Dance students share their creativity and passion in fall concert

On Friday, Nov. 21, the Fine and Performing Arts Department held its annual Fall Dance Concert, which featured TAMIU dance students and faculty performing flamenco, disco, modern, ballet, and jazz. Admission to the event was $5 per person and free for children 10 and under; proceeds from the event will be used for student scholarships.The evening began with a dedication to Rogelio Rodriguez, a renowned flamenco dancer who recently passed away this past summer. To honor Rodriguez, presentations consisting of video clips and readings were given throughout the night. Rodriguez was well-respected within the Laredo dance community and had been coming to TAMIU the past eight summers to offer flamenco workshops for students and members of the local community.”Our goal was to pay tribute to Rogelio for his lifetime commitment to working not only with Laredo dances but also those from across the globe. He will be greatly missed by all of us,” said Bede Leyendecker, Chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. The evening began with a dance choreographed by Rodriguez, La Negra Tomasa, which was followed by Danse Macabre, a dance featured recently at the TAMIU Spooktackle; Entangled Rumbata, a fusion of African and Cuban rhythms; and Ashes, Ashes, a ballet with a startling story; as well as Love.com, Escapist, and Llorare. While these dances were just a fraction of what was showcased during the Fall Concert, they received the best reactions from the audience. “My favorite was Danse Macabre [a ballet by French composer Camille Saint-SaÃns]. The body movements were perfect, very elegant and sweet,” said Nelicia Gonzalez, a senior Education major.Other audience members preferred the dances that blended styles. “I really liked Evolved Fusion (choreographed by Carmen Rendon, a senior Communications major). The combination of the two styles-modern and flamenco-was great. The music made me want to get up and dance,” said Alicia Coronado, a junior Sociology major. Two dances that garnered emotional responses were Love.com and Ashes, Ashes.Love.com was choreographed by Courtney Mulcahy, Visiting Professor of Dance. The dance was innovated because it relied on the internal monologue of a women scouring through online personals. Each personal was represented by a dance.”It [Love.com] shows that music isn’t needed to express oneself through dance,” said Coronado.”I was very pleased and kind of surprised, to be honest. I knew that Laredo isn’t really used to more avant-garde approaches to dance, such as going sans music. However, it seemed like the audience loved it,” said Erica Matos, a senior English major and featured performer.Ashes, Ashes was choreographed by Elizabeth Flores, a senior Psychology major and dance minor who hopes to become a family counselor upon graduation. Ashes, Ashes was a moving yet disturbing dance (some scenes involved the male lead shaking and throwing down his female counterparts in anger) that employed a variety of string and wind instruments, adding an almost Celtic feel to the music. “At first it was playful, but as the dance went on, the atmosphere changed. The facial expressions changed; it became tense and that changed the whole perception of the dance; it became chilling and violent,” said Regina Tavizon, a senior Psychology major. In addition to Ashes, Ashes, five other pieces were choreographed by TAMIU dance students.Entangled Rumbata was choreographed by Prisma Alvarado, a senior History major; Borderline was choreographed by Ana Solis, a senior Communication major. In addition, Natalia Arandia, a senior Art major, choreographed Luna Llena, and Matos choreographed Escapist.”I liked Escapist. Knowing how much work they put into perfecting the dance, I’m glad it went well,” said Luis Ramirez, a senior English major. After the concert, Matos shared her thoughts about her work.”I was inspired to choreograph Escapist because of the death of my father in May. He had been extremely ill with cancer for quite a while, and it was very painful seeing him the way he was. After he passed away, I felt like I needed to express the very human instinct to escape from problems, things we don’t understand, death, those who need us, those whom we take for granted, and the ultimate betrayal of those escapist tactics,” she said. Overall, Leyendecker considered the 2008 Fall Dance concert to be a success. “We had a terrific audience despite the show that was going on at the LEC and the weather. Each of the pieces was very well received, no matter what the genre. I think that part of the excitement of our dance concerts is the fact that there is variety in the programming. There is always something for everyone in the audience,” Leyendecker said. Leyendecker also provided information about some of the other activities of the TAMIU dance program.The TAMIU Classical Spanish Ballet represented the university at the Texas Association for Health, Physical, Education, Recreation and Dance conference in Corpus Christi, TX between Dec. 3-6. In addition, Leyendecker said that the TAMIU Ballet Folklorico recently returned from Detroit, Michigan, where they performed for a variety of audiences. For an automated listing of upcoming dances, concerts, and art gallery exhibits, please call (956) 326-ARTS (2787).