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St. Olaf Companydance to perform at University of Minnesota

By Elizabeth Child
May 8, 2006

Swing a Club: facing cancer, an interdisciplinary dance piece, will be performed at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance at the University of Minnesota, May 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. The piece was choreographed by St. Olaf Dance Artist in Residence Anthony Roberts and will be performed by St. Olaf student members of Companydance, along with dance faculty members Roberts, Assistant Professor Heather Klopchin and Associate Professor Janice Roberts. They will be joined by retired psychotherapist Billi Faillettaz '80, who is now an active member of the metro Red Cross Stress Team.

Swing a Club


First performed at St. Olaf in 2004, Swing a Club is Roberts' tender yet agonizing response to the death of his brother, Tom, from cancer in 2001. The title of the piece stems from Tom's hope that he could quickly complete his cancer treatments and take his annual golf trip with a tightly knit group of college friends.

Swing a Club is an elegant synthesis of movement, video, spoken word and music, all created by Roberts. The narrative seeps through the intellect to viscerally engage the audience.

"My uncle is struggling with bone and lung cancer, and to have something like that to relate with and see was exactly what I needed," said Stephanie Smith '06, who saw the piece as a St. Olaf junior.

Dr. Jon Hallberg '88 is helping promote Swing a Club to medical students through the Center for Medical Humanities at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center. Hallberg, an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's Medical School and Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, believes the performance and discussion that follows will give medical students insights into what caregivers go through during a life-threatening illness.

Swing a Club has touched audiences not only at St. Olaf, but also at Grinnell College in Iowa, Scottsdale Community College in Arizona, Willamette University in Salem, Ore., the University of Iowa and the Twin Cities area Bloomington Center for the Arts. The performance at the University of Minnesota is part of an exchange Roberts has initiated with universities to give St. Olaf student dancers touring experience and bring a wider range of high quality dance performances to St. Olaf.

Student dancers in Swing a Club: facing cancer are: Katie Balfanz '07, Jennifer Nuelk '06, Melissa Riedesel '06, Liz Sexe '07, Sarah Steichen '08 and Sara Tonsager '07.

Reservations for Swing a Club at the University of Minnesota may be made by calling 507-646-3248 or emailing danielsg@stolaf.edu. While the performance is free, a $5 donation is suggested to benefit the American Cancer Society.

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