Close (At Arm’s Length)

EVANSTON, Ill. ---  “Close (At Arm’s Length)”, Northwestern University’s Fall Dance Concert, will feature works that grapple with issues of relationship, trust and belonging.

Presented by the University’s New Movement Project, the show’s five performances will feature nine all new choreographic works by promising Northwestern student choreographers.

Performances are scheduled for the weekends of Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 20-22. Two of the pieces were inspired by today’s media.

Open to the public, “Close (At Arm’s Length)” will be staged at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14; 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15; 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20; 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21; and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, in the Ballroom Studio of the Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center, 10 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern's Evanston campus.

Northwestern sophomore Vatsala Kumar and junior Ariel Harper are the 2014 show’s co-producers. This year's choreographers are juniors Annalissa Hartsell and Mary Iris Loncto, and seniors Amelia Bell, Aric Barrow, Hillary Aarons, Jacinda Ratcliffe, Jacobi Alvarez, Katherine Scott, and Kendall Beeman. Their original works will be performed by an ensemble of 27 student dancers.

Among the concert highlights is Alvarez’s “Empty of Water,” a screen dance that combines the mediums of dance and film. Aarons’ piece, “On the Front,” involves rhythmic and gestural play to navigate the movement between inward and outward presentation. Bell’s work, “Meet the Andersons,” is an exploration of movement, gesture and storytelling inspired by the stereotypical family situations found in TV sit-coms.

The New Movement Project (NMP) is a student group of dance majors and minors that works closely with the School of Communication's dance program to produce student works and host workshops and residencies with local and national artists. This year’s NMP faculty adviser is Amanda Exley Lower, an adjunct faculty member.

The fall dance concert is an annual showcase of student choreographers who have been selected by a panel of New Movement Project committee members and dance faculty. All aspects of the performance are led by Northwestern students from the production to the lighting design. 

Bleacher-style seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. General admission is $10 for the public and $5 for full-time students with valid IDs. Tickets are available through Northwestern’s Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts box office at 847-491-7282 or by visiting www.wirtz.northwestern.edu. Tickets also will be sold at the door prior to each performance.

For more information, questions or to visit a rehearsal, contact Vatsala Kumar or Ariel Harper at vkumar@u.northwestern.edu or arielharper2012@u.northwestern.edu.

For more on the School of Communication programs of study, visit www.communication.northwestern.edu/departments/theatre/programs.php.