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. The audition form is located at the bottom of this webpage. The form is due Sunday, Sept. 11 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 Heather Klopchin
- 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 & highly recommended for first-time participants of Companydance.
- First Year Dance Project rehearses the entire year (FYDP does not formally rehearse during Interim semester).
- 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, September 23, 4:00 p.m.
- First Year Dance Project / Open Stage Concert – Friday May 12, 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, 12/2 and running through the Senior Dance Project Performances.
- Performances: Senior Dance Concert (Thursday, 12/8, Friday, 12/9, and Saturday, 12/10 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
Shaina Andres
I will create a piece focused on self-presentation and awareness, with solos, duets, and group sections created by myself and through group collaboration. Effective performance will be as important as the choreographic elements of the piece so I aim to build a very strong, adaptable, and present group of 5-7 dancers who are prepared to explore movement quality and intentionality early in the choreographic process.
Julia Bassett
The working title of my piece is “the edge of somewhere,” as I want to explore what an “edge” is, and the many ways we deal with uncertainty. Do you try to plan your next move, weighing the options, or do you close your eyes and leap? What happens if you move outside your comfort zone? I love to collaborate and delve into aspects of the human condition ,so I am looking for 5-7 dancers who are willing to create with me and ask questions. Dancers will also wear socks to add a level of uncertainty within the piece, and I want us to strive to create movement that would be impossible without socks. The music I have been exploring is out of my usual realm of music, but I am looking to encourage all of us to get out of our default movement styles. Text creation (read: writing exercises/creative writing) and the performance of text will be involved with this piece. Rehearsals will be for two hours on Saturday mornings and on an evening during the week.
C – Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater Project
- Directed by Stuart Pimsler. Heather Klopchin is the St. Olaf point person for this project.
- Looking for 10-15 dancers interested in being extras for the SPDT work Matinee in the SPDT performance on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 at 7:30pm in Center for Art and Dance Studio One.
- St. Olaf student extras, if interested, will be considered for extras at the World Premiere of Matinee at the Women’s Club of Minneapolis on Feb. 10-12 and 17-19.
- Rehearsals would happen during the week of Oct. 24: Mon. 10/24, Wed. 10/26, Thurs. 10/27, and Friday 10/28 from 3:45-5:45 and Tues. 10/25 from 3-5pm. Additional technical rehearsals would happen the evening of Friday, 10/28, and during the day on Saturday, 10/29.
- This piece does not count towards your project total.
Companydance Spring Concert Projects (D, E, F, G, H)
- Co-directed by Anthony Roberts, Janice Roberts and Heather Klopchin
- Companydance Spring Concert pieces rehearse the entire year and have additional weeknight and weekend rehearsals beginning the week of 4/24/2016 and running through the Companydance Spring Concert performances on May 4, 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.
- Performances / Events
- First Glimpse – Friday, September 23, 4:00 p.m.
- Companydance Spring Concert – May 4, 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.
- Additional showing opportunities are possible throughout the year and will be planned in consultation with cast members.
D – Guest Artist Marciano Silva dos Santos Project
- Choreographed by Marciano Silva dos Santos. Rehearsals directed by Heather Klopchin.
- Looking for 6-8 dancers, possibly more to be a part of a new dance work combining Afro-Brazilian, capoeira and contemporary dance.
- Intensive rehearsals the week of 10/3 when Marciano is in residence include:
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 3:45-5:45 and 6:45-8:45
- Tuesday: 3:00-5:00 and 6:00-8:00
- Saturday, 10/8: 4-hour rehearsal TBD
- Regular weekly upkeep rehearsals: Wednesdays: 7:00-9:00 p.m. beginning October 12 and continuing through the May performances.
- Due to the intensive rehearsal schedule early in the Fall semester, first-year students will not be considered for this project.
E – Janice Roberts’ Project
- Directed by Janice Roberts
- A new work called “Shards”. I will be choreographing a new work using the ideas and properties of glass. I need dancers that are comfortable building material with me. I may possibly include a section on pointe (you do not need any previous experience; I will condition you for it).
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Monday, 9/26 and continuing through the May performances: Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:45-5:45 p.m.
F – Anthony Roberts’ Project
- Directed by Anthony Roberts
- Looking for any number of dancers interested in collaborating on the creation of a new work using chairs, partnering, and personal experiences. Students will be involved in creating and teaching movement with me and providing input on the development of the dance.
- Additionally, I am interested in using the creative process for this piece as a laboratory for researching the complicated relationship between dance and cognition. If all goes as planned, one or more dancers will periodically wear a mobile brain-to-computer interface (head cap and backpack) during rehearsal to collect EEG [electroencephalogram] data of brainwave patterns while dancing. Totally painless, very interesting and cool. I would love to work with dancers who are also interested in being involved in this exploration. While this research aspect may not be represented in the performance of the dance, there will likely be some method of presenting the results of this research to an audience.
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Thursday, 9/15 and continuing through the May performances: Tuesday: 3:00-5:00 p.m. & Thursday: 3:45-5:45 p.m.
- During January, students on campus will rehearse one day each week.
G – Heather Klopchin’s Project
- Directed by Heather Klopchin
- This new piece will explore the notion of groove. What is groove? What makes you groove? I imagine the movement material will be somewhat jazz dance based but not limited to jazz dance vocabulary. Dancers will be an integral part of the creation process. I do not have a set number of dancers I am looking for.
- Regular weekly rehearsal schedule beginning Monday, 9/19 and continuing through the May performances: Mondays: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
- Not planning to rehearse in January
H – Veselica/Companydance Collaboration Project
- Directed by Amy Slater, Karla Grotting, and Anne von Bibra
- Working with modern dance choreographer Amy Slater, modern/jazz/percussive dance choreographer Karla Grotting and ethnic dance researcher/choreographer Anne von Bibra, to create a piece that is interested in the fusion of modern dance aesthetics with traditional folk dance rhythms, shapes, patterns and inspirations. We will play with the physical and intellectual interplay between these forms in order to explore ideas of human engagement, disconnection, enmity and connection.
- This project will happen during the Spring semester.
- Intensive rehearsals during Amy Slater’s residency Feb. 12-17.
- 5 hour rehearsal on Sunday, Feb 12 (time TBD)
- 2 hour rehearsals daily on M-F, Feb 13-17 (3:45-5:45pm)
- 5 hour rehearsal on Saturday, Feb 18 (time TBD)
- Karla Grotting will continue to shape and refine the work during weekly rehearsals, Wednesdays, 3:45-5:45 p.m.
- The work will be performed in both Veselica’s and Companydance’s Spring Concerts: April 6, 7, and 8 (Thu., Fri., Sat. at 7:30 pm; plus matinee Sat. at 2:00 p.m.) and May 4, 5, and 6 (Thu., Fri., Sat. at 7:30 pm). Additional weeknight rehearsals beginning the week of 4/4 until the Veselica show and additional weeknight and weekend rehearsals beginning 4/24 and until the Companydance Spring Dance Concert.
- This project counts as a half of a project and can be paired with Senior Dance Concert Projects to represent a full project.
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 Marciano Silva dos Santos Project
- Overlapping MW rehearsal schedules: Janice Roberts Project, Veselica/Companydance Collaboration Project
- 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 and Veselica. 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”, you may still check and edit your responses by scrolling up to the top of the form and clicking on Edit your response.
- Once you leave or close the form window, you cannot make additional changes.
- If you have difficulty completing the form, please contact Anthony Roberts and/or J-P Douglas.
- Form due: Sunday, September 11, 2016
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