It’s not everyday that a patron has the pleasure of watching a music concert at Minneapolis’ Southern Theater. Occasionally a dance company will perform with live musicians but that experience is completely different. I’m talking about sitting down in seat H3, drink in hand (complementary drinks provided by Vita.mn) and being lulled to a tranquil environment created by sound.
Something magical is about it happen. I can tell as I take my seat. I’m practically sitting against the back wall but I am, never the less, on the main floor of the State Theater about to watch my first Broadway show in over a year.
I’m a little nervous as I step out of my car. “What if I’m no good at it? What if I make a complete fool out of myself?” It’s dark – about 8:30 p.m. – so Molly can’t see my distressed expression.
I don’t even know why I’m here; I must be one of those foolish dancers who will do anything to impress their new choreographer. “I’ve never enjoyed things like this before. Why would I now?” I think to myself. With my friend by my side we walk through the doors of the Minneapolis Eagle’s Club. I’m about to have the time of my life being swung and tosses around by complete strangers.
The night is cold and the crisp smell of autumn wafts through the air. I find that my three companions and I are walking to a building I have never noticed before; a building, which I am told, is slated for demolition. That’s why we’re here. That’s why this whole event is happening. That is why I am standing outside at nine o’clock at night in front of a school building instead of lying on the couch with the idea of sleep in the near future. I am here, in front of Norris Hall on the University of Minnesota’s east bank, to see my first experimental theater show.
October 7, 2008
“What is this a moment before? A moment before…what?�? I sat in the corner of studio 200 in the Barbara Barker Center for Dance as Kelly Drummond Cawthon spoke to the University Dance Theater cast of the Shapiro & Smith Dance piece “A moment before.�? Winter break. ACDFA. Graduation. The rest of my life. This apprenticeship is my moment before - a moment before my career reveals itself.
This project marks the end of my college career. I am a graduating senior from the University of Minnesota and I am earning a BFA in dance and a minor in mass communications. My senior project is apprenticing with Shapiro & Smith Dance (S&S).
For 25 years Minneapolis’ Zenon Dance Company has entertained audiences with its grace, creative spirit and technical prowess. However, choreography in the company’s 25th anniversary spring concert failed to live up to its reputation.
Continue reading "Zenon falls short of reputation 4/19/08" »
Shapiro & Smith Dance’s newest production "Next Steps" is an example of how production elements greatly aid a performance. The lights expressed the tone of each dance piece; the sound supported the choreography by creating a sensory ambiance; the costumes made each character come to life; and the choreography showed the thought and brilliance of the show’s maker.
Continue reading "Shaprio & Smith Dance performance paper 4/6/08" »
Shaprio & Smith Dance artistic director Joanie Smith and company member Kari Mosel relax before rehearsal in studio 100 at the University of Minnesota’s Barbara Barker Center for Dance. The company’s newest show, "Next Steps," opens April 3 and runs through April 6 at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Shapiro & Smith Dance, a local modern dance company, will grace the stage of Minneapolis’ Southern Theater with their newest show "Next Steps," which introduces the company’s first new work since the death of co-artistic director Danial “Danny? Shapiro in 2006.
The evening-long modern dance show, which runs April 3 through April 6 at the Southern, consists of "What Dark/Falling Into Light" (premiere: 1996) and the premieres of "Miniatures" and "Accidentally Walking Through Nothing."
Continue reading "Shaprio & Smith Dance takes its "Next Steps" 3/7/08" »