SRU students direct and dance one last time with “Against All Odds”

Thirteen Slippery Rock University senior Bachelor of Fine Arts dance students will choreograph and perform one last time at SRU for the “Against All Odds” BFA Senior Dance Concert.

April 14, 2021

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University's Dance Department will host its BFA Senior Dance concert, "Against All Odds," at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., April 17 via a livestream on the department's YouTube channel. Each concert will feature different performances.

"Against All Odds," as the title implies, is meant to represent the perseverance - in the age of COVID - of the dancers who will be featured and the diverse ways in which they express themselves through dance, styles including modern, contemporary, hip-hop and cultural dance.

Production of the concert began last semester when participating seniors were registered for the department's BFA Capstone II: Performance, Choreography and Entrepreneurship course. As part the course, students were challenged to develop a research question, which would also shape the design of the dances featured during the concert.

Some of those research questions revolved around the use of architectural structures in dance and gravity defying movement, improvisation's role in the choreographic process, and how physical art, in this case dance, can influence and create visuals and in return how visuals influence dance.

"A BFA is a professional degree, so each dancer is held to rigorous standards as established by the national accrediting agency, the National Association of Schools of Dance," said Nora Ambrosio, a professor of dance and artistic director of the concert.

With COVID-19 forcing students to perform virtually, choreographers had to figure out how to transform their dances and articulate their themes through the lens of a camera.

"These virtual concerts will showcase the talent and ingenuity of our BFA senior dancers," said Ambrosio. "Because our department has always had a strong focus on dance technology, moving to all virtual performances has been pretty seamless for us; however, filming and editing does take an incredible amount of time."

Student choreographers for the shows include:

• Laura Ardner, a senior dance major from York.
• Reva Adams, a senior dance major from Vero Beach, Florida.
• Olivia Barner, a senior dual dance and exercise science major from Hermitage.
• Hannah Corey, a senior dual dance and exercise science major from Sarver.
• Sarah Dietsch, a senior dance major from Russell.
• Kaitlyn Falce, a senior dual dance and exercise science major from Pittsburgh.
• Anaya Gass, a senior dance major from Vernon, New Jersey.
• Kari Hoglund, a senior dance major from Wilmette, Illinois.
• Bethany Joyce, a senior dance major from Lancaster.
• Luvenia Kalia, a senior dance major from Georgetown, Malaysia.
• Lauren McBarron, a senior dance major from Harrison City.
• Alanna Rygelski, a senior dual dance and communication major from Glenshaw.
• Riley Smith, a senior dance major from Monroeville.

To bring their performances to life, the 13 student choreographers staged auditions for other student dancers to take part in the shows.

In addition to the work of the student choreographers, one featured dance will be the creation of guest artist Samantha Baker, '15, an SRU alumna and New York-based professional dancer. Her piece, titled "In the Kiln," is a means for Baker to physically challenge students with a highly sophisticated dance that includes "difficult spatial patterns and moments of stillness that require deep concentration" on the part of the dancers, according to Baker.

Baker said that her ultimate goal was to " create a dance so that all of the senior BFA majors could dance with one another one last time and feel the strength and power of the group.

Additional student dancers in the shows include:

• Jordan Allen, a sophomore dance major from Dillsburg.
• Taylor Andrekanic, a senior dual dance and communication major from White Oak.
• Naomi Bates, a senior dual dance and theatre major from Slippery Rock.
• Katelin Baughn, a junior dance major from Mount Gilead, Ohio.
• Olivia Blankenship, a freshman dance major from Waterville, Ohio.
• Kali Booker, a junior dual dance and communication major from New Castle.
• Jaidin Broody-Walega, a freshman dance major from Pringle.
• Jade Daniels, a senior dual dance and exercise science major from Hurricane, West Virginia.
• Anna DeRubeis, a junior dual dance and early childhood education major from Altoona.
• Martha Dunkelberger, a senior dual dance and health and physical education major from Spring Mills.
• Kathryn Eberhart, a sophomore dual dance and early childhood education major from Archbald.
• Olivia Farmerie, a freshman dual dance and exercise science major from Butler.
• Isabel Farr, a junior dance major from Avon Lake, Ohio.
• Sydney Forbes, a freshman dance major from Blooming Glen.
• Derek Jenkins, a sophomore dance major from New Kensington.
• Sarah Leslie, a freshman dance and political science major from Butler.
• Faythe Lewis, a senior dual dance and recreational therapy major from Tipton.
• Kristina Lewis, a senior dance major from Stow, Ohio.
• Sydney Lewis, a freshman dual dance and exercise science major from Altoona.
• Rachel Male, a junior dual dance and communication major from Columbia.
• Mila Medvec, a sophomore management major from Sharon.
• Courtney Misterka, a junior dual dance and early childhood education major from Pittsburgh.
• Airiann Page, a senior dual dance and exercise science major from Trafford.
• Gabby Pfeifer, a sophomore dance major from Stevensville, Maryland.
• Kelvin Rodriguez, a junior dance major from York.
• Sarah Salesky, a freshman dance major from Blandon.
• Austin Shaffer, a sophomore dance major from Granville, Ohio.
• Olivia Shirley, a senior dual dance and psychology major from New Kensington.
• Kaylee Smith, a sophomore dance major from Bridgeport, West Virginia.
• Skylar Smith, a junior dance major from Walworth, New York.
• Zsuzsanna Smith, a sophomore dual dance and economics major from Mechanicsburg.
• Tori Steel, a freshman dance major from Everett.
• Hayden Summers, a sophomore dance major from Charleston, West Virginia.
• Elena Turner, a senior dance major from Imperial.
• Hannah Vanater, a freshman dance major from Prospect.
• Catherine Wheeler, a sophomore dance major from Haskell, New Jersey.
• Kaitlin Yankovich, a junior dance major from Ridgway.

Admission for the livestreams is $5 per person, per show and available via e-tickets.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lesa Bressanelli | 724.738.2091 | lnb1009@sru.edu