Brown Bag celebrates 21 years

Under a tornado watch, students crowded into the Owen ArtsCenter lobby at 12 p.m. Thursday to watch fellow SMU studentsperform the dance department’s 21st anniversary Brown Bagdance series.

“I love choreographing, and this gives me and many othersa chance to perform in front of people,” junior dance majorAshley Benninghoff said.

Students had a chance to buy brownies and cookies at a table runby Benninghoff who said the proceeds will go to the MeadowsDivision of Dance.

“I’m doing double-duty today because I’m alsoperforming,” Benninghoff said.

The event, which is free and open to the public, features 11original ballet, modern and jazz works, with an emphasis oncontemporary dance.

Auditions were held in mid-January and 57 students were selectedto participate in the series. Dancers practiced four to six hours aweek depending on their pieces.

“Most of the dancers are dance majors but some are danceminors and have majors in theatre or CCPA,” said EllieEscosa, a junior dance major.

Songs ranged from “Johnson’s Swingers” by theCherry Poppin Daddies to “Homage” by Portishead.

Uzo Awa’s favorite performance was‘Moonshine,’ a dance that explores Afro-Carribeanmodern dance form and the rituals of Kumina, a religious cult inJamaica.

“I live with a lot of the dancers and I come everysemester to watch them dance,” said Awa, sophomore politicalscience major. “They work very hard and practice like sixhours a day.”

For many first-timers it is an enlightening experience.

“This was my first one and I really liked thedances,” said sophomore psychology and education double majorDani Davies. “I know some of the dancers and it’s coolto see what they do all the time.”

Every semester, the programming and performers incorporate manydifferent kinds of dance with quick and graceful transitions inless than an hour.

“A lot of our peers show up from other departments towatch,” Escosa said. “It’s nice to watch thefreshman dance majors as ballerinas,” Escosa said.

Senior dance major Stephanie Wright said, “The variety ofmusic, bodies, and styles are so different. I’m proud thatour school can provide an opportunity for us to perform and forpeople to watch.”

Wright did not get a chance to perform this semester but won theBest Student Choreographer Award at the National American CollegeDance Festival last week that she attended with Escosa.

The audience applauded and provided encouraging praise to thedancers throughout the show.

Escosa said, “It’s fun to watch the people in theaudience and see their reactions like when the girls performed‘Big Spender.'”

“It’s really a rush to have so many students soclose to you when you’re performing,” said Benninghoff,who has performed in the past five series.

Dancers will perform again as the Meadows Brown Bag seriescontinues Friday at noon in the Owen Fine Arts Center lobby.

More photos from Brown Bag can be viewed in a slideshow by clicking here.