Companydance is a student dance company comprised of a range of separate projects and pieces offering a wide variety of performing opportunities. It is open by audition to all students. Companydance’s primary aesthetic is grounded in the modern dance tradition, but is by no means restricted to it. The audition form is located at the bottom of this webpage. The form is due Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 at 11:00 p.m. Important – Read this entire webpage carefully before filling out the audition form.
Companydance Casting
It is the Dance Department’s desire to welcome, include and encourage every student who wishes to participate in our classes, companies and dance major. We make a fervent effort to model this philosophy when casting students for dance projects. The department considers a number of factors during the process including:
- the student’s previous college-wide curricular and co-curricular experiences, including the ability to fulfill commitments and to work responsibly and diligently, both independently and in a group environment
- the student’s range of previous Companydance experiences in consideration for future growth and development
- the number and types of dancers required for each project
- the student’s dancing ability
Students are eligible to be cast in a maximum of three (3) Companydance projects/pieces. You are able to select the exact number of projects (1 to 3) in which you would like to be cast. This number usually depends upon your anticipated academic load and other co-curricular activities involvement. Understand that as a member of Companydance you are also expected to maintain your rigorous academic schedule, honor your other co-curricular activities, and allow for as much personal time as you need in order to remain a healthy, contributing member of this college and dance community. You are encouraged to select all the piece(s)/project(s) that you are interested in, that will challenge you, that you have not yet experienced, and to which you are able to fully commit. To enhance your opportunity for involvement in Companydance make sure your schedule is clear during the rehearsal times of as many projects as possible. Dance majors are expected to self-select participation in a wide variety of Companydance experiences, including a diverse range of faculty, guest artist, and student works. Note – You must be enrolled in a movement intensive dance class during each term of your participation in Companydance.
There are 8 project/pieces to choose from this year. Read about each one and use this information in your decision-making process:
A – First Year Dance Project (FYDP)
- Directed by Arneshia Williams
- Dancers who are new to the College or Companydance have the opportunity to work in a company setting with each Dance Department faculty in the span of one academic year. A range of movement aesthetics, styles and philosophies will be explored. The project results in an end of the academic year concert.
- This is required of all first year students in Companydance & highly recommended for first-time participants of Companydance.
- First Year Dance Project rehearses the entire year (FYDP does not formally rehearse during Interim term).
- Rehearsal schedule beginning Thursday, 9/15: Tuesdays: 3:00-5:00 p.m. and Thursdays: 3:45-5:45 p.m.
- Performances / Events
- First Glimpse – Friday, October 6, 4:00 p.m.
- First Year Dance Project Concert – Friday May 11, 4:00 p.m.
- Additional showing opportunities are possible throughout the year and will be planned in consultation with cast members.
B – Senior Dance Concert Choreography Projects
- Directed by the senior dance majors selecting choreography as their senior dance capstone project option.
- Regular Weekly Rehearsal Schedule: Each senior dance project rehearses separately, twice each week, once for a 90-minute block of time between 5:00-11:00pm M-F and once for a two-hour block of time on Saturday or Sunday.
- Additional weeknight and weekend rehearsals beginning Friday, 12/1 and running through the Senior Dance Project Performances.
- Performances: Senior Dance Concert (Thursday, 12/7, Friday, 12/8, and Saturday, 12/9 at 7:30 p.m. in Kelsey Theater).
- If you are in Christmas Festival, you are able to perform in the Senior Dance Concert. Note that a keen awareness to schedule and clear, open, and timely communication between you and your senior choreographer are imperative!
- By selecting the Senior Dance Concert projects as one or more of your project options, you will be considered for either of the Senior Dance Concert projects. You are not able to indicate your interest for participation in individual senior projects.
Senior Dance Capstone Project Descriptions
Junior Avalos
This capstone project is an exploration of purification, cleanings, the ritual of washing the body, and the authentic feeling of repulsion by the meat sack you sometimes inhabit. I l also want to add movement/actions/phrases/illusion where the audience might think you are actually harming yourself/each other. I want to explore potential semi-nudity (nude undergarments). There will be water being poured onto the stage through a sprinkler system in the ceiling. Honestly looking to work between 1 to 8 dancers, mostly interested in the larger group. I am looking for dancers who are willing to explore uncomfortable spaces together through authentic human movement, to be intimate and learn from each other, and to embody a narrative strictly through movement. This will be a combination of pre-set material and stuff we discover together.
Briana Blakey
My piece will be centered around restorative care practices. exploring different types of care (self, community, etc.) and different practices of care. I am looking for 5-7 dancers who are interested in generating movement in community with others, i would like to create a safe and supportive space that will foster strong relationships between my dancers. The choreography will be primarily collaborative with some set choreography, and include a lot of group and partner work. Care Practices will be incorporated into rehearsals and will also act as source material for the piece.
