Bodies in Motion dancers (SUNY Geneseo photo/Keith Walters '11)
SUNY Geneseo’s Department of Theatre and Dance Studies presents the Geneseo Dance Ensemble in Dancing on the Edge featuring new works by faculty and guest artists. The concert is artistically directed and produced by professor of dance studies Jonette Lancos and the dance ensemble's associate director Mark Broomfield ’94 PhD, associate professor of dance studies.
The program will be presented in the Alice Austin Theatre on February 27–29 at 7:30 p.m., and March 1 at 2 p.m. The performances are open to the public and free parking is available. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Student Association Ticket Office or online at bbo.geneseo.edu.
Guy Thorne, guest artist during Fall 2019 semester, will premiere They Slice the Air and Reinvent Themselves set to the words of Charles Bukowski with music by Wganda Kenya. Based on traditional Jamaican movement incorporating Garth Fagan technique, the dancers use machetes to symbolize sugar cane cutters, while continuously redefining themselves. Jon Lehrer, guest artist during Fall 2018 semester, choreographed Sirenic, a representation of aspects of women in today’s age. The title derives from sirens of Greek mythology.
Taking Flight, a new work by Broomfield, choreographed to Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude by Yo-Yo Ma, delights in the unbound expression of joy, newfound heights of friendship and soaring voices of hope for future generations. Adjunct Nicolette Ferguson will premiere Light featuring a solo and a quartet set to two musical selections from Edward Bland and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, exploring the word, “light”; easygoing, lighthearted, buoyant, and lively. Adjunct Deborah Scodese-French will present Women Gather, inspired by a quote by Sark and a community building project in Lake Eyasi in Tanzania, is a contemporary dance that displays and embodies the power, comfort, joy and unity found within a community of women. Lancos premieres a charismatic, radiant, classical ballet to the Allegro Vivo section of Symphony in C by George Bizet.
Invited works by students Lauren Hummel ‘21, who crafted Absence, based on the journey through grieving a loss and finding acceptance and Zachary Iannotta ‘22, who created Body Love, which deals with the issue of society’s unrealistic standards of body image affecting young women’s mental health. Alumna, Samantha Schmeer ‘19 explored for her Dance MFA auditions, Finding the Zenith to a poem by Edith Södergran. Rhythms Under the Sun will perform their final dance composition projects using the Elements and Principles of Design as exhibited in selected paintings.
In addition to Lancos and Broomfield, Dancing on the Edge is directed with the help of senior student assistants Sonia Bartolomeo ‘20, Jessica Clagnaz ‘20 and Jordan Wisset ‘20. Stage manager is Julia Albino ’22. Theatre faculty Johnnie Ferrell is mentoring student lighting designers Matthew Esham ‘21, Nikko Garmendiz ‘19 and Cosette Ratliff ‘20. Theatre faculty Bonita Stubblefield is designing costumes and mentoring Megan Palmer ’21.
The production is supported by The Geneseo Foundation, local businesses, and other supporters.