“Room to Dance,” the annual student-choreographed and student-produced summer program of Dance Theatre of Santa Fe, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 30-31, in the Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.
Tickets are: $15 orchestra; $12 balcony; $9 for University of Florida students, seniors, and children 12 and under; and free to Santa Fe College students and employees. For ticket information, call the Box Office at 352-395-4181 or visit the Fine Arts ticket website at:
http://www.sfcollege.edu/finearts
The heart of “Room to Dance” is the students’ choreography. At SF College, students learn about choreography in all levels of dance technique classes, from beginning to advanced. Any student can propose an idea for a dance and hold rehearsals. Faculty members then choose the works to be performed and help students find a balance between staying true to their visions of the dance and finding effective ways for movement to speak to their audience. “We want them to understand their audience and develop a clear message,” explained Dance Professor Sarah Harkness-Sebastian.
In addition to choreographing the dances, students are involved in all other aspects of the production. Students run the auditions, choose the dancers, select the music, create titles for the dances, decide on costumes, light and manage the stage and write short descriptions of the dances. Faculty members offer suggestions and help to address the common challenges that arise throughout development of a production such as “Room to Dance.”
“When students are prepared and have a vision, they get it done,” explained Harkness-Sebastian. “In the end, it’s not about the performance as much as it is about learning from the process.”
For more information about “Room to Dance,” call Harkness-Sebastian at 352-395-5674.
For more information about fine arts programs at Santa Fe College, call Fine Arts Department Chairperson Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296.
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