By: Michael French, College of Letters & Science
Through dance and movement, emerging choreographers creatively explore the systems around them in “Rules of Play,” the UC Davis Spring Dance Concert.
Presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance, the concert is May 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. and May 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. in the Main Theatre, Wright Hall.
Featuring over 25 dancers, the program is curated by Doria E. Charlson, visiting professor of theatre and dance, and showcases new works developed and performed by undergraduate students. In addition, for the May 15, 16 and 17 performances only, members of MK Modern, a dance team that focused on open style choreography and hip-hop dance styles, will appear as guest performers.
“The ‘rules of play’ outline how, and in what ways, people engage with the structures and systems around us,” said Charlson. “At their best, rules provide a clear framework that equalizes the playing field through transparency and enough structure such that all players have the potential to win. Rules can effectively create order and calm, such that it is clear to all players what to expect. Too often, though, is it unclear how the game is played. Unspoken rules, conventions, biases, and forms of gatekeeping prevent and obstruct success for so many people.”
“Rules of Play” aims to explore how, and in what ways, people navigate through the game of life. The choreographers and dancers present work that helps audiences reflect upon what rules are of benefit to society and which may need to be revised or upended.
The concert features new choreography created by recent alum Eva Anderson (’24) and undergraduate students Kasey Basya, Naomi Duncan, Daniela Durkin, Leslie Figueroa-Borja, Mikayla Freeman, Eliza Gilligan, Diyansha Magesh, Sia Puri, Sam Qiao and Gabriel Wahid.
Charlson’s research and scholarship is deeply informed by her decades of praxis as a dancer. She has trained with ODC/Dance, the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Alvin Ailey School, the Joffrey Ballet School, L’école Supérieure de Danse Rosella Hightower, and at Stanford University (Diane Frank, Robert Moses, and Aleta Hayes). Her writing and scholarship can be found in TDR: The Drama Review, Women & Performance, and Dance Research Journal, as well as in “African American Arts: Activism, Aesthetics, and Futurity.”
Adult tickets are $12, faculty/staff tickets are $10, and student/senior tickets are $5. Tickets may be purchased at the UC Davis Ticket Office, located on the north side of Aggie Stadium, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, by phone 530-752-2471 during the same hours, or online at arts.ucdavis.edu/theatre-and-dance.
The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
