By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
Movement, word and song will meet in a collaborative effort on NW Campus Sept. 21.
NW dance, drama and music students will have their chance to shine individually in a production comprised of solo performances.
“We had auditions for our dancers pretty early into the semester,” dance associate professor Amy Sleigh said.
For NW student Jessica Trimble, preparing was a fast-paced experience.
“It was a little stressful,” she said. “I had to get things together in such a short period of time.”
Getting choreography together in two and a half weeks was daunting, she said.
Trimble said she still felt relaxed for the audition process.
“It [the audition] was a very simple, very casual time,” she said.
NW drama students have also begun working on solo pieces for the show, drama associate professor Josh Blann said. They’re preparing monologues for the production.
Photos by Bogdan Sierra Miranda/The Collegian
“They’ll work on that [monologues] for the next couple of weeks to prepare it for the show,” he said.
The most exciting part of preparing for Night Solos for Trimble is translating someone else’s vision into her own.
“This piece I originally choreographed, but it didn’t match my style,” she said.
So NW dance associate professor Lacreacia Sanders created a whole new choreography for Trimble. And she’s been enjoying rehearsing it.
“It’s been so exciting seeing how I could take Lacreacia’s choreography and make it fit to my style and my personality,” she said.
While Night Solos will offer students in three different programs an opportunity to work together, NW music associate professor Eddie Vandewalker feels this event is unique and eye-opening.
“First, it’s always a benefit getting to work with other colleagues in other areas of performing arts,” he said. “It’s so good when we intermix like that. Musicians don’t always know about the extensive warmup that dancers have, just as dancers may not know about the special warmups that musicians have.”
Sleigh said this is always a nice setting for a performance.
“The sun is setting, people bring lawn chairs since we’re out at the amphitheater we like to call the Cinco Palms Stage — it’s a good time,” she said. “This kicks off our season of performances.”
