Post by schlager7 on Jun 24, 2006 7:32:42 GMT -6
Body language Choreographer fuses modern dance, fencing techniques and other styles to explore the limits of what movement can express
By Laura Oleniacz
Star-News Intern
Knees bent in a crouch, facing sideways for maximum speed and to present less of a target for the opponent, a fencer's feet dance to a rhythm of pressing forward and falling back - movements that caught dance choreographer Tracey Varga's eye. When she saw her friend's agile footwork in a fencing match, she was inspired to fuse her art with the sport and to spotlight the finished product on stage.
"It was just the way they treated each other, the way they gave in," Varga said. "They call it advancing and retreating."
Advance ... Retreat, which features four members of the Cape Fear Fencing Association in full gear - jackets, masks and gloves - is one of five pieces by Varga in Forward Motion Dance's annual performance at Thalian Hall, starting tonight.
Varga said the music, to be performed live, was composed by musician Joe Cordaro - with Neela Rajendra on the violin - to fit the flux and flow of the piece.
Lynn Krupey, CFFA public relations director, said that in the free form section of the dance the fencers will be actually fighting to points. To score, the fencer stabs the opponent's torso with the foil, a lightweight weapon that is one of three traditional weapons in the sport, used historically in duels to the death.
Covering a range of emotion from at-peace to playful, Varga hopes to convey a variety of moods to her audience.
She'll be bringing back the piece Images, a work she danced and choreographed herself several years ago, which incorporates a metal sculpture into the visual mix. Set to music by North Carolina-born soul singer Nina Simone, the mirage of images in the dance explore what possibly could have caused Simone to sing the way she does.
Soft Petal 1 and 2 are pieces about what you feel when you take a deep breath and relax, while Fibrous Cruise was inspired by a "funky, blues-type piece" by R.L. Burnside that just made Varga want to dance.
Class Act combines every style of dance in the book, including modern jazz and tango, and is meant to convey "a very light feeling, with the dancers acknowledging each other as they're dancing."
All in all, Varga just wants to get the word out about an artistic form that she's been hooked on since she was 5 years old.
"(I work) to show them what modern dance is and to make them want to see more," said Varga, whose definition of the medium, rather than using words, might require the sweep of an arm, the brush of a foot, or maybe a performance exploring the emotions, endurance and motor memory that go into creating a dance.
"It's not as well-defined as classical ballet. It gives more opportunity to bring different techniques into it," she said. "It's a whole different mode being able to let your weight hit the floor."
www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/NEWS/606220337/-1/State
By Laura Oleniacz
Star-News Intern
Knees bent in a crouch, facing sideways for maximum speed and to present less of a target for the opponent, a fencer's feet dance to a rhythm of pressing forward and falling back - movements that caught dance choreographer Tracey Varga's eye. When she saw her friend's agile footwork in a fencing match, she was inspired to fuse her art with the sport and to spotlight the finished product on stage.
"It was just the way they treated each other, the way they gave in," Varga said. "They call it advancing and retreating."
Advance ... Retreat, which features four members of the Cape Fear Fencing Association in full gear - jackets, masks and gloves - is one of five pieces by Varga in Forward Motion Dance's annual performance at Thalian Hall, starting tonight.
Varga said the music, to be performed live, was composed by musician Joe Cordaro - with Neela Rajendra on the violin - to fit the flux and flow of the piece.
Lynn Krupey, CFFA public relations director, said that in the free form section of the dance the fencers will be actually fighting to points. To score, the fencer stabs the opponent's torso with the foil, a lightweight weapon that is one of three traditional weapons in the sport, used historically in duels to the death.
Covering a range of emotion from at-peace to playful, Varga hopes to convey a variety of moods to her audience.
She'll be bringing back the piece Images, a work she danced and choreographed herself several years ago, which incorporates a metal sculpture into the visual mix. Set to music by North Carolina-born soul singer Nina Simone, the mirage of images in the dance explore what possibly could have caused Simone to sing the way she does.
Soft Petal 1 and 2 are pieces about what you feel when you take a deep breath and relax, while Fibrous Cruise was inspired by a "funky, blues-type piece" by R.L. Burnside that just made Varga want to dance.
Class Act combines every style of dance in the book, including modern jazz and tango, and is meant to convey "a very light feeling, with the dancers acknowledging each other as they're dancing."
All in all, Varga just wants to get the word out about an artistic form that she's been hooked on since she was 5 years old.
"(I work) to show them what modern dance is and to make them want to see more," said Varga, whose definition of the medium, rather than using words, might require the sweep of an arm, the brush of a foot, or maybe a performance exploring the emotions, endurance and motor memory that go into creating a dance.
"It's not as well-defined as classical ballet. It gives more opportunity to bring different techniques into it," she said. "It's a whole different mode being able to let your weight hit the floor."
www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/NEWS/606220337/-1/State