Gustavus Adolphus College Dance Company will perform their spring concert that single fleeting moment on April 13 and 14 at 8 p.m., as well as April 16 at 2 p.m. These performances are open to the public in Rob and Judy Gardner Lab Theatre. Tickets are required for admission. There is also a private, invitation only performance on April 15th in celebration of retired faculty Michelle Rusinko.
Despite its spring performance time, that single fleeting moment has been in development long before the weather turned warmer–the production has been in the works from the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year. Melissa Rolnick, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Theater and Dance Department, shares the inspiration behind this year’s theme.
“that single fleeting moment centers on the idea of the passing of time with dance and theater–the moment is here and then the moment is gone,” describes Rolnick. “But, hopefully, the essence of the experience lives in the viewer.”
that single fleeting moment portrays how dance happens in the body and in the now, as well as the experience of an audience member who sees the performance, but not all the time and preparation that goes into it. As an audience member, we see the dance, and then it’s gone.
“We spend so much time on a work for that single moment; live for an audience to experience just once,” explains Rolnick. “The two-dimensional experience doesn’t carry forth the aliveness you experience when you’re in the theater.”
Featured along with Melissa Rolnick, that single fleeting moment also highlights the work of Gustavus faculty Sarah Hauss, Giselle Mejia, Jill Patterson, and Jeffrey Patterson. The show further includes and celebrates the work of faculty Michele Rusinko.
“In her 34 years at Gustavus, Michelle Rusinko essentially put the dance program on the map. With vision and strategic focus, she developed the program into what it is today,” says Rolnick. “It is only fitting to honor her in this celebration as such an important voice in this department at Gustavus.”
To celebrate Michelle Rusinko’s work, Gustavus Dance will host a private, invitation-required performance of that single fleeting moment on Saturday, April 15th in combination with a recognition for Rusinko’s contributions to the department.
To see that single fleeting moment, visit https://gustavustickets.universitytickets.com/.
April 13 at 8:00 p.m. | April 14 at 8:00 p.m. | April 16 at 2:00 p.m. |
Rob and Judy Gardner Laboratory Theater