Afterimages Outtakes 2013

The Afterimages Production Team would like to send out a huge congratulations to all those who were involved in Afterimages Outtakes 2013. Choreographers and dancers both presented a truly unique, beautiful and flourishing show this past weekend. Each of the twelve pieces shown were bursting at their seams with artistry and choreographic risks. Over 200 audience members joined us in watching Outtakes between Saturday and Sunday’s shows, and shared uncountable positive comments afterwards. We are extremely lucky to have such one-of-a-kind choreographic voices creating and showing their works. We have all agreed this is the most successful and inspirational Outtakes performance we have been a part of yet. Thank you again for sharing your passion and talent. 

    -Afterimages Production Team,

     Brittany Mlsna, Morgan McMahon, and Ashlyn Cianciolo

Meet The Choreographers!

These two choreographers will be premiering their works this weekend in our Afterimages Outtakes show! The show is in NFAC 130 on Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM!

Brittany Mlsna

I am a Senior, with majors in Dance, Accounting, and Business Administration! This year I decided to approach it much differently than last year. Last year, I came in with nearly everything decided already. This year, I came in with nothing and am going to see how it transforms over the process. My piece this year is jazz and my concept is based on the power of women and their femininity. It has a sense of sensuality and power present throughout the piece.


Shane Donohue and Alyx Johnson

Both Juniors, Shane is a Dance and Psychology major and Alyx is a Dance and Arts Management Major. They are choreographing a modern piece which stems from the idea of adaption in social circumstances. The dancers are exploring the question, “What if you let go of all you know?” by expanding from dancing with yourself to dancing with another person. We are currently creating movement that circulates around one point in space--using human like moments to draw the audience into the scene. We have developed a base phrase which we will now work from.

Afterimages Outtakes 2013

Meet The Choreographers!

Emily Janik

I am a senior dance major, who choreographed two pieces for Afterimages 2012. This year I am stepping waaay out of my comfort zone. First off I’m choreographing a Jazz styled piece, which is something I usually never do. I’m also working with a composer on creating original music. Not having set music to start with has definitely been a challenge for me. In the past, I have gone into rehearsal with a really strong idea about the movement and overall construction of the piece. But this time around, everything is being generated simultaneously. I've had to approach my creative process very differently for this particular project.  I want to create a very jazzy old-school, speakeasy feel. To create this I’m working with a multifaceted approach by using live and original music, dancing, singing, and a little acting as well.

Thomas Jacobson

I am a junior dance major and last year I had the opportunity to have my work selected of Afterimages 2012! I am choreographing a contemporary ballet piece this year. My concept is an abstract look at breast cancer and how it emotionally affects not only the life of the patient but also the lives of those around her. My approach was definitely experimental and ever changing at the beginning of the choreographing process but we have reached a very comfortable and exciting place throughout our (the dancers and I) work together. 

Meet The Choreographers!

Ellen Petersen

I am a sixth year senior with majors in Dance and Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Special Education. This year, I am choreographing a ballet dance that explores individuality in a universal world.  How can you make yourself stick out and be noticed while doing the same thing as everyone else? 

I've been listening to the music and playing around with movement until I find something I like. So far it's working well and I really like the direction my piece is headed!


Gretchen Hoehn

I am a 5th year senior with a major in art and a minor in dance. My approach to this piece, in few words, is “full speed ahead!”  More so than any other work I've made thus far, my vision is very clear.  I have not needed to wrestle with finding a concept, deciding on music, or any other ambiguities that come with creating a dance.  I am harvesting the choreography as it comes to me and have the privilege of setting it on a beautiful, quick-learning cast soon after.  It’s exciting!  I am hoping to get the majority of the choreography taught in the coming weeks (all 11.5 minutes of it…) to leave plenty of room for development, changes, and cleaning.  (fingers crossed)

I tend to grapple with categorizing my choreography, because it is constantly evolving in the rehearsal process.  I am aiming to combine the grounded-ness of modern with the flare of contemporary movement.  In short, this piece deals with the process of mourning and accepting that a loved one has passed.  It can be an unpleasant and sometimes grueling process.  Although it might be easier to forget and move on, I would like to confront the emotions and questions that are so easy to brush aside: the confusion, frustration, anguish …and ultimately the question that haunts us all:  where are they now?   

