SEMO’s River Campus is presenting Fall for Dance, a bold and eclectic collection of dance pieces featuring a variety of styles from ballet to jazz. The performances will be held at 7:30 p.m on Nov. 17-19 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall.
Hillary Peterson, associate professor and coordinator of dance at SEMO, said the show will feature the second act of the Nutcracker Suite, as well as works by guest artists Emily Haussler and Arianna Russ and three pieces choreographed by students.
Peterson said this is the first time a piece as long as this section of the Nutcracker suite has been performed at a seasonal concert, and its rehearsal involved a lot of individual and collaborative work between choreographers, dancers, lighting designers, and costume designers.
Power of Numbers, a piece choreographed by sophomore dance major Madison Diehl, is more of a contemporary jazz piece.
“It’s really fun, high energy, kind of cheeky,” Peterson said. “It’s a really strong number.”
One of the guest artists, Emily Haussler, directs a dance company in St. Louis and allowed SEMO’s dancers to have input in the process.
“Those dancers came out having a really wonderful experience with her, and just feeling ownership of the work,” Peterson said.
Junior BFA dance major Hayleigh Kemnic is a rehearsal assistant for the Nutcracker Suite and helps run rehearsals and choreograph the show. Kemnic’s process is similar to Haussler’s.
“My choreographic process is more hands-on with a dancer,” Kemnic said. “It’s very interactive and co-creating.”
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