The Department of Dance presents The Other Side/El otro lado, a dance concert of new work that moves through and across the landscape of human emotions. The works are performed by students and include choreography by dance faculty Ojeya Cruz Banks, Joshua Manculich, Marion Ramírez, and Carlos Funn, who incorporates multi-media video projections into his work. In addition, the performance features a collaboration with student poets Cordero Esterema ’23 and Yaz Simpson ’23.
“It has been a joy to explore with students the qualities of movements that will help them have a bigger range of expression and see them bring their personal experiences into the dance I teach them and the one they create themselves,” Ramírez shared. “The movements in the dance we are creating span from a more slow visceral natural organism to fast social dance merengue to a play with gravity in falls and jumps.”
The Other Side/El otro lado marks the final performance by dance major and fellow Sebastian Goodman ’23. Goodman shares some thoughts on his time at Denison and the concert process.
What does it mean to be a dance fellow?
Being a dance fellow means being able to give back to the department. Over my time at Denison and in the department, I have been able to grow as an artist and as a person. Being able to help out whenever I can is my way of thanking back the professors and community that has helped this growth. Being a fellow means I am able to connect with people in the department that I would normally not be able to.
What does this final dance mean to you, as a student and an artist?
This final performance at Denison means a lot to me. It is both sad and a thrill to get to dance with my friends one last time! Every show is an opportunity for me to see the progress in technique and my artistry as well.
During tech week or as we approach performance day, I also tend to get closer to people who I may not have the chance to connect with during the semester. It is also neat to see how the show looks as a whole with each dance being unique. It is great to see the culmination of our professors’ work and see their talents through the dancers.
Can you describe the process of putting on a dance concert?
Putting on a dance concert is a long process that begins at the beginning of the semester with lots of rehearsing in and out of the dance studio. Sometimes there are new students in the class, so getting to know their styles and how they move takes time, especially during partner work. For most of the semester, it is the dancers and the professors in the studio, but behind the scenes, there is so much more.
Often during shows, audience members don’t see the work that the faculty and tech crew put into designing what the show will look like, and what it will be about. There is the lighting crew who bring the extra magic into pieces with amazing lighting, adding to the dance piece’s story. We will also be working with student poets Cordero Esterema ’23 and Yaz Simpson ’23, which I think is a really cool and innovative idea. I have never danced to poetry before, so I’m excited to see how it works out.
The Other Side/El otro lado
Thorsen Dance Studio, Eisner Center
April 21 & 22, at 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public however tickets are required