Meet the Choreographers!

This year, we are having a section of our blog called “Meet the Choreographers!” This will allow you to get to know a bit more of the Afterimages process from people on the inside! So, I’ll start with myself!

Ashlyn Cianciolo

I'm a junior Dance Major and Business Minor. I’m choreographing a contemporary/modern piece based off of people watching. My developing thought is that everyone has an external and internal self. People portray a certain image that they think seems appealing or acceptable in society. These people wear a public “mask.” Because of this idea, my dancers will (most likely) be wearing masks as they’re external role, and take them off when they become their internal character.

I am approaching this year with a much clearer idea than last year. I have more specific characters for my dancers to portray and I think that is helping me move along quicker through the rehearsal process. My cast is also great in embodying whatever I tell them to do! So far everything is going great and I have high hopes for my finished product! 

Morgan McMahon

I'm a senior majoring in Dance and Arts Management. I'm choreographing a Modern/folk piece this year! My piece focuses on the relationships between trees and humans, and vice versa. I love trees, and I think they’re something brushed off by people in life, but I think they have a ton to teach us humans. I’m creating more on the spot than ever. With six dancers to work with, I cannot come in with too much of a choreographic or spatial plan, because things naturally change with six dancers learning material. I love this new way I’m working, because I think it’s not only working better for me, but it’s also making the environment for my dancers a zen, relaxing, and creative one.

Be sure to check back next week to meet two more of our Afterimages Choreographers!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Afterimages 2013 blog!—a place where you can learn more about the dynamic group of student choreographers creating dances this year.  This year’s group of artists is investigating a wide variety of ideas and composing in many styles including modern, ballet, tap and jazz.  My name is Ashlyn Cianciolo, a junior at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and the newest member of the student production team.  I want to take a moment to express how thrilled I am to get to experience Afterimages from this new vantage point! I am joining senior team members Brittany Mlsna and Morgan McMahon to organize and produce a dance concert that connects to and inspires the audience. We also welcome Marisa Abbott to the team; she is the 2013 stage manager and very excited to run the behind-the-scenes aspects of the concert.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Afterimages process, here’s a quick rundown: Afterimages is a fully student run and student produced dance concert. That means students will be:

• Dancing
• Choreographing
• Lighting
• Costuming
• Stage Managing

Each year, Afterimages begins with around twenty pieces (23 this year!) in rehearsal.  In mid-October these works are shown to a panel of faculty members and one student adjudicator. This team then selects dances that they feel are ready for full production. The remaining dances are then presented in our informal show, Afterimages Outtakes.

A unique part of this year’s Afterimages concert is the spatial orientation of the NFAC Studio Theatre.  We are testing our creative energies by making dances in a thrust stage design—this means there will be audience members on three out of four sides! We are excited to explore the possibilities of this stage orientation, as it is much different from a typical one-sided proscenium theatre.

Over the last three years, I have been a part of many aspects of Afterimages process– dancer, choreographer, and audience member. I am really looking forward to seeing it from a new side, as a part of the production team!   In my freshman year, I was a part of Afterimages Outtakes, the informal show, and got to watch the full production of Afterimages and support my new dance friends. Last year, I dipped my toes into the choreography side of things, and my work was presented in the Afterimages Outtakes concert.  This year I am choreographing again and dancing in several of my peer’s projects. I am so inspired by what my peers are creating and I am looking forward to sharing all of our hard work with the faculty in the upcoming weeks.

Check back next week as we hear from two student choreographers as they discuss their inspirations and creative process.