Visiting choreographers aid PDT's centennial celebration

By BEN ORLOCK
Collegian Arts Writer

Two years ago, Ann Van Kuren, artistic director of the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre, Central Pennsylvania's only professional dance company, was informed by the State College Centennial Committee of the celebration planned for 1996.

This launched the first part of a project that culminates this weekend at the Playhouse Theatre with the world premiere of two works by noted New York choreographers JoAnna Mendl Shaw and Bill Young.

The theme of the two commissioned pieces focuses on local history, with each choreographer contributing their own unique style and interpretation to an artistic representation of life in State College during its 100-year existence.

Shaw's work, titled Hometown, stems from a series of interviews with local residents, and includes local anecdotes, landmarks and street names. The dancers are accompanied by original music and a narrator, actor Lowell Manfull of the University's theater department.

"The stories that he tells came from a number of interviews that the choreographer had. There are parts of the text that give a sense of remembrance of the past and where State College came from. What it was like years ago," Van Kuren explained.

Van Kuren described Bill Young's piece, Knitting Tails, as being less direct in its approach.

"It tells its own story. It creates its own world rather than trying to create State College as we see it out there. It's about the spirit of State College, about the spirit of the area. He was affected by the green, the mountains, and the wide open space that State College builds up on. It's more about the spirit of this location," Van Kuren said.

Company member and University alumna Jill A. Brighton grew up in State College and views these works from a slightly different perspective than her fellow dancers.

"JoAnna's interpretation is much more literal to me. She's using actual stories and reminiscences of people who've seen the town change a whole lot more than I have. Bill's interpretation is a lot more abstract," Brighton said.

Choosing choreographers to use when commissioning a specific work is an ongoing and involved process. Van Kuren utilizes video tapes, recommendations from company members and other choreographers and trips to New York City, the heart of the dance world, to explore different companies.

This is the first time PDT has ever requested a choreographer to focus on such a specific theme. Van Kuren looks for choreographers whose work would add a new aspect to PDT's repertoire. She said Young's work offered just that.

"There were continually changing images, and they all had a human factor to them," Van Kuren said. "They were about the dancers, about people, and I like that. The quality of his movement is also very nice. It has a lush, springy, silky feel to it."

Van Kuren admired Shaw's integration of some type of set into her pieces.

"With this particular piece, she's using old-fashioned school desks, and the piece evolves on and around these school desks, which kind of symbolizes the University overlooking the town of State College and being an important part of the community."

The company, now in its 17th year, rehearses five days a week, and since the start of the year, has been devoting the majority of its time to preparing for these two pieces. Each choreographer spent four weeks in residency with the company, during which time, the company was in their hands.

Being a repertory company lends a great deal more artistic freedom and variety than companies in which the company director and the choreographer are always synonymous.

Tracy Pelkowski is a University alumna and has been a full-time member of PDT for two-and-a-half years.

"Every choreographer we ever have that comes in here, their style is totally different. Even their style of movement is like something you've never done before. So that's really challenging, because trying to get your body to move different is difficult," Pelkowski said.

Brighton also said she enjoys the variety of choreographers she has the opportunity to work with.

"Being in a repertory company, we're not doing the same old thing over and over again," Brighton said.

Van Kuren has already invited a choreographer to work on a new piece for next year, which will provide yet another dance perspective on State College.

This piece will join Hometown and Knitting Tails next year as part of a full evening concert commemorating the Centennial.

PDT's annual Spring Concert of World Premieres takes place at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow in the Playhouse Theatre.