Friends of dancers got their first glimpse of the Sharp Show in an open studio dress rehearsal Wednesday night. Twenty-eight Meadows dancers will perform nine modern pieces by a student choreography partnership that formed in the spring of 2001.
Meadows School of the Arts seniors Parisa Khobdeh, Orlando Martinez and Shayne Staley collaborated during their sophomore year on different occasions choreographing separate pieces, and decided to bring their pieces together for a combined performance.
“We work very well together,” Martinez said. “The pieces are not just influenced by movements, but they’re also cultural.”
“Aza dia Entekhob,” a solo piece by Khobdeh, deals with the perspective of Muslim women in Afghanistan.
Khobdeh, who performs in four of the nine pieces, said that the movements of the pieces become intuitive to her, and she is delighted to get the show up and running.
Sharp Show features the only performances choreographed by Meadows dance majors in a production setting.
“Every piece is so different,” said faculty sponsor Nathan Montoya. “Once they get to this level, they’re all so wonderful.”
Dance students are only allowed to compose pieces and perform them in the Charles S. Sharp Studio once they have completed four semesters of composition work. Proposals for productions must be turned in one semester prior to the actual performance.
Staley, Khobdeh and Martinez received funding from student Senate to bring the Sharp Show to life.
“We’ve been practicing since September between Hope Show and Brown Bag rehearsals,” Staley said. “In every piece we become different characters.”
Junior dance major Janine Beckles, who has danced in The Hope Show and Brown Bag series since her first year, performs an emotional solo piece choreographed by Martinez in the second act. Beckles said she portrays a woman who is trying to get her strength back.
“I like how close the audience is to the movement,” Beckles said. “It’s like they’re a part of the dance itself.”
The collaboration, titled “Triptych: A Three Part Picture” is a free performance that runs at 8 p.m. Nov. 22 and 23 in room B100 of Meadows.
