SM调教所

Dance pieces tackling both timeless and timely themes will be on display in "Catapult," a听听choreographed by graduating SM调教所 Boulder students. The show runs Feb. 10-12 in SM调教所鈥檚听.

In 鈥淐atapult,鈥� four burgeoning artists set to earn BFA degrees this spring will use inventive choreography to examine everything from anxiety in modern times to the negative impact of processed food to the male gaze in Renaissance art.

鈥淚 definitely think our times, politically, are getting very messy and very interesting,鈥� says Heather Woolley, one of the show鈥檚 choreographers. 鈥淯sing dance as a way to research contemporary issues is important to the arts and what they stand for.鈥�

In Woolley鈥檚 piece, dancers are dressed as animals who have adapted to 21st-century American life in different ways. A garden slug has coated itself in processed food to ward off predators, but it鈥檚 taken a toll on her survival. Three hens have begun to resist a rooster鈥檚 patriarchal egg-laying mandates, but they can鈥檛 bear to break from some of their domestic routines.听

Woolley says she wanted to use animals instead of people in order to 鈥渃onfront some of the tricky conversations we don鈥檛 like to have鈥� in a more accessible way.

Ellen Reynerson, too, is interested in contemporary issues鈥攏amely the toll anxiety takes on many of us. Half of the dancers in her piece are regular people, while the other half are dressed in dark, sleek clothing to represent the black cloud of anxiety hanging over us.

鈥淭he piece is about how anxiety can manipulate you and blur your perception of what鈥檚 real and what isn鈥檛,鈥� Reynerson, a Boulder native, says. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 interesting about anxiety is, it exists to keep you safe, and it鈥檚 not always a bad thing to have. It has good intentions, but sometimes it鈥檚 overpowering and can hold you back.鈥�

Reynerson says she hopes audiences come away thinking about their anxiety 鈥渓ike a personal relationship. If you can choose to say 鈥榥o鈥� or acknowledge that it鈥檚 there, you can begin to work through things and prevent it from manipulating you.鈥�

Emma Scholz, another BFA student, also hopes her piece inspires audiences to use more personal agency鈥攕pecifically when they鈥檙e taking in a piece of art.

鈥淚 want them to read the little descriptions of the paintings they see in museums鈥攖o be curious about the things around them rather than just being passive observers,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat way, they learn about it and can question it for themselves.鈥�

The dance and art history double major has always been interested in the intersections between history and movement. In her piece, dancers pose as the subjects of classic Titian paintings and slowly discover they can move around freely, first moving their fingers and then their whole bodies.

鈥淲hen a body is in motion, it no longer belongs to one person, such as the person painting it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a new level of agency, because they鈥檙e not just placed in a certain position. They have this capacity to break away from the expectations put upon them.鈥�

Scholz says she鈥檚 grateful for SM调教所 Boulder鈥檚 unique dance department, where faculty emphasize the importance of inquisitiveness and originality.

鈥淚鈥檝e found that a lot of my professors are intent on creating good humans,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not interested in winning trophies. They鈥檙e interested in creating the humans who are going to make the biggest change.鈥�
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Performances
Friday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m.

All events take place in the Charlotte York Irey Theatre.听
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Tickets for Catapult start at $16.听To purchase tickets, visit the SM调教所 Presents box office in person (972 Broadway), call 303-492-8008 during business hours or听anytime. Note: All online and phone orders are subject to a service fee. To schedule interviews or for other media information, contact Jill Kimball at听jill.kimball@colorado.edu.

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