Valley College Dance Concert Flows Into Place

Dancers, choreographers and local talents work on the dance department’s newest production.

Published: Saturday, April 21, 2012

Updated: Saturday, April 21, 2012 03:04

In an attempt to express the complexity of movement and the many forces that affect life, the Valley College dance department prepares for its 2012 spring dance concert, “Ebb and Flow,” which premieres May 11 at the Mainstage Theater.

Auditions for the concert were held in February during the first week of class, and student choreographer auditions were held in January. According to Carla Lubow, an adjunct dance instructor, guest and student choreographers will be showcasing new work alongside live percussion and drums. The theme of the production can be taken literally, physically or visually, and will serve as the foundation of each dance.

“‘Ebb and Flow’ is truly a theme that can apply to so many aspects of life,” said Lubow, “[such as] surging forth, rise and fall, balanced and imbalanced, intensity and laid back, moving forward with control and/or allowing life to take its course.”

The lighting design for the stage will be done by Kuo Lung Kai, a local professional who has worked on several productions at Valley and in the community. The concert will also feature live percussion from Nathaniel Meek, a local musician and actor who interviewed with Lubow for the project.

Several key dancers and choreographers have been involved in all of Valley’s dance productions for many years, including Noelle Andressen-Kale—the president of Valley’s dance club. She has been dancing at Valley since 2007 and will be working with her mentor Kiha Lee in the spring concert.

For Andressen-Kale, one of the major obstacles in preparing for a performance is avoiding injury and stayinghealthy. Routines have been difficult in the past due to her battle with cancer, yet she fulfills high expectations and appreciates the understanding of her professors.

“I love growing, developing and pushing myself,” said Andressen- Kale. “I don’t want them to go easy on me. I like to dance hard athletically and use the physical technique they taught me, especially in the concerts.”

Monica Fleming, a CSUN graduate in Pan-African studies, returned to Valley in 2008 to revisit her love of dance and will be choreographing this season. Fleming has performed in every spring concert since her arrival and teaches dance to local elementary students.

“My inspiration for my piece came from a duet that a friend and I, Anna Carlise Borland, worked on in fall 2011,” said Fleming. “We have always wanted to work on something together, so I wanted to create a dance that highlighted our strong areas and how different our styles were.”

Although budget cuts have held a negative effect on many productions, Andressen-Kale noted that the dance club donates 15 percent of financial intake via fundraisers to the dance program and strives to look for other ways to make the performing arts at Valley self-sustaining. According to Lubow, dancers will provide all additional props and materials for their pieces and work as a team to help the concert come to fruition. “Ebb and Flow” opens May 11 at 8 p.m. Visit lavc.edu/dance/index.html for more information.