This Friday and Saturday, Semaphore will present its fall concert in Weitz Theatre at 7:30 pm. This concert will include works by faculty member, Jane Shockley — whose piece is titled The Inside Story and is inspired by the video The Inner Life of the Cell — as well as student choreographers Mike Bahn and Hunter Brown, and guest artist Olive Bieringa, who is part of the choreographic duo BodyCartography. Interestingly, Semaphore does not have a theme that connects the show. Each piece has its own choreographic inspiration.
Mike Bahn, a senior dance major, is choreographing a piece titled “Ligament 2: Order the Body” which will be grown in parts of his comps show (at the end of Winter Term). In his words, this piece “explores concepts of curiosity, intensity, authenticity, and power while questioning the concepts of structure, complexity, and organization.”
The piece by Hunter Brown, a senior studio art major, can be described as “an abstracted representation of friendly/flirty/playful human relationships.” Brown explains that the piece started with the concept of body language and “the phrases in the piece were generated using three theories of body communication, haptics (touch), oculesics (eye contact), and proxemics (the distance between bodies).” These types mentioned above stayed present in the piece throughout the rehearsal process but “gradually they became more specific to body language of flirting or playfulness.”
Working with the dancers throughout the rehearsal process has been challenging and incredibly rewarding for both student choreographers. Bahn shares that it has been a pleasure to work together with the dancers on this challenging piece, which constantly demands stamina and focus in rehearsals, often requiring them to perform complex improvisational scores and exhausting choreography. Brown emphaizes the professionalism of the rehearsal environment, and the dedication of the dancers makes it very easy for him to have a productive rehearsal and enjoy it. “I often left rehearsals in a much better mood, even if I was in a good mood going into it!”
Semaphore is a pre-professional dance company providing the opportunity for advanced dancers at Carleton to work with professional choreographers, and also to create their work under the mentorship of the dance faculty. Dancers are chosen through an audition process in the spring and make a continuing yearly commitment to the company. For Bahn, Semaphore is his first chance to choreograph semi-professionally; “I’m getting a head start on my career as a dancer, which is so exciting!” And for Brown, he has been grateful for the opportunity Semaphore provides, especially to have his work shown among those of such amazing choreographers and by such talented dancers.
BodyCartography are the 2016–2017 Artists in Residence at Carleton. Besides the piece they are working on for the Semaphore fall concert, they will also be teaching Winter Dance and doing a gallery installation during Winter Term. The mission of BodyCartography Project is to engage with the vital materiality of the body. They create dance in urban, domestic, wild, and social landscapes. Their work is rooted in contemporary dance, somatic technique, education, socially engaged practice, and public art. They are deeply invested in the power of live performance to facilitate a re-enchantment of embodiment, relationship, and presence.