Coming up tonight and this weekend in the Charlotte York Irey Theatre, join us for Open Space—an annual springtime dance concert organized entirely by students via the CU Dance Connection (CUDC).
“It’s a formal production that makes students accountable for the work being shown,” says CUDC Events Coordinator Devan Nicole Herbert, who describes CUDC as a forum for students to directly engage with the CU Dance Program and the dance community in Boulder. “Students submit their work for adjudication and a panel of community and university members decide on the final show order.”
Indeed, panelists—who are different every year—also include alumni and students who offer feedback to the students who submit their work.
“This year, the pieces selected through this multi-tiered process are mostly themed around various aspects of history and memory,” continues Herbert. “There will be a mix of jazz, modern, contemporary and performance art.”
Specifically, the full program comprises eight innovative works, including Aviatsya, choreographed by Herbert. Make Like a Tree—choreographed by Tijuana-based guest artists Henry Torres and Ángel Arámbula—will showcase original music and a postmodern aesthetic in conceptualizing what it means to make peace with nature.
Works will be presented on a proscenium concert stage (i.e., in front of the curtain) with plenty of props, scenery and a rich musical palette. “Open Space is really awesome for us as students,” adds Herbert. “It’s not choreographed by faculty. It’s entirely our voice.”
Join us for Open Space on Feb. 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.