Dance Showcase 2019

 

            Director of Dance, David Ward, is celebrating the Performing Arts Department’s 30th anniversary with his company dancers by restaging Common Change, the very first modern piece he did at Seabury Hall. In three movements, the piece progresses from the beginning of life on the cellular level, through the struggles humans face in society, and ends in a rising from the ashes to find grace, balance, and harmony.

 “Although it’s 30 years old,” says Ward, its issues are current -- and perhaps even more relevant today.” 

For his annual musical theater segment, Mr. Ward stages Be Italian and Cinema Italiano from the musical Nine by Maury Yeston. “Musical theater has always been a great passion of mine and these two numbers are a perfect blend of drama and style,” says Ward. 

               Choreographer, Andre Morissette, restages his monumental Paper Trail, originally developed in 2002 as a collaboration between the Visual and Performing Arts Departments. 

            Choreographer and ballet teacher, Vanessa Cerrito, combines her ballet and jazz classes in a tribute to the late, great, artist Prince.

Guest artist, Hallie Hunt, co-founder and artistic director of Adaptations Dance Theater, has set a contemporary take on tango performed by the company. 

“Though not technically a tango, the energy, drive, and pulse of the piece is very dynamic,” says Ward. “I’ve been impressed with how Hallie constructed the piece and worked with the girls. It’s been a great experience for them.”

For Level C dancers, guest artist,Yezzi, artistic director of PUreMOTIONz Dance, has set a hip-hop-inspired piece to music by Imagine Dragons -- and David Ward has set a piece for Level C dancers to music from Crazy Rich Asians. 

            Bay Area choreographers Meghan and Tito Reyes have choreographed an edgy contemporary piece to the music of Son Lux for our top dancers, the Seabury Hall Dance Ensemble. 

“It’s exciting to return year after year and see the growth of these young dancers, says Meghan Reyes. “Tito and I are thrilled to be a part of their development.”

            As Ward celebrates 60 years on the planet and 30 years at Seabury, he reflects:

            “How exciting it is to see the development of the program over the last 30 years at Seabury! The building of the new theater, the progress of the arts, the expansion of the guest artist program, the richness of the catalogue of past works to draw on, the freshness of the current work.”

            “How incredible it has been to be a part of this for the past 30 years!”