Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Dance concert goes contemporary

Dance+students+rehearse+for+the+Winter+Dance+Concert+Thursday%2C+Feb.+2%2C+in+Room+2100+a+week+before+the+show+opens+in+the.+J.+Scheidegger+Center.+Photo+by+Lindsey+Fiala
Dance students rehearse for the Winter Dance Concert Thursday, Feb. 2, in Room 2100 a week before the show opens in the. J. Scheidegger Center.
Photo by Lindsey Fiala

Several Lindenwood dance students will get to showcase their choreography in Lindenwood’s annual Winter Dance Concert.

The concert will be entirely student-based, featuring pieces both written and performed by Lindenwood students, said graduate student Amy Gammon, who is organizing the concert.

“This concert gives students that aren’t seniors the chance to choreograph and put a piece together, and it’s just a really cool opportunity that it’s your fellow classmates that get to throw on a performance for you guys,” she said.

The show will feature a modern contemporary theme and dances created by eight student choreographers. Seniors tend to display their work in the Spring Dance Concert, so out of the eight choreographers in this show, only one is a senior. A few of them are freshmen.

Story continues below advertisement

One of these freshman choreographers is Morgan Brockmiller, who has been involved in dance since she was 3 years old.

Brockmiller is choreographing a piece named “The Process,” which goes through the stages of life, from childhood through adolescence and adulthood to old age.

Dance students perform a portion of their routine that will be showcased Feb. 9-11. Photo by Lindsey Fiala
Dance students perform a portion of their routine that will be showcased Feb. 9-11.
Photo by Lindsey Fiala

“I’ve choreographed a couple of solos before,” she said. “But this is the first time I’ve had a group that I’ve had to work on, and I’ve had to mesh things together for more than just one person.”

Brockmiller said she originally was nervous about choreographing for the show but became more confident about it through working with her dancers.

“I have a really great cast and they work well together, so it made it a lot easier to have good people to work with,” Brockmiller said.

Additionally, two of the student-choreographed pieces will be brought to a regional conference the dance department participates in.

“They have very artistic quality in their pieces that make it to where we want them to bring it to our conference,” said Gammon.

Courtney Krachtus, a junior, choreographed one of these pieces, a dance called “41, 87,” featuring seven dancers accompanied by contemporary instrumental piano.

“It’s very tactile with each other,” she said. “I was really interested in working on the idea of connection between dancers, so they touch each other a lot.”

Krachtus said her process to bring her choreography to life involves a lot of notes, trial and error and working with the dancers.

“I think about movement that I’ve seen or that inspires me, and I play a scenario in my head and I write things that I think might work down, and then you get into a studio space and you put it on your dancers and see if it works,” Krachtus said.

The annual Lindenwood Winter Dance Concert will be Feb. 9-11 in the Emerson Black Box Theater in the J. Scheidegger Center. Students get two tickets free with their student IDs.

Leave a Comment
Donate to Lindenlink
$575
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists who produce Lindenlink. Your contribution will help to cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Lindenlink
$575
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All Lindenlink Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *