Taylor Storlien-
This weekend, the Gustavus Dance Company returns to the Anderson Theatre, performing “Emanate: The Gustavus Dance Company in Concert”. It will take place on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th at 8:00 p.m., as well as on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Directed by Melissa Rolnick, the concert is dedicated to Michele Rusinko, the former dance program director of 34 years who passed away in January. Rolnick says this is one of the biggest differences that sets this production apart from previous ones: “This production is dissimilar in the fact that the concert is dedicated to Michele Rusinko…Because of Michele, the dance program exists in all of its current glory- as a nationally recognized program. Her legacy is being honored in this production.” Rolnick wasn’t only a driven and successful program director, but was also a passionate teacher: “Michele taught our company such warmth, kindness, and most importantly, an undying love for dance. She is greatly missed,” Sophomore Dance Major Kieran Connolly said.
This year’s concert features the choreography of guest artist Marciano Silva dos Santos, as well as faculty members Sue Gunnes, Sarah Hauss, Jill Patterson, and Rolnick. Additionally, there is selected student work to be showcased as well. Faculty member Sue Gunnes is retiring this year.
“The piece is layered, textured, and full of stunning moments,” Connolly said. Along with this, there will be a reimagining of a solo piece (Seed for Planting) that was choreographed and performed by Michele in 1983. It has been reconstructed for four dancers, three of whom are former Gustavus dancers, all from different graduating years, as well as one performer who is current faculty. Those attending the show should “expect a varied, intriguing concert combining both faculty, guest, and student choreography. The emotional context of the pieces varies from fast-paced and exciting to diving into the experience of love,” Connolly said.
This year’s performance will be unique as it is being performed on a 3/4 thrust stage. “This means that the audience will be seated on three sides of the dancers, which is a super cool and unique way to experience the concert. There are truly no bad seats in the house, in my opinion,” Junior Dance Major Elise Gahart said.
Dance may be a smaller department on campus, but it carries significance within the hearts of many. “The department as a whole is super tight-knit and everyone is always cheering you on. Dance in general is super important to me, I’ve been dancing since I was two and I honestly can’t imagine anything different,” Gahart said. Rolnick calls it “the earliest art form, and in our culture the least understood.” As a director of dance at a post-secondary institution, she stresses the importance of it within a community: “Dance and the body has unfortunately long been a zone of controversy in our culture. It was and still is thought that the mind is worth cultivating and thus has primacy, while the body is scary for a variety of reasons and gets left out of the conversation. In higher education in general, dance and embodied knowing has been and is still held suspect. However, dancing is intrinsic to our humanity as the first form of physicalized expression, and is most often the glue that holds a people together,” Rolnick said.
This show has allowed many dancers to showcase their talents in new ways. Gahart was one of the student choreographers for the concert: “The experience of choreographing my piece was really cathartic in a way… At times, choreographing can be very tedious and detail-oriented but I could not be happier about the work that I am putting on stage for the dance concert,” Gahart said. Along with choreography, there are plenty of new experiences that await every dancer in the show, as one student, Kieran Connolly, will be in her first “major’s piece”, “This is my first time being in a piece set on the dance majors! There is a ‘major’s piece’ every year, and I’m excited to be a part of it. Marciano Silva dos Santos, an acclaimed choreographer, set one of his pieces of choreography on us and it has been a lovely challenge to make the choreography work for our company,” Connolly said.
Aside from performing, dance as an art form carries a significant meaning within liberal arts and the hearts of many within the department: “Aside from my personal development, dance as an art form is incredibly important in building a campus culture, furthering student’s understanding of the arts, and creating meaningful expression as a means of relation. Liberal Arts education rests on a strong foundation of embracing art as a valid academic pursuit,” Connolly said.
Tickets for the show can be bought online at Gustavus Ticketing.