WIDT piece chosen for National Convention
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ten young women and one gentleman of the Whidbey Island Dance Theatre made the trip to Edmonds to have their work adjudicated by professional dancer and teacher Deborah Hadley earlier this month.
The group showed the adjudicator a company class and then presented five of their dances that will also be shown at the Dance and Choreography Showcase at WICA on May 19 and 20.
They showed the modern piece “Iphigenia,” an extract from the Greek rituals by Laurentia Barbu, “Hame Lowe Reevin” and “Sacred Feminine” by Susan Campbell Sandri, “Muse of Motion” by emerging choreographer Danielle Wilkins, and “African Day” by South Whidbey High School student Josette Serrill.
Debrorah Hadley, adjudicator and former principal dancer for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, critiqued all pieces and chose “The Sacred Feminine,” a modern piece that is underscored by layerd readings from scripture, “The Da Vinci Code” and other texts as well as choir music to be shown at the National Dance Festival in Pittsburg this spring.
The company dancers will fly to Pittsburg, Penn. and attend classes for a week, perform their work and watch other companies perform.
Hadley had much praise for the dancers, some as young as 12. She appreciated the poise and technique of the younger dancers and how they blended with the more experienced dancers.
Hadley advised the group to be aware of their limbs down to the tip of the little finger and the toes, but added that this is a challenge even professional dancers face.
“You’ll hear about pointing your feet 25 years from now,” she joked with the dancers.
