"Dance is About Never-Ending Aspiration" So is Design

"Dance is about never-ending aspiration" 
-Judith Jamison

  Last fall, I received a message from a family friend, Austin Lintner, asking if I would collaborate with him on a project as a designer. Each year, the nationally recognized University of Oklahoma School of Dance selects a few students to participate in Young Choreographers' Showcase, a performance for ballet and modern pieces. All of the work is student produced: choreography (Lintner), lighting design (Laurel Dix) and performance (Kayla Davey, Billie Jean Kandravi and Brett Young).

    I was stoked to have this opportunity. So over the Christmas Break, I got down to business. The yards of fabric came in the mail and I had to get started. 

    Quite honestly, by the end of the semester, I was burned out from the intense draping class I had just completed. At least this wouldn't be for class - it would be for myself and would serve a specific purpose. 

The To Do List:

2 Leotards

2 Skirts

1 Men's shirt

    After taking measurements of the performers, spending hours altering patterns, transferring those patterns, cutting and sewing, I could schedule fittings with the dancers. 

    One leotard needed a few adjustments and the other one happened to fit like a glove. The men's shirt needed a little bit of taking-in and it would be perfect. 

    Two all-nighters later, the day of the first tech rehearsal, everything was finished. I stayed in Norman that Friday night to finish everything up and attended the tech rehearsal held Saturday at 2 p.m. The feeling of seeing your own work in action on stage with the music, lights and hype is indescribable. 

    The music was playful and light. There's one thing I've always loved about dance as an art: those performing it make it look absolutely effortless. I couldn't believe the piece had been choreographed by a student. The work was truly superb. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and hope for more to come!

“A performance requires a performer, a viewer and illumination. Art requires energy, dedication and passion." - Austin Lintner