The University News

Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Culture

Media Credit: Courtesy Mike Srong Eric Sobbe and Molly Vaeth in "Ebony Concerto."

Media Credit: Courtesy Mike Srong Brittany Feiten, Chloe Abel, Brittany Duskin (on floor, looking through) and Katie Metzger.

Media Credit: Courtesy Mike Srong Christopher Page in mid-air, while Ariel Swinney crouches on floor with Skyler Taylor behind.

If you don't make it to this year's Choreofest Dance Concert at the Conservatory, you will be missing out on some unusual, high-powered choreography performed by UMKC's excellent dance students.

The Annual Conservatory Choreofest showcases the choreographic talents of the Dance Division Faculty and other well-known choreographers. Their works are set on the talented dance students of the conservatory, giving them semi-professional experience on the concert stage and giving the public an opportunity for quality entertainment at minimal cost.

This year's program includes the choreography of Paula Weber ("Off Center," "White"), Rodni Williams ("In the Midst of ..."), Mary Pat Henry ("Cappriccio"), Twyla Tharp ("Torelli"), Sabrina Madison-Cannon ("Ebony Concerto"), and Robert Battle ("Battlefields"). The "Ebony Concerto" piece will also feature the live music of the Conservatory Wind Symphony playing music composed by Igor Stravinsky, and featuring clarinet soloist, Jane Carl.

Mary Pat Henry's piece, "Cappriccio," borrows from the court dances of the Renaissance Period. She used the steps of popular Renaissance dances, the Galliard and the Volte, as the inspiration for the choreography.

"I had always wanted to do a ballet based on Renaissance court dances, since that is where ballet evolved," said Mary Pat Henry. "It is based on a classical ballet vocabulary, but it is influenced by the actual steps of the Galliard and the Volta from the Renaissance ... and it is a Renaissance piece of music ... but played by a jazz musician violinist. So, I also incorporated some whimsy as well into the choreography."

Also of special note for this concert, "Torelli" has been restaged by UMKC student, Chloe Abel, a junior in the Conservatory Dance program. It is very unusual to have a student restaging a major work of choreography.

Abel, daughter of famed KC jazz musician, Milt Abel, distinguished herself as a dancer when she studied at the Kansas City Ballet School. Bill Whitener, artistic director for the Kansas City Ballet, hand-picked Abel to assist him in the reconstruction of the KC Ballet's presentation of Twyla Tharp's "Deuce Coupe" last year. She was bestowed with the responsibility of teaching "Torelli" to the KC Ballet School's students over the summer. After the success of her work, Abel was entrusted with the staging of the piece at UMKC.

"Chloe has a remarkable sense of timing," said Weber, ballet faculty director and chair of the Dance Division. "It makes her a very promising dance mistress, as well as an accomplished dancer."

The Choreofest Dance Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 at White Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center. Admission is free for students and staff with UMKC or student ID.

nenglish@unews.com

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