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FALL FORWARD

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Oberlin College's Annual Fall Forward Dance Concert to take place in Warner Center, Dec 2-4. Featuring the Work of Oberlin College Faculty, Students and Visiting Professor Holly Handman

OBERLIN, OH—The Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program will present its annual Fall Forward dance concert in Warner Center Main Space at 8PM, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 2-4.

Featuring work choreographed by Oberlin College faculty and students, and visiting professor Holly Handman, this annual Fall Forward dance concert will include eight original modern pieces for duet and solo performance, as well as lighting designs by Caleb Baker '06.

From the Inside Out is a modern solo exploring "the relationship between the intimacy of the private and the visibility of the public." Choreographed and performed by Nell Timreck '05, the piece also examines where the impetus for bodily movement and momentum originate.

Born of collaboration between friends, Ascending is a modern duet expressive of "the very process by which it was created, the discovery of someone new and the artistic relationship that evolved." Choreographed and performed together by Rose Reid '08 and Lucy Segar '08, the girls mirror and support one another to create a piece that "reflects that mutuality and sense of comfort."

Both choreographed and performed by Jessie Male '05, For Reny, Wherever I May Find Her is a personal solo dedicated to Male's Aunt Reny, who passed away in 2003 after battling cancer for nearly a decade. Set to a ballad of the 50's, "the piece," explains Male, "embodies her struggle while also capturing the essence of the late 1950's, a period when she was known as a sexpot; a Bridget Bardot look-alike. The movement is both sensual and turbulent, exemplifying Reny's effort to maintain her eccentric, gregarious character while accepting impending death."

The Most Beautiful Boogieman, choreographed by Adenike Sharpley, Artist-in-Residence in African Dance, is a duet depicting the loving touch that a Black man has for his woman. The piece, which will be performed by Pia Murry '05, and Mark McGee '08, gets its title from the Mos Def song that it was inspired by, and shares a glimpse into "a relationship that is often not seen publicly, as two Black people are very seldom seen together in performance in an in depth and complex storyline," explains Sharpley. "While there is no happy ending, there is still love nonetheless."

Choreographed and performed by Rachel Winograd '05, Alone for the Holidays is an emotive attempt at portraying, through exploratory movement, her feelings about being alone and watching TV during the holiday season. Alone, and contemplating the way 'everything is supposed to be', Winograd struggles with herself, depicting her character's constant vacillation between "yearning and rejecting in this cheery time", and resulting in a piece that is surprisingly humorous.

Featuring improvised live music and solo dance, Second Wind is a modern piece that choreographer and performer Elizabeth L. Rogers '07 has described as being "a duet for flute and body". Accompanied on stage by Lisa Blatchford '05 on flute, Rogers has created a surprising piece punctuated by leaping and falling that "explores a wide dynamic range in terms of movement—tangled lines of intricate choreography giving way to movements of smoothness and stillness."

Featuring an original electronic sound score by John Bohnert '07, and peppered with spoken and pre-recorded text, Holly Handman has succeeded in creating an intensely emotional narrative duet. The piece, entitled I See You, will be performed by Rachel Winograd '05, and Lincoln Smith '06.

Set to ethereal and unsettling music by Handel, Original Insurgent is a piece centered on concepts of struggle, and the fragility of the human body. Choreographed and performed by Rakia Seaborn '07, the dance stems from a loose interpretation of Milton's classic "Paradise Lost" and tackles the question of what happens when one is tossed from Heaven. The piece has no clear resolution, Seaborn explains, and at the end one is left with her original question: "To repent, or not to repent?"

The Fall Forward production staff includes Production Manager/Technical Coordinator Astrid Jobe, Lecturer in Theater; Fall Forward Advisor Nusha Martynuk, Professor in Dance; Stage Manager Brandon Moreau, '06; Lighting Designer Caleb Baker, '06; and Publicity Assistant Olivia Verdugo, '06.