Companydance Audition Information

    2022-23 Companydance Audition Information

    Please read carefully through all of the information below before filling out the audition form as it is important to understand your participation requirements and responsibilities before auditioning for Companydance.

    About Companydance

    Companydance© strives to be inclusive and accommodating to the evolving interests, needs, and abilities of a broad spectrum of students including dance majors and non-majors, while encouraging student responsibility, creative collaboration, community building, and of course, great dancing.

    Companydance, open by audition to all students, is one of two faculty-directed companies within the dance department. Modeled to provide students with a pre-professional repertory dance company experience, Companydance also serves as an extension of the dance faculty’s teaching and creative practices. Companydance consists of separate projects and pieces, including First-Year Dance Project, Senior Dance Capstone Concert, and Companydance Spring Concert (faculty, guest artist, and student choreographed dances), and offers student dancers a wide variety of performing opportunities.

    In preparing students for the expectations of the professional world, be it in dance or other fields, students participating in Companydance are expected to be earnest, show sincerity and conviction and be responsible by following through with all their company-related obligations.

    Companydance Auditions & Casting

    All Students Are Welcome & Invited to Audition…

    The Dance Department’s welcomes and encourages every student who wishes to participate in our dance community through classes, companies, and the dance major. We model this philosophy when auditioning and casting students for Companydance. Given this, all students are welcome, invited and encouraged to audition for Companydance..

    When / Where

    • Juniors and Seniors* – Monday, September 12 from 3:45 – 5:45 p.m.
    • First Years and Sophomores* – Tuesday, September 13 from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
    • Auditions are in-person in Wagner Bundgaard Studio One (#330, third level), Center for Art and Dance

    *If you are not able to attend the audition on your scheduled day, please attend on the other day

    More Info
    • Wear comfortable clothing
    • Be prepared to dance barefoot
    • If you have them, please bring tap, jazz and character shoes (not required and will not affect casting)
    • No need to prepare material, we will teach you
    • For More Info please attend the Companydance Audition Information Session – Friday, September 9 from 3:45 – 4:45pm – Wagner Bundgaard Studio One (#330, third level), Center for Art and Dance
    Audition Form- Required
    • A link to the audition form will be entered at the bottom of this page on Friday afternoon, 9/9.
    • The form will be discussed in detail at the Companydance Audition Information Session – Friday, September 9 from 3:45 – 4:45pm – Wagner Bundgaard Studio One (#330, third level), Center for Art and Dance
    • The form is due Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, at 9:00 p.m.

    Casting Information…

    The department considers a number of factors when casting students for Companydance, including:

    • the student’s availability
    • the student’s ability to fulfill previous Companydance commitments
    • the student’s ability to work earnestly and responsibly, both independently and in a group environment, during previous college-wide curricular and co-curricular experiences
    • the student’s breadth of experiences and the department’s goal of providing for their continued growth and development
    • the number of dancers needed and the qualities desired for each project
    • the number of projects a student wants to be cast in
    • the student’s dancing ability

    All auditioning students will be considered for casting in ALL Companydance projects that work with their availability.

    Casting is not guaranteed…

    It is possible that not all auditioning students will be cast for Companydance. If Companydance does not fit for this year, there are other opportunities to participate in dance at St. Olaf both within and outside the dance department.

    Maximum # Of Projects/Pieces Per Student…

    • Students are eligible to be cast in a maximum of 3 Companydance projects/pieces.
    • Students can select the maximum desired number of pieces, up to 3, they are willing to be cast in.
    • To increase chances of being cast in Companydance, students are encouraged to make sure their schedules are clear for as many projects’ rehearsal timeframes as possible.

    Transcript Credit

    All students selected for Companydance will be automatically enrolled in the no-credit course Dance 180: Companydance, which will show on student transcripts or degree audits.

    Companydance Projects/Pieces:

    All Companydance Projects are expected to adhere to COVID-19 Community Standards as they evolve.

    First-Year Dance Project (FYDP)

    • Directed by Professor Heather Klopchin
    • Designed for student dancers who are new to the College or Companydance.
    • FYDP is required of all first-year students cast in Companydance & highly recommended for first-time participants of Companydance.
    • FYDP dancers will become oriented to Compandance and foster and create a Dance Focused Community. Will include
      • Warming Up
      • Making a dance
      • Learning choreography from various faculty members
      • Performing choreography
    • Fall term only. If FYDP students wish to continue in the dance companies for the Spring term, there will be an audition later in the Fall for additional casting in the Companydance Spring Concert as well as spring projects with Veselica.
    • FYDP rehearses on Tuesdays 3-5pm and Thursdays 3:45-5:45pm.

