Spring 2021 Dance Concert
Inside Out
April 28 at 6pm
May 1 at 6pm
May 2 at 12 pm
Shaw Field on the Macalester College campus
Choreographers:
Patricia Brown
Lu Chen ‘22
Wynn Fricke
Kiều My Trương ‘21
Skye Reddy ‘22
Mai Moua Thao ‘22
Aleah Wong ‘22
Creative Team:
Costume Designer – Lynn Farrington
Stage Manager – Holiday O’Bryan ‘24
Production Staff:
Technical Director – Thomas Barrett
Technical Assistant – Brian Fox ‘18
Sound Engineer – Matt Bombich
Sound Engineer Assistant – Lucas Martin ‘24
Sound Board Operator – Adar Kamholtz-Roberts ‘21
Department Chair – Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento
Publicity and Coordination – Johanna Lorbach
Publicity Design – Jennifer Huang ‘22
Photographer – Caroline Yang
Videographer – James Peitzman
Wynn Fricke is an independent contemporary choreographer, dancer, and somatic educator. Her choreography has been presented internationally, with over thirty commissions from organizations such as the Walker Art Center, Zenon Dance Company, Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Yard, Frank Theater, Performa/Dance, Borrowed Bones Dance Theatre, and James Sewell Ballet. For two years, she served as Choreographer-in-Residence with Minnesota Dance Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. In 2018 her choreography Just Her Time, created for Macalester students, was selected by an adjudicated panel of the American College Dance Association for performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA. Fricke is an Assistant Professor (NTT) in the Department of Theater and Dance.
Our bodies are our home: they are the landing place of our feelings, the medium of our work, and where our differences are made apparent. The killing of Mr. George Floyd turned the Twin Cities into the epicenter of our nation’s struggle to come to terms with its painful history of racial violence. In this time of racial reckoning, our community aspires and is challenged to hear and hold one another across the diversity of our lived experiences.
It is in this context that the six works of Inside Out were created. My choreography takes inspiration from “Durer’s Solid”, an 8-faced geometrical form depicted in a 1514 engraving entitled Melancholia by Albrecht Durer.
Patricia Brown, is a faculty member of Macalester’s Theater and Dance Department, where she teaches Dances of the African Diaspora, and is the director of Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble. She’s been a member of the Twin Cities arts community for 27 years as a dancer, instructor, choreographer, and mentor, and was on faculty in the Dance Department at the University of Minnesota for 22 years. She also teaches at primary and secondary schools, and choreographs for professional theater, and choirs. Her performance, and choreographic work has been seen on many local, and national stages. Over the years, she has received a number of awards for her work. Most recently, she received Macalester’s Educator of the Year Award in 2020.
I chose this piece of music, “Love Is The Message”, because the title is a big part of my life and heart work, and surely because it’s funky. I wish it was an embodied practiced global anthem. The dance was born out of not having a lot of space to move at home during the pandemic, and being on Zoom, where a line dance became a workable option. With everything going on in the world, we have to remember that love is ultimately what we as human beings need to be growing, living, and sharing! “BE LOVE!” Contrary to popular belief, it truly is the message y’all!
Skye Reddy is a junior Theater and Dance major with an interest in choreography and dance filmmaking. This is their fourth main stage production at Macalester, and the first one in which they are choreographing. They have previously performed in two dance concerts and Letters| Home, a devised dance-theater work. Currently, Skye works in the costume shop on campus and is interning with Threads Dance Project in Minneapolis.
Drawing inspiration from the geometric unfolding of an origami lotus, “Crisp Crease” is an architectural solo in three parts. The piece explores themes of growth and expansion, from the smallest organism to the creation and destruction of stars.
Lu is a junior Theater and Dance and Psychology double major. They started dancing at Macalester College in fall 2018 with guidance of Wynn Fricke and quickly fell in love with this art form. They have been taking as many dance classes as they can and have been learning at Ananya Dance Theatre, helped by Toan Doan ‘19. They also have performed at 20% Theatre Company.
Apart from dance, Lu is interested in visual art, art history, and music. They are committed to social justice practice for queer people of color, especially those who are suffering with mental health issues.
In this solo piece “I Will be Leaving Soon, Too”, Lu wants to reflect on their struggle of mental illness, especially depression and anxiety. They want to express the changing stages of living with disability and looking forward to the bigger picture. Lu hopes their friends and mentors are doing okay at this time.
Mai is a junior double majoring in Media & Cultural Studies and Theatre and Dance, with a minor in Psychology. Mai is grateful for the opportunity to create art with her dear friend Aleah who encouraged her to continue her dance journey at Mac. Mai likes to eat rice.
Mai and Aleah’s piece, “In Phase”, explores coexistence between two separate forces, Eos and Selene, the embodiments of the dawn and the moon. Their connection, which transcends space and time, is inevitable with each passing of day and night.
Aleah is a junior Environmental Studies and Biology double major. She is excited to share this duet with you. Aleah also enjoys rice (more than Mai). 😉
Aleah and Mai’s piece, “In Phase”, explores coexistence between two separate forces, Eos and Selene, the embodiments of the dawn and the moon. Their connection, which transcends space and time, is inevitable with each passing of day and night.
Kiều is using art and dance to breathe life. Sometimes the breath feels like an escape, sometimes it feels like being completely present in their body…in this life, on this earth. This artist from Kansas is still discovering the universe. They’re also getting a degree and majoring in American Studies in the meantime.
Their piece, “i am not from here”, is an exploration of being inside and outside of a body, being connected to spirit, and just being.