What: Color of Motion
When: 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5-7, and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 8
Where: University Theatre
Cost: General public, $14; faculty/staff, $13; senior citizens, $10; and students, $8
Seven colors. Seven parts. Seven visions. In a show that combines dance forms ranging from modern to ballet, Color of Motion explores how color can affect emotion and provoke thought through movement.
In each of the seven segments of the show, a different color dictates the dance. Each choreographer chose the color and the angle they would take when designing the dance.
“I came up with the theme and then left it up to the choreographers to come up with the color,” said artistic director Audra Sokol, an associate professor of dance. “Some were inspired to focus on mood and emotion like in blue, while others pursued the implications of the color in other cultures like in orange.”
Sokol choreographed two of the segments: “Violaceous,” which is upbeat and inspired by purple, and “Grey,” which is more serious and takes its color from its name. Since “Grey” is a duet, Sokol found herself focusing on the relationship between the dancers to give the dance a more intimate feel.
Ball State brought in guest choreographers to help with some of the routines. “Alice Blue Yonder” features guest choreographers Alex Springer and Xan Burley from Doug Varone and Dancers, which is based in New York. The piece is based on the personality of President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter, whose favorite color was a pale azure.
“Alice found herself in this role of being a conservative role model, but she had a rebellious personality,” said Shelby Richardson, a junior dance major. “We are trying to portray that through our dance.”
Another one of the choreographers is Susan Koper, an instructor of dance, who chose to focus on the orange experience in her show titled “Between Red and Yellow in the Spectrum of Light.” Koper said the show explored the two sides of the color, from the crazy, playful, energetic side of orange to the softer side associated with Buddhism and Hinduism.
Junior dance major Spencer Grady will perform in Koper’s orange section.
“Doing the dance is really calm and peaceful for me,” Grady said. “It has a unique, abstract style to it. It’s very organic and different, like a breath of fresh air.”
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