    Senior Dance Capstone Concert Choreography Projects

    • Performances: Senior Dance Capstone Concert project performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, December 8, 9, & 10, 2022 @ 7:30pm in Kelsey Theater.
    • Pieces are directed by the senior dance students selecting choreography as their Senior Dance Capstone project option.
    • Each senior dance project rehearses separately, twice each week, once for a 2 hour block of time between 5:00-11:00 p.m. M-F and once for a two-hour block of time on Saturday or Sunday. Specific rehearsal schedules are determined by the senior dance student choreographers.
    • Additional weeknight and weekend costume, technical rehearsals and show commitments are everyday Friday, December 2nd through the final performance Saturday, December 10th. Please see the Companydance 2022-2023 Production Schedule for detailed information.

    Senior Dance Capstone Choreography Project Descriptions:

    Tyreis Hunte:

    Tyreis’ Senior Dance Capstone Project is a hybrid project involving both solo material performed and created by him and collaborators Djenane Saint Juste, Rennie Harris, and others. He is looking for dancers to appear in certain parts of his work. Themes include the African Diaspora and protest through joy.

    Dorothy Hendrickson:

    Since freshman year, I have been captivated with the idea of having it snow on the stage during a piece. The transition from fall to winter is one of dread for some, but one of magic and wonder for others. Growing up in Minnesota the first snow of the year has always been magical and special to me. I want to explore the many emotions that come with winter and snow through my choreography. I want to create a joyful dance piece that inspires others to love winter as much as I do!

    Kylie Kasprick:

    I am inspired by the concept of acute stress that often occurs as a result of traumatic events. My piece will include multimedia elements as well as abrupt lighting shifts. We will shoot the multimedia elements ideally at the beginning of october to allow for sufficient editing time. I envision a larger group of dancers (7-10) that are comfortable with contemporary movement. I’d like to rehearse twice a week, beginning immediately following casting through the senior concert. I feel that this theme will challenge me to explore the expressive range behind movement after two years of hiding behind a mask.

    Kae McMahon:

    I have been wanting to choreograph a dance using PE scooters for awhile now. I want to expand this concept of childhood objects to use a jump rope and another prop, such as chalk or bubbles, and to expand the meaning behind their usage to create a treatise on childhood trauma and the way it affects us as adults. I would love a group of 6 committed dancers for this piece. I’ve prepared for this piece by taking both choreography classes and choreographing a solo on myself for JR project. This piece will challenge me to incorporate props while maintaining a focus on meaningful choreography.

    Audrey Messinger:

    I would like to explore the role of escapism in 1930s fashion, and as an extension, pop culture in general. I feel it has some significance to today: we treat pop culture, fashion, music, etc sometimes as a way to escape the current pandemic world, the same way people used these things in the Depression era. In this piece, I want to work with theater, showgirl, and jazz techniques, as well as contemporary movement.

     

    Companydance Spring Concert 2023 Projects

    • Companydance Spring Concert 2023 is Directed by Professor Heather Klopchin. The performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, May 4, 5, 6, 2023 @ 7:30 p.m. in Kelsey Theater.
    • Additional showing opportunities may be possible throughout the year and will be planned in consultation with cast members.
    • Rehearsal Schedule varies, please see “Companydance Rehearsal Time Blocks” heading below.
    • Additional weeknight and weekend costume, technical rehearsals and show commitments are everyday Friday, April 28th through the final performance Saturday, May 6th. Please see the Companydance 2022-2023 Production Schedule for detailed information.
    • Project directors will provide schedule information to their respective casts once rehearsals begin.

    Mathew Janczewski (Faculty)

    Choreographer and Artistic Director of ARENA Dances, Mathew Janczewski, will be working material for Erased Steps, in which he will play with some walking patterns, percussive rhythms, intricate partnering, and dancey dance material. He is also presently playing with found sound, piano, jazz, and muffled “distant” big band music of the 20s. For more information about ARENA Dances see this link For Mathew Janczewski’s bio see this link.

    Karla Grotting (Faculty)

    Dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer, Karla Grotting, works with a unique blend of modern, jazz, tap, social and percussive dance experiences. She is a founding member, principal dancer, and artistic associate with Joe Chvala’s The Flying Foot Forum. She will be creating a new work involving both jazz and tap for the Companydance Spring Concert. For Karla Grotting’s bio see this link. Karla will be auditioning the tap portion of the work during the Tuesday, Sept. 13th audition only. If you would like to audition for the tap portion of Karla’s work and are a Junior or Senior attending Monday’s audition then please come to Tuesday’s audition from 4-5pm as well and bring tap shoes.

    Cudjoe Emmanuel (Faculty)

    Migration: is an abstract narration based on phenomenological experiences and testimonies about travelling bodies. It focuses on several reemerging ideas: power, struggle, blackness, survival, rebellion. This work commemorates the ancestors and the warfare they have waged physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Yet, it acknowledges there is still an ongoing struggle to be free within the body. In this choreopoem piece, we will explore the colonized, racialized, medicalized, technologized, disabled, and terrorized bodies as the site for envisioning and archiving movements. Cudjoe’s bio can be found here.

    Heather Klopchin (Faculty)

    Heather Klopchin will be making a new dance work and restaging a repertory dance work for the Companydance Spring Concert. Heather’s new work is in the early stages of creative development but at this point will involve contemporary/modern dance vocabulary, floor work, balletic lines, and classical music. The repertory work that Heather will be restaging is Gridlock which has been performed several times at St. Olaf College and at other institutions. Heather’s bio can be found here.