Christy Dobbratz
The working unofficial title of this piece is “The Great Multi-Media Production”. The official working title is “I am two, We are one”. I am looking for a duet that will be willing to work with some form of glowing paint that will help to illustrate one of my themes of how you can affect another person without realizing it. The other aspect that I am working with is how you still feel like you, but if you look at the person you were last year, four years ago, or even last week, odds are you have changed in some way that makes you different from past you. I will be including a screendance aspect to this piece as well that will also help show this duplicity/parallelism of life. And to cap off the multi-media production I am collaborating with a composer, who will be writing music that will be performed live, and the dancers and musicians will be interacting with each other. Lastly to tie my entire piece together and to help me coordinate all of these moving pieces there will be a house dance music style back beat to serve as a metronome to sync everything together. For my duet, I am looking for people who will be comfortable with structured improv and have relatively flexible schedule to work with filming days as well as when musicians are available. The movement will be a collaborative effort between what I have created, how the dancers embody my themes, and how the work of partnering with the paint and each other will create new movement.
Sabrina Easley
For my capstone, I will be doing an interdisciplinary work that involves my own choreography as well as filming, and in turn editing the film, to create a screen dance. As I am relating this piece to my other major (English), I am looking into finding a poet to write and recite a piece they created that the choreography will be set to. I am seeking to explore provoking and thoughtful movement that takes place against minimal or no noise, the only background sounds being the recitation of a poem. Most of the movement will most likely be created by myself, but I am always open to collaborating with my dancers. I am looking for technically trained dancers, as the movement will be emotionally as well as physically intricate. The movement will be somewhat technical, with partnering, floor work, and gestures. I will be needing roughly 3 to 5 dancers for my piece. There is no title yet (this will be figured out along the way), and the feeling/vibe/emotions behind the movement will also be found throughout the creative process and in collaboration with the poet. The final film product will be shown at the Senior Dance Concert, and I am currently undecided as to whether the dancers will ever make a physical appearance on stage or not (most likely not, but we will see!). There will be several different camera angles being used, and comfort with being filmed is required.
Emily Emerson
My senior capstone is exploring memory, both how people remember and how people forget. I am looking at this both on a personal level and on a grander scale, such as how a collection of people remember historical events. This dance material will be created by me, and I am looking for a group of about six dancers. I want to play off of the fluidity of memory by showcasing a fluid movement style, at least primarily throughout the piece. The dance will feature group work, solos, and duets. I am looking for dancers who are willing to explore, verbally and through movement, the piece completely, even if not all of the material makes it into the final show.
Harper Foote
My senior project will focus on the reciprocal relationship between emotion and physicality–how one influences and creates the other. Musicality will also be a key factor as I am interested in the triangular relationship that can be formed between music, movement, and feeling both for the performer and the viewer. I would like to work with around seven dancers who are interested in exploring intense ends of both the physical and emotion spectrum. The process will be a combination of pre-set material that I discover on my own and collaborative work with the entire cast.
Sonja Lund
The question I’m working with is “What if we viewed dance like we view art in a museum?” I will work in collaboration with my dancers to explore how dance is viewed and how giving the audience more freedom in their viewing alters the way dance is presented. It will be heavily focused on the dancers themselves and their personal stories. I want dancers who are willing and excited to share their own experiences and work in collaboration to create pieces. I’m looking for dancers who are willing to try writing, drawing, or other ways of brainstorming. There will be a lot of discussions, writing, and improvisation. The end piece will include solo and group performances. This work may not take place during the senior dance concert if there is a time and space that would allow the audience to be able to view this work like they are visiting a museum.
Emma Mogard
My senior piece will be exploring the concept of joy and positivity. I want to work with dancers to find each individual’s sources of joy and the ways in which each can “practice joy” and work to tell those stories through movement. For me, joy is more than happiness – it’s something you can possess even in unhappy or trying times, so we will be exploring a range of emotions and movement styles (including ballroom dance). I’m looking for a large group of dancers who will be willing to work collaboratively with me and dig deeply into what “joy” means for them. This will be done through group discussions, collaboration, improvisation, and set choreography.
Companydance Spring Concert Projects (C, D, E)
- Co-directed by Heather Klopchin, Anthony Roberts, and Janice Roberts
- Companydance Spring Concert pieces rehearse the entire year and have additional weeknight and weekend rehearsals beginning Friday, 3/2/2018 and running through the Companydance Spring Concert performances on March 8, 9 and 10, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
- Performances / Events
- First Glimpse – Friday, October 6, 4:00 p.m.
- Companydance Spring Concert – March 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.
- Additional showing opportunities are possible throughout the year and will be planned in consultation with cast members.
C – Heather Klopchin’s Project
- Directed by Heather Klopchin
- I will create a new modern dance work around the idea of repetition both in terms of physical movement material and musically. How does repetition create either euphoria or boredom? I am interested in working with 6-10 physically and emotionally daring dancers. I imagine we will be exploring movement material that goes in and out of the floor along with modern dance partnering work and the concepts of accumulation and exhaustion.
