PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Brown University students showcased their creativity by performing a diverse range of works in the annual Spring Festival of Dance, organized by the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies in collaboration with the Brown Arts Institute and the Department of Music.
Performed for the first time in the main hall of Brown’s Lindemann Performing Arts Center, the two-day festival in early May featured choreography by faculty, students and guest artists. Two performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company were also presented, including a rendition of its iconic “Appalachian Spring” accompanied by student musicians from the Brown University Orchestra.
Student performers presented three new variations of “Lamentation Variations,” inspired by Martha Graham’s 1930 solo “Lamentation.” Continuing a tradition of reflection through movement, the ongoing “Lamentation Variations” project, originally created in remembrance of 9/11, explores grief, resilience and expression through movement, according to Assistant Professor of the Practice Patricia Seto-Weiss, who produced the festival.
“It was so thrilling to see our student dancers and musicians perform together in the main hall of The Lindemann, which was configured to the end-stage design with a small orchestra pit,” said Seto-Weiss, who is head of dance for the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. “This setup allowed us to collaborate with musicians from the Brown University Orchestra and featured a large stage while maintaining an intimate feeling in the audience for the size of the hall.”
The student performers are studying dance, choreography and related fields, and they developed and rehearsed their pieces as part of their dance coursework during the spring semester. Choreographers of the new works performed included Seto-Weiss, Adjunct Lecturer in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Ali Kenner Brodsky, guest artists Makisig Akin, Anya Cloud, Paul Singh, Laila Franklin and Heidi Henderson, and Brown senior Billie Miro Breskin.
“The absolute highlight was welcoming Martha Graham Dance Company to campus and for students to perform in the same program alongside the iconic company,” Seto-Weiss said.