Celebrations Dance Company has faced the challenge of finding a space for their chosen art form in the virtual world. What once were twice weekly rehearsals in Smith’s dance studio have become weekly Zoom rehearsals, and what once were biannual live showcases at the end of each semester have become virtual showcases compilations.
Morgan Peirce ‘21, one of two co-artistic directors for the Company explained their current operating system. Choreographers normally record choreography designed for one or two full company dance pieces. This recording is distributed to the company so they can practice in their own spaces, and the weekly practice meetings are designed to be a space to ask questions and go over difficult sections live with the choreographer. Every dancer is responsible for recording their individual parts, which are then compiled in the showcase — a process that required some Company members to learn entirely new technological skills.
“That was definitely a challenge, because when you produce a show, you finish the choreography, usually everyone kind of gets it, and then you have the show immediately after. But this time, because there’s that whole videography aspect, we had to finish a little bit earlier and then have people learn those skills and have time for recording, time to edit the piece together, and then upload that,” Peirce said.
These virtual showcases include the full company pieces and a few individual solo recordings, which allows many completely asynchronous members, who might be unable to attend rehearsal at all, to contribute something to the performance. Their spring showcase will be available May 29 through their Instagram.
(photo via Celebrations Dance Company Facebook)
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