The Lamar University Department of Theatre and Dance takes the stage once again with their final performance of the season, “Catch and Release: LUTD Student Dance Concert,” which will be performed on the stage of the University Theatre on Monday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. with free admission.
The LUTD student dance concert is the capstone project for the spring 2022 applied choreography class. Each semester the students are given the task to create new choreography and complete all components necessary in presenting it to an audience. Under the direction of Amy Elizabeth, instructor of dance, the students are responsible for organizing, marketing and completing all technical aspects of producing a dance concert along with sound, lighting and costuming elements.
The title “Catch and Release” was chosen by the students to represent the broad nature of the work being presented through their vastly different creative voices. The audience can expect topics from socially inspired work to ballet pointe work, all the way to digital dances or dance for camera projects.
“’Catch and Release’ is multiple perspectives of dance being caught by each choreographer and released to the audience for their interpretation,” said Parker Scott, third semester choreographer.
The laboratory style course assignments are broken down according to the level of the student enrolled. First semester choreographers must present a solo performed by ones-self (Jasmine Warner, Iyanna Goodall). In the second semester, the students create a duet on others (Jayda Winters, Mia Paul). For the third semester dance makers, the task is expanded to include small ensembles of three or more dancers (Brieanna Reed, Parker Scott, Katie Medicis, Neiyah Hethington). Finally, the fourth semester students embark on a full ensemble project that includes additional technical elements such as props or projection (Faith Schofield).
For many this is a bittersweet moment as they work for more than 13 weeks to fulfill the creative research project from an initial thought or idea to a fully produced work. However, “Catch and Release” has an extra special tone for graduating seniors Scott, Schofield, Hethington and Paul as this will be their final project with LUTD.
“The student dance concert is a wonderful opportunity for us as artists to develop and share our voices with our families and community,” explains Schofield.
For more information about “Catch and Release” or the Department of Theatre and Dance, please visit lamar.edu/dance.