“Can You See Me in the Big Picture?,” this spring’s offering from the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts’ DZDP Dance Company of Culver City High School, will start tonight and will be staged through the weekend on campus at the Robert Frost Auditorium.
Showtimes are 7 o’clock on tonight and Saturday, and at 1 on Sunday afternoon at the auditorium, 4401 Elenda St.
“Can You See Me” features a lively array of student and faculty choreography, along with live music from the Academy’s percussion and string ensembles. In the spirit of a three-year tradition, the concert will be presented as an evening-length work that will feature dances seamlessly woven together with unique theatrical transitions, creating a special evening of dance theatre.
“Can You See Me in the Big Picture?” refers to the dancer’s life in the larger perspective.
The staging will include a life-sized photo frame that the performers will dance in, around and behind throughout the evening.
[img]1156|exact|From left: Elizabeth Moss, Tara Griffo, Amina Suleimanagich, Harper Schoenfeld.||no_popup[/img]
“As ideas about being lost and being found in a large world merged with ideas about finding yourself and your artistic voice, so were the ideas about the theme of the concert,” says Artistic Director Julie Carson.
“We talked about the cartoon ‘Where’s Waldo?’ as we explored ideas about finding an individual in a crowd. In our choreography class, we worked on studies centering around a time when each of us felt lost. From there, the seed of the concert was launched.”
Ms. Carson said the Danger Zone Dance Project students have come into their own.
“Many of them have studied for several years, and this year their work will be the highlight of the program,” she said.
The string and percussion ensembles from the Academy’s music department will be special guests.
A large number of choreography students had the unique opportunity to see Los Angeles professional choreographers at work, including Donna Sternberg and Heidi Duckler. Learning about these artists’ perspectives was eye-opening for the students, and Ms. Carson says it is key to the work that they have created.
After studying Ms. Sternberg’s choreographic philosophy and seeing her company perform, one student commented, “I would not have been able to comprehend this before dancing with the AVPA. I loved Donna Sternberg’s concert, and I’m so excited to begin choreographing for our concert.”
[img]1157|exact|Jamie MacIntosh, left, and Tara Griffo. ||no_popup[/img]
“Can You See Me” presents live drumming and a 22-piece string ensemble, along with creative dances made by AVPA students and faculty.
General admission is $12; discounted price of $8 for ASB, faculty, seniors and children under12.
The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School offers a comprehensive arts curriculum after regular school hours for students committed to excellence in art, film, theatre, dance and music. Established in 1996, AVPA enjoys community support from Sony Pictures Entertainment and other design, recording, and theatre companies in the area. For more about the Academy, go to www.avpa.org.
