When most people think of inspiration in dance, what typically comes to mind is the music or the emotions. Music and emotion tend to dictate the movement of the choreography.
However, starting tonight at 7:30 and running through Saturday in University Theatre, students can expect to see a different kind of inspiration at An Evening with the Arts.
"The purpose of the event is to show that dance can take on other meanings and can be inspired by other kinds of art," junior dance major Nic Herring said.
There will be 10 dances performed, each composed by a faculty member, representing various styles including contemporary, ballet and musical theater.
Each faculty choreographer had to find a piece of artwork and create a dance based on the artwork, Herring said.
The artwork and words of a book called "Good Fairies, Bad Fairies" by Brian Froud inspired the choreography of Audra Sokol, artistic director of the Ball State Dance Theatre.
A guest artist, Kristopher Estes-Brown, took inspiration from French sculptor Auguste Rodin's hand sculptures for his dance.
Two students, Ashley Turner and Sara Sandifer, will also showcase choreography based upon their success at the Senior Choreography Showcase.
The different backgrounds of each student have led to different styles being represented in the show, which Sokol said will keep those watching on their toes.
"They're constantly going to be surprised because they're never going to get bored," she said. "The mood and the style is constantly changing from one piece to the next."
With so many different styles and dance pieces going into this show, a number of different people have played a part in the production of the event. Dancers, choreographers, the design crew and the production staff each have been crucial to the final product.
"There's just a whole realm of people that all come together to make our productions as great as they are," Sokol said.
The dancers, however, are the focus of the event. Herring, one of the dancers, will appear in six of the 10 dances, something he considers to be a blessing and an honor, he said.
"They're dance majors and this is what they're training to do, to learn from different choreographers and work on their performance skills so they're ready to go out in the world and audition and hopefully have successful dance careers," Sokol said.
The event is meant to serve as an end-of-the-semester showcase of what the dancers have done up to that point. Sokol said she thinks it's important to give dancers this sort of outlet to showcase their talents.
"It's just a big reward for all of us to let out all of our hard work throughout the semester through dance," she said.
All that hard work has been worth it, Herring said. He said it's a strong show and one students shouldn't miss.
"This has been the strongest show that Ball State Dance Theatre has put on," Herring said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
