We gather together with gratitude for an autumn concert of new faculty works by Professors Alfonso Cervera, Daniel Roberts and Eddie Taketa, featuring Ohio State Curator of Dance Mara Frazier, Ohio State Professor Valarie Williams and Kenyon College Professor Julie Brodie directing José Limón's "Missa Brevis" in a collaborative project between Ohio State's and Kenyon's dance programs. MFA Dance Student Isabel Bowser and BFA Dance Student Yitong Chen also premiere new works. All the pieces will showcase performances by Ohio State's BFA dance students. "Missa Brevis" includes performances by students from Ohio State and Kenyon College.
About the works:
"Rendering Home," a new work, is a continuation of the creative process initiated by “Tidal Pull” (2022). And as my work/play is always in collaboration with the participating artists, I would like to acknowledge those of “Tidal Pull”: Vanessa Bonilla, Emma Carver, Susan Chess, Phil Brown Dupont, Jordyn Hersch, Forrest Hershey, Jonathon Hunter, Sophie Kussman, Kara Philoon, Kelsey Plath, Lindsay Simon, Cai Strachan, Elizabeth Sugawara, Aya Venet.
Video editing by Ashton Wise
A physical theatre piece, "A LOSER’S NO.7 PATHETIC DEATH (Act I)" layers tragicness through extreme physicality and expression of cruelty to stretch out a tiny corner of bitterness and absurdity in our existence. Birth is suffering, memory is trash; because at the end of the day, there will be nothing left but vanished matters. How can a loser immerse in the sunshine kissed over their flesh when they are treading along the cliff? How can a loser swallow the joy from the beginning of a new life when their soul has been decocted so old? This piece displays the ultimate rebellion, fearlessness and somberness onstage to invite the audience to breathe through the deepshits of so-called LIFE. The full evening-length version of this work premieres in Spring 2024.
A new group work by second year MFA Student Isa Bowser in collaboration with dancers Angel Anderson, Mercedes Hicks, Isabelle Johnston, and Brianna Rosato, this iteration of "Murmur" is performed without Angel Anderson on stage, but her creative contribution remains within the trio. Sound designer Josh Finck joined the creation process early on, crafting a responsive and relational soundscape for the piece. The dancers invoke migratory patterns and micro organismic movement, as well as assemblies of beasts and their soundings and calls. Jostling and pulling apart boundaries between who is alive/dead, alone/together, and one/many, "Murmur" speaks as a chorus of a biotic collective exalting in complex webs of vitality and decay.
During my recent international trips, I have experienced how climate change, particularly the violence of extreme weather, is increasingly affecting our societies. This violence is not exclusive to climate, as several countries also struggle with widespread occurrences of cultural, emotional, physical and psychological violence. As dancers, we are attuned to the space that surrounds us, whether that be our dance studios, our homes and/or where we go in public. I have noticed that I hold fear in my body as I navigate my daily life because of the increase in multiple types of violence in the United States. "Unnecessary Weather" is not explicitly a dance about weather patterns and violence, but rather, movements which have surfaced through a mind-body connection; we weather the violence in society because of a constant exposure to random and targeted events.
This piece is the beginning of a collaboration with the Danish-American printmaking artist Thorsten Dennerline and his series "Fragmented Elements."
"Missa Brevis" portrays the united spirit of people working together to rebuild their community. José Limón choreographed the dance immediately upon return from his company’s 1957 U.S. State Department sponsored tour to Europe which included Poland. Impressed with the ability of the Polish people to maintain their vitality and spirit despite the tragedy of living in a war-torn country, Limón created the dance as a celebration of the group. First performed April 11, 1958, at The Juilliard School of Music, New York, New York by the José Limón Dance Company, Missa Brevis is directed by Mara Frazier, Valarie Williams (Ohio State dancers) and Julie Brodie (Kenyon College dancers) from Labanotation scores by Barbara Katz with Judy Lasko (1973) and Ray Cook (1966) by arrangement with the Dance Notation Bureau, Inc. NY, NY.
These performances are part of the project "Missa Brevis: site of displacement, immigration, community" that engages with artists and scholars from urban and rural communities in Ohio. We come together to unpack the life of Mexican immigrant Limón and his legacy on U.S. society through the investigation of primary source materials in University Libraries Special Collections, the translation of two Labanotation scores to embodied movement, teaching, and conversations, along with the residency of José Limón Dance Foundation artistic director Dante Puleio. "Missa Brevis’" message about the ravages of war and subsequent restoration is at the forefront of the tour in central Ohio as the performance and panels engage communities at Kenyon College, Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center and the Memorial Theatre in Knox County.
The project was supported in part by the following: The Ohio State University: Department of Dance Chair’s Discretionary Fund, the Polish Studies Initiative, Dance Preservation Fund, College of Arts and Sciences Dean of Arts and Humanities Engagement Fund, and University Libraries Dean’s Discretionary Fund. Kenyon College Office of Community Engaged Partnerships and the Department of Dance, Drama and Film at Kenyon College. Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishing; The José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc., NY, NY; Dance Notation Bureau, Inc., NY, NY.
"Bek” a word from Tzotzil Maya located in Chiapas, Mexico, translates to seed, which is used to symbolize the essence of growth, potential and cultural continuity. This piece is a tapestry woven from the threads of inspired traditional Mexican Folklorico themes and narratives that reimagine how communities can transcend their boundaries and engage in acts of joy, rhythm, loss and rigor with one another.
Video editing by Alfonso Cervera
TICKETS:
General admission tickets are $15 and may be purchased by contacting the Ohio State Theatre Ticket Office. Ohio State faculty, staff, and Alumni Association members; senior citizens; non-Ohio State students; children; and military veterans may purchase tickets for $10. Current Ohio State students may purchase tickets for $5 with a valid BuckID. The Ohio State Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Ticket Office does not accept cash.
Tickets can be purchased in three ways:
- Online through Ticketmaster.com
- Over the phone during normal business hours
- In person at the Ohio State Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Ticket Office
How to contact the Ohio State Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Ticket Office:
Address: 100 Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building, 1932 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: 614-292-2295
E-mail: Theatre-Tix@osu.edu
Hours: The Ohio State Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Ticket Office follows the regular Ohio State Academic Calendar - if students don't have class, the Ticket Office is closed.
- The Ticket Office will be open for in-person sales during limited hours, Monday - Friday, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
- On performance days in Sullivant Hall, walk-up ticket sales will begin 60 minutes prior to the production.
- Phone orders are not accepted on evenings and weekends
Photo by Lexi Clark-Stilianos of "Missa Brevis."
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