March 22, 2021 – Elements of Style, the spring production of Dance Theatre of Santa Fe (DTSF) that showcases the diverse curriculum of the Santa Fe College Dance program, will be free online for 48 hours beginning at midnight Friday, March 26, continuing through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, March 27, 2021. To sign up to watch at your leisure during that time, visit sfcollege.edu/finearts.
The DTSF students used a combination of virtual and in-person learning platforms to prepare for this production. The dancers remotely attended online lectures about dance history and styles. In-person rehearsals required social distancing and the use of masks. Professional-grade audio and video equipment enabled the dancers to create outdoors for the camera as well as to perform in more traditional ways in the dance studio.
“For a musical theatre number from West Side Story, we used a parking lot,” explained DTSF Co-Director Sarah Harkness-Sebastian. “For this whole production, we got to do things we don’t normally get to do because our audience is a camera lens. While we miss the magic of a live audience, the silver lining is that a video production lets us reach more people.”
In addition to musical theatre, the nine selections included in Elements of Style represent classical ballet, classical modern dance in the tradition of Isadora Duncan and Doris Humphrey, contemporary dance and jazz dance. Harkness-Sebastian will also perform what she describes as a re-imagination of Martha Graham’s classic “Lamentation” in response to the grief she felt when a friend of hers died last fall.
“The arts are vital right now in the middle of this deeply felt human experience of a pandemic, so having dancers continue to perform is more important than ever,” said DTSF’s other Co-Director, Melissa Brenner. “Reminding our students of the importance of movement as a way to digest, explore and express what we’re going through helps them to connect with others and to cope.”
Elements of Style is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts Department.
For more information about the Dance program and Elements of Style, call Sarah Harkness-Sebastian at 352-395-5674 or Melissa Brenner at 352-395-4188.