously created for the class Dance Composition 1. In her choreography, she combined her father’s love for The Beatles and her mother’s love for modern dance. The piece starts with dancers Natalie Thorson ’28 and Joanna Mai ’28 dancing apart to the song “I Will” by The Beatles, then switches to them dancing together.
“I had the two songs and I really wanted two distinct parts. They were apart for the first song, then they came together and they stayed connected,” said Charlson. The process to put this together was unlike anything any of them have done before.
Charlson really enjoyed the newer aspect of dance that comes along with choreographing “I really enjoyed finding that new part in my brain,” she says. While Thorson was unfamiliar with the way Gustavus choreographed because she is a freshman, “it was definitely kind of a challenge at the beginning, adjusting to their style.” Which is true when choreographing with anyone new.
Their hard work was truly reflected in the Wintering showcase. For another opportunity to see them, and so many more amazing dancers and choreographers, come to Shared Space. This is a completely student led showcase and will feature many beautiful dancers. It is taking place on April 25 at 6:30 p.m., April 26 at 8 p.m., and April 27 at 4 p.m. in the Gardner Laboratory Theater.