On Friday, Nov. 20, the UTM Dance Ensemble opened its fall show, Ausdrucken, which means “to express” in the Harriet Fulton Theatre in the Fine Arts building. New to the show this year was the use of projection.
Partnering with Professor of Art, Lane Last, and his students, Professor McCormick put together a piece on her experiences with friends who have mental illness. Ms. McCormick stated, “Though, I was a bit apprehensive in tackling this subject matter , the dancer, Lane, and his students have fully grasped the feelings, expressions and movements of the loss I feel.”
Professor Last’s students created works of art that were projected on a screen while the dancers performed.”Professor McCormick and I had been talking about doing something like for about, I say, five or six years, and I had a really small class that was just the right size to do something like this. We met with the dancers and just got real excited, this was just a good opportunity.”
“I think the subject matter in the program is getting more mature, and I really appreciate that and respect that. And I was just very excited about all the pieces from the solo works to the dance team. Jayla [Brown] is really starting dance team, and dance team is really looking good.” The up and coming UTM Dance team performed twice in the fall show, the captain of the team Jayla Brown choreographed all of the teams routines. Although the team is new, they have performed at many venues and spaces, from basketball games to fashion shows. The team is working hard to make their name known.
A popular piece was “Skin”, choreographed by Erin Windham. Erin states ” My piece was based on Martha Graham’s work, and her premise around that was what it was like to be trapped in your own skin. And thats why I called it ‘Skin’ because the fabric was suppose to symbolize that.” Another popular piece performed by Dedrick Harvey was “Introduction of D.” He performed his first piece in the UTM Dance Ensemble to “Love all over me” by Monica.
