Students in the Department of Dance are no strangers to collaboration as a key part of the creative process – both with fellow dancers and students of other disciplines. So when the School of Music partnered with the department this fall to present the historic opera Dido and Aeneas, it was another chance to experience the magic of two fields coming together to create a fantastic evening of performance.
A. Scott Parry, the director of Ohio State’s opera and lyric theatre program and director for Dido and Aeneas, collaborated with Professor Susan Van Pelt Petry, who choreographed the show to include both contemporary and ballet styles. In an article for The Lantern, Petry shared that she sought dance students who also exhibited acting skills since the opera relied more heavily on acting than typical dance pieces. The students who ultimately helped bring Dido and Aeneas to life on stage included:
- Marissa Ajamian (BFA '18)
- Maggie Ferrell (BFA '17)
- Lily Friedman (BFA '17)
- Jordan McDowell (BFA '19)
- Alyssa Parnell (BFA '17)
- Onjeleee Phomthirath (BFA '20)
- Brianna Rhodes (BFA '19)
- Grace Robinson (BFA '20)
- Oliva Ward (BFA '20)
- Bita Bell (MFA'19)
- Ari Fine (BFA '20)
- Jazelynn Goudy (MFA '19)
