[NEohioPAL] Annual Dance Concert "Fall Forward 2008" at Oberlin College's Warner Main Space

[Theater and Dance]

Annual Fall Dance Concert

*'Fall Forward 2008'*

in Oberlin College's Warner Main Space

December 5th & 6th, 2008

*OBERLIN, OH*—This December's *Fall Forward *will feature original works
from eleven choreographers, an epic and unprecedented number for the annual
dance concert.  With a potpourri of styles as diverse and vast as the number
of pieces itself, this year's *Fall Forward* gives promise of being a
momentous collaborative event.  The event will showcase works by students as
well as a piece by Eric Handman, guest choreographer and professor at the
University of Utah. Styles range from modern dance to hip-hop, swing to
belly dancing; the themes are just as eclectic. The pieces delve into the
depths of weighty topics such as chance, change, inhibition, sickness,
healing, and (fittingly), autumn.  Annually, as we inevitably fall forward
into winter and the New Year, this concert provides a celebratory reflection
on the past year, not to mention a lively escape from the coming cold.  This
year in particular, as the sheer number of *Fall Forward* participants
suggests, everyone is excited to dance!

*Fall Forward* will be performed at Oberlin College's Warner Main Space,
December 5th and 6th at 8pm. Advance tickets may be purchased through the
Oberlin College Central Ticket Service either by calling 440-775-8169 or
directly at the CTS Box Office located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium. CTS
is open from 12pm to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Door sales begin at the
venue, one hour prior to performances.

*Production Notes*

Eric Handman, an assistant professor of modern dance at the University of
Utah and former guest faculty in residence at Oberlin, presents *Voce*, a
"dense interplay between dancers that is intensely musical without being
musically redundant."  This trio piece will be backed by a Soprano singer
and set to Vivaldi's "Nulla in mundo pax sincera." "I'm always trying to
choreograph dynamic webs of relationships that seem organic because they
evolve from a process of cause and effect," remarks Handman.  In this dance,
Handman strives to exhibit intensity, complexity, coherence and a strong
sense of purpose in his choreography.

Gabrielle Bromberg '11, a student of belly dancing for four years, tests the
boundaries of traditional belly dancing styles in *Zeina*, combining the
earthy Moroccan and Turkish forms with the glitzier, cabaret-style Egyptian
form.  *Zeina* is both named after and set to Mohammad Abdel Wahab's
(considered one of the five greats of Arabic music) song *Zeina, *which
provides Bromberg's belly dancing medley with a traditional Egyptian
backdrop.  With her piece, Bromberg hopes to stir enthusiasm for the study
of belly dancing.

Jan Trumbauer's '10 *Transfer* explores such vast topics as "the difference
between restraint and inhibition, being stuck and getting through" and the
odd fluctuations we experience in journeying between these states.  With
autumn in mind, she was inspired by the idea of "landscapes in transition,"
and upon close inspection of the piece, the audience may notice "the
repetitive back-and-forth motions of leaves falling, rakes raking, the
winding of scarves around necks, the buttoning of jackets, and wind rippling
through cornfields."

In explaining the inspiration for her dance, *Canvas*, Marya Barrios '09
quotes Jackson Pollack: "I prefer to tack the corners of an un-stretched
canvas to a hard wall or the floor," and now Barrios has used this idea to
structure her piece.  "I imagine the stage as my canvas by filling all four
corners with movement," declares Barrios.  During the performance, Barrios
will be hooked up to a wireless microphone, using a program she developed
with a fellow TIMARA major to fuse music and dance in real-time.  The text
of the music consists of the repetition of four colors, linking back to the
idea of painting a canvas through dance.

*Kaleidoscope* is an homage to chance meetings, coincidence, and the
long-term impact that brief encounters can have.  Choreographer Micheline
Heal '09  (a dance and East Asian Studies double major) claims to have been
most affected over the last few last years by intense yet ephemeral
relationships, and has thus created this piece to depict the momentary
alignment of people who will never meet again.

A bass, a cello, a piano, live oboe improvisation and twelve dancers compile
the epic dance *Injured*, choreographed by Isabel Roth '11.  The piece
originated "as a sort of therapy group" after one dancer underwent a major
surgery. Though the theme of healing dominates *Injured*, the collaborative
nature of its conception lends the piece a strong sense of friendship and
support.  "We're a bunch of friends making this together," Roth states.  In
this ensemble effort, process is just as important as product, and both
exhibit the therapeutic and uniting qualities of art.

Additional pieces include work by Sarah Bluestone '11, Geneva Cockrell '09,
Pari Fariborz '10, Vanessa Gusman '12 and Elizabeth Zharoff '09.

*Performers & Production Team*

The Oberlin College choreographers include:  Marya Barrios '09, Sarah
Bluestone '11, Gabrielle Bromberg '11, Geneva Cockrell '09, Pari Fariborz
'10, Vanessa Gusman '12, Micheline Heal '09, Isabel Roth '11, Jan Trumbauer
'10, Elizabeth Zharoff '09.

Dancers:  Marya Barrios '09, Sarah Bluestone '11, Gabrielle Bromberg '11,
Matthew Rowen Caplan '09, Julia Chafkin '11, Geneva Cockrell '09,  Rachel
Cotterman '10, Marian Dalke '11, Sam Goodman '09, Hannah Hamler '11, Helen
Joyce '11, Natalie King '11, Megan Lubin '09,  Liz McElwee '09, Jessica
Monnerat, Ali Meyers-Ohki, Teddy Rankin-Parker '09, Ian Rhodewalt '08,
Raphael Sacks '09, Julia Shield '10, Hannah Slipakoff '12, Kemali Teabout
'10, Joanna Weaver '09, Molly Wolosky '10.

Musicians: Jane Cowan '10 (base), Jonah Pierre '11 (piano), Karen Peters '09
(cello), and Claire Chennette '10 (oboe improvisation).

The production crew of Oberlin College students and staff includes: Michael
McGee '08 (Production Manager,
Lighting Designer), Sarah Gasser '10 (Stage Manager), Carter McAdams
(Faculty Advisor), Alex Birnie '10 and Moze Halperin '11 (Publicity).
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