The Dance Theatre of Santa Fe (DTSF) will perform New Beginnings the annual fall dance production with new works from Santa Fe’s dance faculty and guest choreographer Antolino Alvarez. The show is Friday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at SF’s Fine Arts Hall Theatre. “Beast,” Mr. Alvarez’s piece, is a dynamic jazz number with 16 dancers dancing to “one of those rare songs that hits you in your core the very first time you hear it!” Also included in this year’s production is a new work by Santa Fe’s newest faculty member, Sarah Harkness-Sebastian. She has created a modern dance work on eight members entitled “Transfer.” The choreography focuses on the struggle one faces when experiencing a major change in their life, and the support they must accept from others as they move on.
DTSF is very excited to have 40 visiting 5th graders from Rawlings Elementary school to attend and participate in the matinee performance. DTSF Director Tari Kendall has restaged her work “Let’s Play” that is based on hand clapping games that kids play. So she will be visiting Rawlings and teaching the group of students the hand rhythms so they can participate in the production. The Rawlings students will also get a tour of the facility with demonstrations in how the lighting works, the sound operation works and the fly system for scenery.
Another exciting element is the student-choreographed piece entitled “Our Heads are on Fire.” This piece was choreographed by scholarship student Adrianne Ansley and is based on the unspoken pressures of women in the Islamic culture.
Other special new works include:
“Liberation,”choreographed by talented faculty member Melissa Canto, was made in collaboration with the twelve student performers. Danced to music by Glasser and music faculty member Christopher Ballengee, this piece explores emotional freedom with highly physical, contemporary dance movement.
“Passage” was originally choreographed by talented adjunct faculty member Jessica Mayhew for her M.F.A. thesis concert, while studying at Florida State University. The piece is an exploration of the demands placed on her during her time in graduate school. “Passage,” for Ms. Mayhew, personifies her work through this transitioning time in her life. The inner voices of reason and logic presented themselves time and again, making the idea of persevering and pushing forward much more attainable. She is excited about revisiting this work with the talented dancers at SF. Ms. Mayhew has also created “Between the Lines,” a large group dance incorporating a very large prop. Working with the prop is a new practice for Ms. Mayhew as a choreographer. This piece was meant to push her out of her choreographic comfort zone and to give the dancers a chance to climb through, dive over and hang onto this wonderfully crafted prop built by Technical Director Owen Reynolds and his crew. The dancers are hoping to wow the audience with their strength, agility, and precision within this creative work.
