School of Dance MFA Candidates Present: “DIS/INTERGRATE”
The School of Dance MFA candidates Alayna Lee and Heather Boni will present DIS/INTEGRATE, a dance performance, in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance on January 13-14, 2017 at 8:00pm in the Black Box Theater in Montgomery Hall, located on FSU’s campus.
A pre-show will begin at 7:30 pm and the audience is invited to explore the space through a life-size maze that represents the blueprint of a brain coping with dementia. The performance is set in-the-round which will provide each seat with a unique perspective and experience of both works. DIS/INTEGRATE is comprised of two sections including Lee’s, imprinted, and Boni’s, Extensions of Us.
Lee’s imprinted investigates the complexities of dementia, taken from her own experience witnessing her grandfather, Clover Thirsk, live with the disease toward the end of his life. Lee’s full-bodied, contemporary choreography—performed by seven dancers—explores the distinctive shift between lucid thought and murky recollection, focusing predominantly on how “ story” is affected as the disease advances. Lee is interested in using dance to express biological and neurological transformations generated by dementia, hoping to physically demonstrate that dementia “ is not all sad…there are points of joy, and happiness, and silliness, too…and to acknowledge the human being that is still present apart from the disease.”
Boni’s Extensions of Us is comprised of four works that explore limitations—physical, mental, and spatial—and the unique perceptions of these limits that drive and shape our individualized character. Inspired by James Hillman’s The Soul’s Code and Acorn Theory of individual uniqueness, Boni questions how our unique perceptions of “difference” both contribute to, and challenge, our sense of self, character, and calling. An integrated cast of differently abled dancers will perform these deeply reflective and relatable investigations of perceived limitations and embrace “ limits” as an impetus for action. Boni invites the audience to “reflect, re-perceive, and possibly even redefine their own perception of limitations as motivators for advocacy and action.” Boni’s work is funded by the OPUS Archives & Research Center in Santa Barbara, CA.
Both choreographers hope that DIS/INTEGRATE will stimulate conversation surrounding perceptions of narrative, memory, and inclusion, and will allow the audience to reflect on their own memories and perceptions of others.
Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for FSU students with valid FSU ID. For ticket information, contact the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (850) 644-6500, or online.
For more information about the School of Dance, call La Toya Davis-Craig at (850)645-2449 or via email at ldavis3@fsu.edu, or online at dance.fsu.edu.
The School of Dance is part of the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University.