Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Aurora, New York— The Wells College theatre and dance department proudly presents 'Passages,' the Wells College 2014 Faculty Dance Concert. An annual favorite on campus, this year's concert takes place on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Phipps Auditorium on the Wells College campus. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public.

'Passages' features new and repertory work by long-time Wells dance faculty Jeanne Goddard and Elizabeth Wilmot-Bishop, performed by the students of the Wells College Dance Ensemble. Goddard will re-stage her brightly costumed comic piece "The Kitchen Revue," featuring a pot and its lid, a whisk, a broom, a dishcloth and a distraught hostess. The dance was originally commissioned by the Ithaca-based chamber ensemble Music's Recreation and is set to a score by Bohuslav Martinu ("La Revue de Cuisine"/1927). Goddard has also recreated "Three Studies for a Decorated Vessel," a quintet premiered last summer, with live accompaniment by Steven Stull, baritone, and William Cowdery, pianist, who will perform lieder by Strauss, Brahms and Schumann. Goddard's epic new ensemble piece, "Voyage," is inspired by poetic images from Antarctic explorations and is accompanied by the music of contemporary composer Michael McLean. The mood of this abstract work progresses from mysterious to exuberant as winter melts into spring.

Ms. Wilmot-Bishop will offer two repertory works and one premier. "Mere Images" (1985), set to the music of Mannheim Steamroller, portrays a woman looking back at the stages of her life, remembering her childhood, her teen years and her marriage. Wilmot-Bishop's powerful "9/11 Remembered" was created in 2003 for the Hardenberg Dance Theater, to honor local heroes and their service to the nation and their community. The accompanying score moves from Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" through texts and other songs. Finally, the concert closes with Wilmot-Bishop's infectiously joyous new work, "Swing the Mood" set to the foot-tapping arrangements of Jive Bunny.

Lighting design for the concert is by Joe DeForest, resident designer for the Wells College theatre and dance department. Members of the Wells College Dance Ensemble for 2014 are: Ariel Adams ’16, Hanniyah Bashir ’14, Angelee Camacho ’14, Rachel Casler ’17, Valencia Chavez ’14, Nina Daniels ’16, Giavarna Faison ’14, Gloria Franco ’16, Bethany Gore ’17, Tina Green ’16, Mao Hata ’17, James Howard ’14, Ryan Kangas ’17, Natasha Kirkland ’15, Miku Kugo ’17, Kathleen Lamanna ’16, Jes Lyons ’14, Misa Masui ’17, Jasmine Milton ’16, Kelly Reppert ’17, Macy Smolsky ’17, Justine Tibbits ’16, Annalise VanVranken ’14 and Negaysha Walcott ’15.

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