You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

VIDEO NEWS: Students present choreography at national conference

By Catherine Monson '12 and David Gonnerman '90
March 19, 2010

“Creative Process” — the theme for this year’s American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) Conference — is one way to describe the efforts of four St. Olaf student choreographers who recently presented their pieces at the dance workshop in Urbana, Illinois. Greg Kraemer ’11, Shannon Denzel ’12, Timmy Wagner ’11, and Joey Fleming ’10 were selected by St. Olaf faculty to present their dances in non-competitive concerts March 19–22.

The conference, which St. Olaf will host next year, brought dancers from nearly 30 schools to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a variety of dance classes, workshops, and lectures. In addition to the choreographers, about 20 St. Olaf students attended the conference, and Artist in Residence Anthony Roberts and Associate Professor of Dance Heather Klopchin taught classes.

Roberts is pleased to have had three “thoughtful, interesting, and high-caliber” pieces represent St. Olaf. In past years, the dance department usually has included several pieces developed by faculty or guest artists. The conference offers student choreographers an exciting opportunity to grow and develop their works, he says, by focusing on the originality and intentionality of the creative process.

“This year it’s all about the students — a direction we want to go,” Roberts says. All three pieces will be performed at the Companydance Spring Concert May 6–8.

The video below takes a closer look at Denzel's "Dolls" and Kraemer's "Lemma 2.7."

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.