 "Photo: Courtesy of J. Elissa Marshall")
 "Photo: Courtesy of J. Elissa Marshall")
In a collaborative effort between UT’s School of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance, undergraduates and graduates will present their work in this year’s Ears, Eyes + Feet.
Ears, Eyes + Feet is an annual showcase of projects presented in segments by choreographers, composers and video students. Each performance includes dance, music and video.
The segments in this year’s program include “Repurpose, Retool,” a performance about recycling; “Experience,” which examines different types of relationships; “Fathom,” about depth and understanding; “The Blue Jar,” based on a short story by Isak Dinesen about a woman and a sailor who spend nine days on a boat together; and “Duet,” a video based on interactions with a wall, foam tube, camera and dancing body. Others include “TBD” and “Shattered.”
“The showcase is one of UT’s best-kept secrets,” said composer Ian Dicke. “It is a wonderful opportunity for young composers, video artists and choreographers to collaborate and showcase their work within a professional environment.”
Dicke works with “Get Rich Quick,” a piece in the program about the dysfunction on Wall Street. It includes parts for piano, electronic media and six dancers, and it seeks to disrupt traditional thoughts about money and greed, Dicke said. “Get Rich Quick” illustrates the savagery of the stock market and alludes to the financial hardships that have hit Americans.
“Audiences should expect a fast-paced roller coaster ride, featuring a virtuosic pianist and six talented dancers who are all accompanied by an electronic soundtrack filled with sound bites of self-proclaimed financial gurus,” Dicke said.
The piece promises to be a “therapy session” that makes audiences laugh at the economic chaos they have experienced.
“It’s an invitation for those of us who have been affected by the current economic downturn to laugh at the absurdity of it all,” Dicke said.
Another performance is “Sketches,” a piece inspired by the sounds of paper and pencil and the lines and shapes they make. Many hours went into creating the seven-minute piece, including costume design, auditions and casting, light design, choreography and rehearsals. The result is a collection of textured movement that is left to the audience to interpret.
“[It’s] a simple abstraction of sketching through aural-spatial-kinesthetic design, and [audiences] should feel free to interpret whatever moves them,” said Charlotte Griffin, a Master of Fine Arts candidate and “Sketches” choreographer.
Overall, Ears, Eyes + Feet is a presentation of mixed mediums coming together in the creative process of making a performance with many elements. All are invited to see the showcase to interpret the works of several MFA students and faculty.
Ears, Eyes + Feet
B. Iden Payne Theater, in Winship Drama Building
Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
Free admission
3 comments
Congratulations Ian and Elisa.I love you. Mami
It would be neat to video the shows and post after the performances.