The Scarlet 8‘ Black. March 9, ll)? epagc 3,

 

Dance troupe: self-expression through hard work

by noon Clelaiitl

.heads go right, two, three,
four. and left. two, three,
shoulders up, two. three, lour, and
down. two, three: arms Shift right,
two. three. four, and left, two.
three . ,”

To the meserizing, unrelenting
beat or taped congas, the Grinnell
College Dance Troupe is loosening
up in preparation tor one oi its
almostrdaily classes in modern
dance technique and creative
improvisation. The next two hours
will be spent bending, stretching,
turning, twisting. leaping, running,
jumping, and moving.

THIS WEEKEND, all
energy will emerge from the
mirrored dance studio in the
basementof the Fine Arts Building
and make its way onto the stage oi
Roberts Theatre where the past
five and a half months of Con-
tinuous dancing by the troupe will
culminate In the annual Dance
Concert. to be periormed at 3 pm.
tonight and tomorrow.

THE TROUPE'S ANNUAL
concert is
opportunity to periorm their own
compositions for the public, Other,
Smaller concerts, like a Children's
Concert in Des Moines wlth the
Mirecourt Trio last year, are oc-
casionally performed. but the big
spring concert is really the
highlight oi the troupe's year, the
one event on which countless
rehearsal hoursenot including
regular class timeeare expended.

According to troupe director
Babe Voertman, “You need that
first semester tof classes) to get
the group to performance level in
technique‘ﬂ in order to stage a
major concert. in addition. and
perhaps more importantly, she
says, “really creative ensemble
work, which involves closeness and
intimacy

that

’_ ’l'lllS'YleAR. H original dances,
including two by Voertman, will be
periormed. The rest were
choreographed by students Lincoln
Anderson. Susan Bart, Donna
Dewsnap. Laurie McLaouglin,
Aldo Mielito. Mary Outten, Rachel
Slavick, Claudia Stone and Ellen
Wilson.

Several of the dances Will be
accompanied by live, student.
composed and pertormed music,
including pieces by guitarists Air
drew Nelson and Greg Neighbors,
pianist John Higgins, and avante»
garde jazz musicians Keith
Graves. Evan Spritzer, Dwayne

its member's main_

vicrgiitz, Kirk Wynn, and Kevin
Zoernig, Works of classical, Jazz,

and bluegrass music will ace
company the dances, which are the
same for both concerts.

COMPARED TO LAST year's
concert, the dancers agree. this
year’s is much “freer" and more
cxperimental. According to Susan
Bart. “the most striking thing
about this concert is the range of
dances."

“People are really ex-
perimenting. and it's a really neat
thing There are a lot oi new
movements i'm not used to It's not
all Just dance—it's a lot oi
movement," she said

OUTTEA AGREES THE
students this year are “much more
inventive in their approach to
Choreographing, especially in their
choice of live and original music."

Because the concerts, which
require not tickets, usually draw
capacity audiences, the public is
urged to arrive early. The per
tormance ii Ill be preceded by an
hour 0! onstage warm-up excr»
cises.

MEMBERS HAVE qualities
that troupe director Babe Voerts
man looks for in students who
audition tor the - troupe:
“imagination, devotion, and a
willingness to experiment with
creative movement" At the
beginning of every year, she
conducts a series at open
workshops so that students who
plan to try out can lamiliarize
themselves with the studio, the
type of technique they will be
asked to demonstrate, and the
members of the previous year's
;tr9upe. ,who make the,iinai
decision on Who will be admitted
tor membeiship -, tthe group's
size ﬂuctuates from year to year:
this year, there are nine new
memberst,

Because not all high schools,
especially those in rural areas,
otter modern dance classes, the
technical proiiciency oi those
auditioning varies. Many of the
students trying out, if they’ve
been exposed to dance at all, have
Had only ballet training, What is
more important to Voertman than
their technique, however, is their
originality and inventiveness, their
ability “to do wonderful things in
the creative section the
technique will come later.“

 

FUR MANY 0!“ the dancers,
Voertman's emphasis on in-
novation is a welcome one. Mary

THE HAIRCUT
For

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Mom—Friday 7 u.m.—9 pm.
Saturday 9 a.m.—9 pm.
Sunday to p.m.—3 mm.

This menacing-looking line-up could he escape from a “Killer Bees" episode on Saturday Night Live,
but it's really dance troupe members in dress rehearsal preparing for this weekend's dance concertr

Outten. a tworyear veteran oi the

troupe. sees dance as “more than
iust exercise "

RUTH WHITAIJ, (‘ALLS dance
"a great release irom academicse
a mind discipline which is also
physical,”

For Sydney l-lenthorn, who
started dancing at the age oi six,

participation in"the troupe “is
something i value very much.”