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Monday, 9/18, and continuing through the March 2018 performances: Mondays/Wednesday: 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Studio 1.
- Not planning to rehearse in January
D – Janice Roberts’ Project
- Directed by Janice Roberts
- I will rework a repertory piece called Celebrating Jennifer (go to 1 hour, 35 min in video). Jennifer Koenig was former St. Olaf College associate pastor, alumna, and dance major, who was heavily involved in dance through her ministry. This work honors her contributions to the college and dance). This lyrical, technical work requires 15 skilled dancers. I am also considering another work in my repertory that requires less dancers.
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Monday, 9/18 and continuing through the March 2018 performances: Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:45-5:45 p.m. in Studio 1.
- Not planning to rehearse in January
E – Anthony Roberts’ Project
- Directed by Anthony Roberts
- Option One: Reworking of After the Fall (go to 55 min, 25 sec of video), my 2016-17 piece for 12 dancers and chairs, which the Dance Department is planning to have performed at American College Dance Association (ACDA) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from March 21-25, 2018.
Brief synopsis: Many of us have experienced trauma during our lives, either personally or through our network of family and friends. After the Fall is an abstract movement expression of the struggle involved in recovering from trauma. - Option Two: New work, much smaller cast, contemporary partnering with contact improvisation influences.
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Thursday, 9/14 and continuing through the March 2018 performances: Tuesday: 3:00-5:00 p.m. & Thursday: 3:45-5:45 p.m. in Studio 3.
- During January, students on campus will rehearse one day each week.
- ACDA off-campus performance.
F – The Northfield Experience
A site-specific performance journey
A collaborative project between St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges
Veteran Director/Choreographer/Media Artist Stephan Koplowitz will create a site-specific, immersive performance event using the town of Northfield, Minnesota, as its canvas and subject matter. Comprised of a series of interlaced performances of theater, dance, visual installations, and digital media, this performance event will be inspired by the history, architecture, and unique community of Northfield. Koplowitz is excited to work and collaborate with St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges and the greater Northfield community, and where the spirit of history, industry, and scholarship still thrive.
The Northfield Experience will engage students, alumni, professors and Curriculum from both colleges, in addition to members of specific Northfield institutions and businesses. It aims not only to create a unique artistic experience, but to bring together several academic and public communities united towards the development and creation of this work. An intended outcome is that all involved parties will be more closely aligned and acquainted following this shared collaboration.
These performances will be inspired by the city’s historic buildings, the achievements/tragedies that occurred in their shadows, and the architecture and design of Northfield. They will also capitalize on the unique creative talents of the St. Olaf and Carleton communities.
Performances will take place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the performance week, and will be broadly advertised in Northfield, SE MN, and the Twin Cities. During the First week of May 2018
We are looking for about 20 dancers to perform in the project.
Stephan Koplowitz is in residence intensively rehearsing:
- Feb. 10-25, April 16-May 6.
- While he is here the rehearsal schedule is as follows: Mon. 3:45-5:45pm, Wed. 3:45-5:45pm, Thurs. 7-9pm, and Sat. 12-3pm – these are the rehearsal blocks for all his pieces/projects, not everyone will need to rehearse this entire span of time.
- When Stephan is not here the upkeep rehearsals will be every Thu. 7-9pm.
- Performances are May 4,5,6, 2018.
Companydance Rehearsal Schedule Conflicts
Below is the list of Companydance rehearsal schedule conflicts. Obviously, you are able to participate in only one of the pieces/projects with overlapping schedules. It is imperative that you are familiar with these conflicts when selecting the projects you would like to participate in. You are encouraged to numerically prioritize your choices whenever possible to enable the faculty to be as fully aware of your selection preferences as possible. If you do not have a preference, you can indicate this by giving two or more projects the same numeric priority. Please keep in mind that your selection preference is one of several factors influencing your casting in Companydance.
- First Year students will not be considered for the guest project, The Northfield Experience.
- Overlapping TTH rehearsal schedules: First Year Dance Project, Anthony Roberts Project
Service Hours
In the dance community we need to help and support each other as we create and present dance. This is true as well for the St. Olaf Dance Community. There are various performances, special events, and workshops held during the year in which we need help and support. Without your help we would not be able to provide all the exciting events in dance. We are requiring these service hours of all members of Companydance. Read Companydance Service Hours.
Now…if you have finished reading all that, you are ready to fill out the audition form.
- You will need to be logged into your St. Olaf email account to open the form.
- Be sure to click “submit” at the bottom of the form after you have filled it out.
- After clicking “submit”, a window will appear that reads, “Your response has been recorded.”
- In this same window, you will have the opportunity to edit your response by clicking the “Edit your response” link.
- Once you leave or close the form window, you cannot make additional changes.
- If you have difficulty completing the form, please contact Anthony Roberts, Dance Faculty and/or Ashley Stock, Dance Technical Director.
- Form due: Sunday, September 10, 2017 @ 11:00PM.
You must be logged in to post a comment.