Auditions for the company are now over. It was a tedious, often painful task to choose a company out of so many beautiful, talented, inspiring and unique individuals. Directors, Faculty and Officers facilitated the event and chose this year's company, we were: Officers Michele Andrews, Alyssa Carnahan, Kathleen Helm, Francesca Lee and Kelsey Tallon, Assistant Director and previous Director Maria Junco, Director Diana Stanton, Faculty and previous Assistant Director Michelle Walter, and Moon Ja Minn Shur - Orchesis Founder, past Director and Dance Program Faculty. This group represented the opinions ranging from the newness and freshness of the young officers, on through the experience of current Faculty, to the expertise of the Dance Program's Founder. It was quite a diverse representation of Dance at this university. We all appreciated the unique energy and enthusiasm each dancer brought to the audition, and we all brought our unique perspectives to the decision making process. We all learned a great deal from each other. Clearly, some dancers were very skilled in all forms, some had strengths in one area or another. Performance quality and style were captivating in some, brilliant technique and clarity were inspiring in others. The bottom line seemed to be that there is no "perfect" dancer, and part of the beauty of dance is the variety of expression that each individual dancer brings to performance. There was much to appreciate in all the dancers, and the decision on "the Company" was extremely difficult to make. Company members were chosen for their well rounded ability in all the forms (Ballet, Modern, Jazz), along with the demonstrated attitude of discipline, respectfulness, open mindedness and intellect needed to create concert dance performance within the academic setting. Onward and Upward.
Photo: Keith Mosher
