Arts & Entertainment

Montclair State Students Perform Dance Program by Guggenheim Fellow

Acclaimed choreographer developed 'Sentenced to Sentences' with university students and actors.

Montclair State theatre and dance students will perform Danceworks, a program of six dances by leading contemporary choreographers, including acclaimed choreographer, Guggenheim Fellow and award-winning performer Claire Porter, from April 3 through April 6 at the Kasser Theater.

United by the theme of “Minding the Dance,” this year’s program includes “Wonderland,” by choreographer and artistic director of Gallim Dance, Andrea Miller; “Spatial Dialogues” by Montclair State Theatre and Dance professor Nancy Lushington; “Spent Days Out Yonder,” a Mozart homage choreographed by Bill T. Jones; “Strict Love” by Doug Varone; Earl Mosley’s “Oh My Love;” and “Sentenced to Sentences” by choreographer and comedienne Claire Porter, a 2013-2014 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow.

“Porter is the first-ever Guggenheim Fellow to participate in our arts programs – or anywhere else at Montclair State,” said Theatre and Dance professor Neil Baldwin. “Her piece, ‘Sentenced to Sentences’ as commissioned by the department’s New Works Initiative.”

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The New Works Initiative program, which is funded by College of the Arts Advisory Board Chairman Robert Gregory and his wife Holly is committed to the development and production of new original works from leading artists. “Claire Porter was selected from a field of more than 50 applicants to develop a specially commissioned piece that uses students from both theatre and dance disciplines,” explained Baldwin.

“These works are truly a hybrid of theater and dance that are developed at the University, with student dancers and actors,” said Baldwin. “This is a very precious alliance. As a department, we really value the NWI for giving students an opportunity to engage so thoroughly in the process of creating  and devising an important new work.”

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With its cast of twelve student dancers and eight actors, “Sentenced to Sentences” is a truly interdisciplinary performance piece. While the work debuted at the University in October, as part of its Works-A-Foot program, University students have since performed it at Montclair’s Bradford Elementary School and the Rosa Parks Community School in Orange, as well as at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

Porter has regularly visited campus to work with students to develop and refine her work that is inspired by the question “what is a sentence?” “It takes months to bring a piece like this to the level of perfection we are seeking,” said Baldwin. “The students love Claire. She’s a comedic performer who doesn’t take herself too seriously – but she does take her work very seriously.”

“Porter will also be doing a professional development workshop on “Integrating Text and Movement” for public school teachers through the University’s Network for Educational Renewal on May 19,” said Dance Education professor Elizabeth McPherson.

The University presented its first Danceworks program in 1987. “We present works by guest artists of great renown to give the students the opportunity to experience both historical works of great importance as well as more contemporary works,” said Theatre and Dance professor and director of Dance Lorraine Katterhenry.

Danceworks performances begin on Thursday, April 3 and run through Sunday, April 6 at the University’s Alexander Kasser Theater. Tickets are available through the University’s Peak Performances program at http://www.peakperf.org .


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