    BRKFST (Guest Artists)

    BRKFST Dance Company, a collaborative ensemble of breaking choreographers will be creating a group work for the Companydance Spring Concert. This work will have a separate audition later in the Fall and will have an intensive rehearsal period from Feb. 27-March 5th. More information about BRKFST can be found here.

    Companydance Rehearsal Time Blocks

    • Senior Dance Capstone Projects (Fall only – maximum of 4 hours per week)
      • 2 evening hours on one weeknight (Monday through Friday) AND 2 hours on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday)
    • First Year Dance Project (Fall only – maximum of 4 hours per week)
      • Tuesdays: 3:00-5:00pm AND Thursdays: 3:45-5:45pm
    • Companydance Spring Concert Projects (Fall and Spring – maximum of 4 hours per week)
      • Block 1: Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:45-5:45pm
      • Block 2: Tuesdays: 3:00-5:00pm AND Thursdays: 3:45-5:45pm
      • Block 3: Wednesdays: 7-9pm
    • BRKFST (Special Spring Project will audition later in the Fall semester – does not count towards maximum pieces – can be a 4th piece)
      • Intensive rehearsals Feb 27th – March 5th; Evenings and weekends, 4hrs per day

    Companydance Participation Requirements*

    Movement Intensive Dance Class Enrollment

    1. You must be enrolled in a movement-intensive dance class during each term of your participation in Companydance. This requirement is in place to help maintain the health, promote the growth, and encourage the optimum participation, comfort, confidence, and productivity of each student dancer during the rehearsal and performance process of Companydance.
    2. If you are not currently enrolled in a movement-intensive dance class, please consult the class & lab to see which courses may fit with your current schedule. Realize that it may be necessary to shift your current schedule to make room for a movement-intensive dance class. Then, consult with the dance faculty to add the class.

    Attendance & Participation

    1. You must be on time, fully present, and ready to participate in every rehearsal.
    2. Make yourself available for all scheduled rehearsals. Realize that some rehearsals may conflict with your desire to participate in non-Companydance activities and/or leave early for holiday breaks. Communicate your Companydance schedule to your family ASAP to avoid missing rehearsals due to uninformed travel arrangements.
    3. Inform the choreographer(s) and rehearsal director(s) of each project you are involved in ASAP in the event that an unexpected and immovable conflict should arise*.
    4. Check the  Companydance/FYDP and dance events google calendars regularly, as well as stay abreast of all changes made to the calendar/s.
    5. Respond to Companydance related communication when requested within 24 hours.
    6. Sign up for costume measurements/fittings as soon as you are requested to do so.

    Required Companydance Meetings

    Fall Term:

    • Friday, September 23rd, 3:45-4:45pm, in Wagner Bundgaard Studio One, CAD 330
      • Meet & greet all Companydance dancers
      • Sharing of relevant information
    • Friday, November 11th, from 3:45-4:45pm in Studio 2, CAD 324
      • Debrief the term and process
      • Sharing of relevant information

    Spring Term:

    • Friday, February 10th, 3:45-4:45pm in Wagner Bundgaard Studio One, CAD 330
      • Spring check-in
    • Friday, May 12th, 3:45-4:45pm in Wagner Bundgaard Studio One, CAD 330
      • End of year checkin
      • Perhaps a small party

    Kelsey Theater Show Load In and Strike

    If you are involved in a show performing in Kelsey Theater (Senior Dance Concert, Companydance Spring Concert) you are required to help out with two key moments in the setup and strike for that performance.

    • The Great Weight Shift- During Load In, on a singular day within three weeks of the performance, your presence will be required for a mere half hour to help bring stage weights from the loading bridge down to the stage deck.
    • Strike- After the last show, every cast member of that show is required to help strike. Strike typically takes 2-3 hours.

     

    Service Hours Commitment

    In the professional dance community, behind the scenes and front of house help and support are needed to 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:Service Hours for Dance Companies.

    *As with any requirement and expectation in life and dance, rare exceptions to scheduling may be allowed in case an emergency and immovable situation arises. Rare exceptions to the Companydance requirements must be requested by the student ASAP and will be considered on a case by case basis. Note: not all exception requests will be granted.

    Companydance Audition Form

    Only after you have carefully read and understand the information included above, proceed to fill out the audition form.

    1. You must be logged into your St. Olaf email account to open the form.
    2. Be sure to click “submit” at the bottom of the form after you have filled it out.
    3. After clicking “submit”, a window will appear that reads, “Your response has been recorded.”
    4. In this same window, you will have the opportunity to edit your response by clicking the “Edit your response” link.
    5. Once you leave or close the form window, you cannot make additional changes.
    6. If you have difficulty completing the form, please contact Stephen Schroeder, Dance Technical Director.
    7. Form due: Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, at 9:00 p.m.

    Companydance Audition Form