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SJRCC Press Release
March 2009
Florida School of the Arts to perform Spring Dance Gala on THCA stage
The Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts stage will come to life as Florida School of the Arts students present the Spring Dance Gala. The annual dance concert will continue the tradition of exploring many styles and disciplines of dance including ballet, jazz and modern dance. The concert will feature original choreography and performances by world-renowned faculty and alumni.
The concert will be held:
April 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.
on the THCA main stage.
The THCA is located on the Orange Park Campus of St. Johns River Community College.
Patrons should contact the THCA box office for ticket information at (904) 276-6750.
Included in the concert are three premieres by FloArts dance instructor Freddick Bratcher. In "James Suites," Bratcher said he felt compelled to create a different type of dance that would tell a story using the music of James Brown. Students will perform the jazz piece characterized by what Bratcher says is the essence of Brown. "Each song represents something a little different; after all, James Brown was unique and influential on American music," he said. "Music in this case has greatly influenced the style of movement chosen - working from a jazz format, but with the intent of trying to create new movement as contemporary as possible." (Jump to Bratcher's in-depth comments on his premiere choreographies)
FloArts alumnus and St. Augustine native Tom Pearson will return to SJRCC where he is preparing students to perform his Native American piece "Lacuna," a group work originally commissioned for the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors in 2006. Pearson said the performance maps the intersection of traditional and innovative Native American music and contemporary dance, contemplating shifting notions of cultural identity in public spaces. Pearson's choreography has been experienced nationally, internationally and in numerous venues throughout New York City. His work has received numerous awards, including two 2008 New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards.
Pearson will also perform solo in "Ceremony," a dance he said explores the transformation of an individual as he assumes his inheritance from both nature and memory. Pearson said his individual works often draw upon his Cherokee/Muscogee heritage. The New York Post called the performance "movement that shimmers with unusual psychic static."
Accompanying Pearson is composer Louis Mofsie (lead singer of the Heyna Second Sons), who will play traditional Native American music using the drum, rattles and flute.
FloArts students performing in the Gala are Lakeisha Abram, Ursala Allen, Stephanie Dey, Amanda Edwards, Claudina Pearl Harrison, Jade Locascio, Emily Jane Masson, Marissa Maxcy, Katie McCreary, Sarah McKenzie-Duckworth, Joey Piscione, Chally Rowjohn, Michelle Scott, Caitlin Shayler and Natalie Volk.
Additional pieces choreographed by Bratcher and performed by students include "Bach Trio," a ballet set to the music of Bach’s "Well-Tempered Clavier;" "Catch Crazy," a mini-extravaganza of a Franz Kafka-like mind letting loose in a dance studio; and "Fractured Flickers," a dance set from the movie theater perspective where the audience becomes the action on the screen and the performers are watching and reacting to the emotional gamut of what they are seeing. Bratcher is also scheduled to perform a solo piece.
Bratcher, who joined FloArts in 2007, brings the College nearly 40 years of expertise in choreography, teaching and performing, from his first premier with the San Francisco Opera Ballet to a career with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York and Martha Graham. He previously taught for 20 years at the New World School of the Arts in Miami.
Although FloArts productions are primarily performed at the Palatka Campus of SJRCC, selected productions each year are chosen to be performed at the THCA. Faculty members agree that performing in a new venue enhances the challenges and learning experiences for the students and teaches them self-reliance. The tour experience brings about a bigger sense of responsibility for the dancers and tech crew. Students learn to adjust as if they were performing in an actual production on tour.
FloArts was established in 1976 and serves the entire state of Florida. FloArts awards the two-year associate degree and is located on the Palatka Campus of St. Johns River Community College. The THCA is owned and operated by SJRCC and is located on the Orange Park Campus. For ticket information, call (904) 276-6750 or visit online at: www.THcenter.org.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
(TOP) FloArts students perform "Fractured Flickers," a performance set from the movie theater perspective with the performers on stage looking out at the audience, reacting to the emotional gamut of what they are seeing.
(SECOND) FloArts students Marissa Maxcy, Katie McCreary and Caitlin Shayler rehearse "Bach Trio," a ballet choreographed by dance instructor Freddick Bratcher and performed as a conversation between three friends.
(THIRD) FloArts students Caitlin Shayler and Chally Rowjohn rehearse "James Suites," a jazz performance choreographed by dance instructor Freddick Bratcher and set to the music of James Brown.
(BOTTOM) FloArts alumnus Tom Pearson will return to SJRCC where he is preparing students to perform his modern dance piece "Lacuna," a group work originally commissioned for the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors in 2006.
Return to SJRCC home page.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Susan Kessler
SJRCC Director of Public Relations and Publications
5001 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, FL 32177
(386) 312-4020
Bratcher describes his choreography in-depth:
In "James Suites," I felt compelled to create something a little bit different, and one of the directions I thought about was a suite of James Brown songs that would tell a story. Each song represents something a little different; after all, James Brown was unique and influential on American music. Music in this case has greatly influenced the style of movement chosen, working from a jazz format but with the intent of trying to come up with new movement as contemporary as possible.
One section that is particularly meaningful to me is the duet between a male and female. The movement is very simple, yet co-dependent like the lyrics suggests "Try Me" – something everyone can relate to. Unlike other choreography that is created to popular music where dance is however entertaining and even flashy, I try to appeal to the bare essentials and the essence of what James Brown is feeling. The dance itself is the signature of this work, but make no mistake, there will be a lot of energy!
Another of the premieres titled "Bach Trio" is a ballet for three female dancers that can be viewed as a conversation between three friends. The dance is set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach "The Well Tempered Clavier Book 2," which are a series of set exercises that Bach designed for pianists to polish their skills. For this ballet I was after a selfless style that was yet clear and strong technically to serve whatever choreographic impression that came into my mind.
The three dancers, Katie McCreary, Marissa Maxcy, and Caitlin Shayler, have proven to be wonderfully versatile and up to the challenge. I cannot do justice in describing their work ethic and willingness to actualize my vision of the wonderful piece of music.
The third premiere "Catch Crazy" is what happens, as I see it, when people are required to spend many hours together in developing their art. The structured demands of students, teachers, choreography and classes are what results in a form of cabin fever. It is a mini-extravaganza of a Franz Kafka-like mind letting loose in a dance studio. Developed as a structured improv, "Catch Crazy" allows everyone to participate in the creative design of the work.
Although the work is intended to get people to release the self conscious effects of how others view them, it was interesting to see how some dancers remained self conscious and could not let go completely to the work itself.
The performances will also feature "Fractured Flickers," choreographed by Freddick Bratcher in 1999 and set to the music of Somatic. This work grew out of an increasing awareness of the new trend in movies where little time is spent on developing a story line, but instead flashes multiple scenes and convolutes the story line. In addition, many movies depended on the effects and explosions, creating a psychodrama with music that was visceral, nightmarish, and gut wrenching in anxiety. What I began to notice was that life was imitating the movies. This piece was set from the movie theater perspective with the performers on stage looking out at the audience. The audience then becomes the actual action on the screen and the performers are watching and reacting to the emotional gamut of what they are seeing.
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