Male membership in the troupe
is slowly but surely growing; this

year, six of the dancers are men,

Unrortuately, Voertman says, the

men who audition are usually
seniors who have little or no dance
experience. and graduate just
when they are making their most

valuable contribution to the group,
She hopes “as men become in
creasingly liberated, and less
inhibited bystereotypes," they will
join the troupeearly and stay With
it tor more than just one year. The
men who do dance, Voertman
notes, “are surprised at how hard
it is, and what strength it takes "

HUT HAN WEBER downplays
his role asa male in the troupe, and
says dance is "lairly ans
drogynous,"

“Basically. the troup works on
improving each individual‘s
abilities, There's nothing we do in
class that isn‘t pretty unisex,
There are a few dances In the
concert which specifically Call for
males. but normally we all par
ticipate equally. And tortunately,
the rest oi the troupe is very
supportive oi the males in it: it's a
very cohesive group." he said.

Diverse field in VP elections

by Andrew Schultz

The election for SGA vice-
president is scheduled for this
Wednesday if there is not anomer
run-oli in Monday's presidential
election.

Open Forums for vice
presidential candidates will be
’ Monday in Loose Hall lounge at 7
p.m.. and at 3:30 pm. in Younker
Hail.

There are live candidates for
vicepresident this year. The
candidates are: Peter Blonsky,
Jeil Cronin. Derek Fields. George
Tiirnbull, and Drive Wagner. All
are sophomores.

PETER BLONSKY SAID, “The
reason l'm running is that i want to
change things. I care about what’s
going on and that’s why I get in
volved,”

Blonsky said he believes a major
issue next year will be the Health
Center. He says a decision may be
made either to have a nurse on
duty 24 hours a day, or to eliminate
Health Center services completely.

BLONSKY ALSO SAID the term
“student input” has been misused
in the presidential campaign.
“Apathy is the major problem on
campus." Blonsky said, “and you
have to address that belore you
talk about student input.”

Blonsky has served on the.
Student Publications and Radit

Best of Luck
with mi -86lllil

Si. Pat's Cookies

From

 

Committee and is presently a hall
president oi Younkers.

JEFF CRONIN transferred from
Bentley College in Massachusetts
last fall. Although he has no ex-
perience in Grinnell student
government. he served as fresh
man class president and served in
other student government
organizations at Bentley,

“I’m interested in establishing
stronger ties between the student
population. SGA. and the ad-
ministration," Cronin said,

(‘RONIN ADDED HE is opposed
to reinstitution of the F grade and
against departmental require
ments, He supports a strengthened
advising system, he said.

Derek Fields said, “i made the
decision to run because I feel that i
can inject aknowledge oi the limits
of SGA and how to improve student
power Within those limits."

FIELDS OUTLINED
specitic policies:

it to increase the role ol the
academic coordinator and vice
president in coordinating the
Curriculum Council on academic
issues:

2) obtaining a seat {or a student
on laculty, curriculum committee,
and departmental meetings;

3) allowing Joint Board a
removal clause for student
members oi CSL:

it allowing SGA to take any

us

live

7 DANISH MAID BAKERY

 

action necessary to obtain results,
such as independent action on Skip
Day, open iorums on issues, or
student strikes, if necessary;

:3) elected officials should not
dilute student opinion in dealing
with administration and faculty.

George Turnbull, presently a
hall president from Cleveland and
a Student member of CSL, said: “I
think i can offer something bet-
ween the two extremes offered this
year. the super serious and the just
plain silly Students rarely gain
favorable policy using either a
heavy hand or loose lips. I think an
open and lively approach could
affect both academic and social
policy,” .

TURNBUIL SA”) A major issue
will be renovations next year. He
said he belivﬁ student opinion
indicates a strong dislike for what
he termed the “hotel-like" quality
ol the renovations so far

Turnbull also said issues like F
grading and Skip Day could be
potential sources of conﬂict be
tween students and faculty. “At the
same time." he added, “a serious
and firm stance is needed to work
with the iaculty and ad
ministration. The impending
imposition oi core curriculum
requirements by certain members
oi the faculty is a case in point.

"I THINK FIRMLY showing the
faculty why students are against
requirements works better than
just screaming," Turnhull said.

Dave Wagner, who, among his
qualifications for the job, cites past
experience as a iiith grade
crossing guard and a fourth grade
chalkboard monitor, sai . "We’re
fighting a conservative trend,"

Wagner, a sell-avowed leitist
and “Beagle Scout" would like to
see a recycling center established
in the campus community, and
sees the presidential selection
process and renovations as two
other major issues on next year's
agenda.

 

