Painters of Light: dancers in motion
Kelsey Hutchinson
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Life!
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The Muhlenberg Dancers will premiere their performance of Crucible as part of the Nikolais celebration featuring the internationally acclaimed Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University, on Feb 6. at 8:00 p.m. The Centennial Celebration focuses on tours of more than 18 colleges and universities, with tour director Alberto "Tito" Del Saz traveling to teach master classes, offer workshops, and restage Nikolais' dances.
Nikolais was known for his incredible pieces that included his own original musical compositions and inventive lighting and costume designs. Nikolais created all of the components of his work himself therefore, his pieces come together with a strident vision. According to Nick Flatto '10, a dancer in the production, "The dancing is definitely enhanced with these special effects as our bodies transform. We are no longer dancers in this piece, but painters of light."
A primary goal in Nikolais' work was to convey motion rather than emotion. Crucible is no exception. Dancer Nelle Ed '10 explained, "The bodies are not immediately identifiable as human; you will marvel at the shapes and images that are magically being created through the light effects and the mirrors. As a dancer, it makes me focus on what my body is doing, rather than what I am expressing. It takes dance and puts it back into the body."
As a dancer with vast experience working behind the scenes in theatre and dance productions, Ed has enjoyed blending the performing and special effects. As much as she enjoys the process, she notes the rigor of the work; "the mirrors are a difficult thing to work with, although the challenge is what makes it interesting. You have to touch them, or else there is a break in the reflection, but if you touch them too forcefully they will topple over and ruin the piece. It's a very careful balance."