BYU’s dancEnsemble Students Collaborate and Choreograph a Concert Recognizing the Value of Utah’s Water
Water is essential to life. BYU DanceEnsemble members hope their performance will awaken awareness and dance about our most important resource on the earth—water.
On April 14 and 15, dancEnsemble will present “Words for Water: Dancing the Stories of Our Home Waters,” a student-focused dance and writing project intended to raise awareness of and appreciation for Utah water, directed by Assistant Professor of Dance Marin Roper.
DancEnsemble is a student-oriented dance company whose purpose is to mentor and produce student choreography. Two student choreographers, Alexa Firmage and Emma Seegmiller, shared what inspired their pieces.
Seegmiller said, “My piece for this concert explores drops of water and how they can relate to our own journey of finding self-worth and acceptance. I have never presented choreography on stage before, so this is exciting.”
“My piece is about stewardship and care for the earth,” Firmage said. She agreed with General Authority Gerald Causse when he said, “the word ‘stewardship’ designates a sacred spiritual or temporal responsibility to take care of something that belongs to God for which we are accountable.”
Largely supported by the Laycock Endowment for Creative Collaboration, “Words for Water” was conceived of and directed by Professor Roper; Shelli Spotts, Visiting Assistant Professor of English; and dramaturg and MDT major, Thomas Jensen. The idea grew out of ongoing efforts to incorporate writing more actively into the Dance BA and BFA coursework.
During winter semester 18 student choreographers and writers had interactive sessions with Assistant Professor Ben Abbott (Plant and Wildlife Science), Professor John Bennion (retired, English) and professor and author of “Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River,” George Handley (Comparative Literature). Their original projects, uniting contemporary dance with spoken, prerecorded and projected text, will be performed by the 28 dancEnsemble company members.
Roper said, “In a season of increasing scarcity and politicization of water resources, I hope “Words for Water” will advocate for responsible stewardship through narrative and embodied storytelling.”
Tickets and Show Details
Performance Dates and Times:
- April 14, 7:30 p.m.
- April 15, 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Location:
- Richards Building: Dance Studio Theater
Price:
- $7
Tickets: