Laguna’s Artists’ Theatre will come alive next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 26-28, with the spring dance show honoring this year’s senior class.
“Twelve” will feature the choreographic work of department directors Lisa Jay and Danielle Pigneri, as well as five guest choreographers.
Jay once again adds her native Hawaiian culture to the show with “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai,” a fusing contemporary-jazz, modern dance and contemporary hula-inspired movements. The dancers are using four Hawaiian implements: the ipu (hollowed out gourd/squash), the pu`ili (shredded bamboo sticks), coconut shells and, the tiger cowrie shells. “The title translates into ‘cornucopia of the ocean’ and I like what it has to say about how there are so many different types of seaweeds and plants in the ocean and how they all coexist together which is a metaphor for how all of us humans from all races, religions, etc., live and coexist harmoniously,” she said. “Hawaiian music incorporates a lot of metaphors.”
Pigneri’s “Tout Doucement” is a Parisian café scene.
Tracey Bonner, choreographing and directing in our drama department for the past several years, will be staging her farewell dance piece before moving on to a full time university teaching job. Darrien Henning, a Los Angeles hip-hop choreographer, will put together “Senior Moments” in which a graduating senior looks back on his high school life.
Four student-choreographers, who will demonstrate their conversance with the artistic medium of dance, share snippets that explaining their works.
Senior Macarena Rivera’s inspiration for “Bilgewater,” came from learning from mistakes. “Experience is the best teacher we could have and it will lead us to discover who we are or who we want to be,” she said.
Junior Ava Eastman described “Skinny Love” as an expression of the struggle to heal after betrayal.
In “Dis-Order in the Court,” senior Nic Leighton and junior Natalee Palmer have choreographed a hip-hop story about two defendants on trail for murder and the court room scene that spirals out of control.
In “Names,” which is set in a subway,” senior Lily Rogers shows the interplay between strangers whose stories become revealed.
Curtain is 7:30 p.m. and tickets, $20 reserved $15 general and $8 students and seniors, are available at the Box Office from 6 p.m. before the shows and on Wednesday, 4-6:30 p.m. (949) 497-7769.
