Dance Theatre Winter Concert is a Labor of Love

BY VERONICA STRICKLER
NOV. 27, 2007

Movement. Emotion. Creativity.

This is what the Dance Theatre of Miami University promises to deliver at its Winter Concert early next month.

The company, which began meeting in 1933, has regularly produced one concert per semester with the intention of showcasing diverse styles of dance and music, and providing a dance outlet to students of all majors.

If you think dance is just for people who like obscure classical music and men in tights – you’ve probably never seen Miami’s Dance Theatre.

“The music in this concert is really amazing and familiar too,” said Dance Theatre President Laura Dattilo.
It’s true. Past Dance Theatre concerts have featured music from modern bands like The Postal Service and selections from the “Requiem for a Dream” soundtrack. This year’s Winter Concert will feature native Brazilian music, and selections from the soundtracks to the films “Amelie,” “Man on Fire,” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

The concert will feature original dances by eight different choreographers – some students, some professionals, and some alumni of the club. Each dance is unique in style, theme, set and feel – a fact Dance Theatre Director and Miami dance professor Lana Kay Rosenberg is very proud of.

“Our theme is to not have a theme,” said Rosenberg. “We try to be as eclectic as possible.”

Dattilo agrees. “There is something that everyone can connect with or appreciate in this concert,” she said. “We have so many amazing dancers this year. The talent alone is going to make this concert awesome.”

But it isn’t just the wide range of styles and themes that make this concert special – it’s the passion and devotion of the individuals involved.

“It is rewarding to see that a group of students can put together as professional a show as we do,” said Steph Ridenour, who both performs in and manages publicity for Dance Theatre. “Besides all the school work and reasons as to why we attend Miami, we are still so devoted to Dance Theatre and give up sleep, grades and anything to make this concert a success.”

For many of the troupe’s performers, success can be measured in how well they connect with the audience. Many students who now dance in the company joined because they were so impressed by past Dance Theatre performances. Dattilo, a senior, fell in love with the company after seeing one of its concerts during her freshman year at Miami.

“It was the first time that a stage production, without actual actors, brought tears to my eyes,” said Dattilo. “I remember exactly seeing the one dancer on stage and the look on her face was so hypnotizing… She was dancing to a song from ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and she came out of a turn and just stood there, still, facing the audience. She was breathing so heavily and the look on her face. You just had to see it. I wanted so much to be a part of it and make other people feel the way I felt.”

For Rosenberg, who handles everything from the courting of guest choreographers to the hand-dyeing of costume pieces, the payoff comes both in the process and the product. Despite difficulties with finding people to run the sound board for the production and overseeing the construction of set pieces (which can be as simple as a park bench or as difficult as an enormous box with platform space for multiple dancers), Rosenberg’s sense of satisfaction with her work keeps her going.

“It’s a phenomenally rewarding experience, but it’s also a very frustrating and time-consuming experience,” said Rosenberg. “When you sit back and get into the theatre and see the dances -- the students are excited and the choreographers are excited – it’s a marvelous feeling…That’s why you do it!”

For Dattilo, Dance Theatre is more than just a club. It provides an emotional outlet and an opportunity to translate her feelings into art. Her piece in last semester’s concert was inspired by the death of close friend in a car accident. That work moved many audience members to tears. Her Winter Concert piece was inspired by her brother’s struggle to overcome depression.
For Dattilo, dance is therapy.

“It has saved my sanity quite a few times,” said Dattilo. “My mom always told me that dancing is something nobody can take away from me. No one will be able to stop me from letting my emotions out when I dance, whether it’s on stage, in my room, or down the aisle at Giant Eagle.”

Ridenour hopes the Winter Concert will be as enriching for audience members as it is for her and the rest of the company. “Dance is my way of saying thanks and showing how much emotion can come from one simple thing,” she said. “I hope I can evoke emotion in an audience member while I dance to show how much emotions can change your perspective in life."