The Johns Hopkins Modern Dance Company lives by the mantra that "motion evokes emotion." Dancers practice between ten and 30 hours a week and have studied in New York with the Artistic Director of the Nikolais-Louis Foundation, a professional modern dance company.
All About Dance
"Modern dance can be about social consciousness or about individual expression. It can celebrate the modern world or our intimate connection with nature," said Marilyn Byers, award-winning choreographer and Artistic Director of the Johns Hopkins Modern Dance group.
She has the experience to know. Byers has been coaching the Johns Hopkins Modern Dance Company since its formation 25 years ago. In addition, she runs a semi-professional teen dance company in Columbia, Maryland and has had over 300 works performed both nationally and internationally.
25th Anniversary
To celebrate a quarter-century of dance on the Homewood Campus, the Johns Hopkins Modern Dance Company will be holding a performance scheduled for April 1st in Shriver Auditorium at 8 p.m.
These dancers have danced in numerous shows on campus, in a Red Cross benefit and have also been invited to perform in France next year. They seek to touch on facets of modern dance expression ranging from the beautiful to the insane.
The Performance
In the dance "Angels of the Earth and Sky," arms, legs and bodies trace shapes in the air, moving to symbolize oneness with nature. Soloists Becca Dolan and Brittany Sterrett dance while moving a falling white feather onto their hands and feet.
Tom O'Bedlam, who won a choreographic award, depicts patients from the first insane asylum, some of who were released and nicknamed "Tom O'Bedlam." These patients were licensed to dance and beg for a living. Thus, the dance not only captures insanity, but also comments on a social issue.
Another socially conscious dance is X'Elle, which represents the creation of life in a test tube. As alum soloist Joanna Chen ('03) dances in an oversized test tube, the dance questions the ethics of human cloning.
They will also perform "Avenging Angels," inspired by the cult movie "The Crow" (1994) in which the actor Brandon Lee was killed during the shooting. On top of that, in the nature-inspired duo called Rainforest, alumni Shanna Sprinkle and Alan Brown ('03) dance intertwined to represent interdependence in nature.
There will be pieces by guest choreographers Larissa Miller and Alissa Zingman, as well as an abstract dance entitled "Surrender to the Shadows."
All Are Welcome
The Johns Hopkins Modern Dance is open to all students --- no experience is necessary. There are about 40 regular members at present. President Brittany Sterrett and Treasurer Corey McCullough lead additional classes. Modern Dance offers the opportunity for "structured improvisation," where given certain patterns, the dancers are free to improvise, with their movements reacting to each other like a single unified, but constantly shifting, work of art.
Graceful Moves
"Coming from a strong ballet background, I had a really ignorant perception of modern dance. After being a core member of the group for three years, I've learned so much about artistic movement and expression," said McCullough.
The dancers move their bodies gracefully around props such as feathers, poles and oversized test tubes, one moment grounded and the next with their bodies undulating through the air.
"These pieces should be thought-provoking. You have to believe in the message of the dance and then re-create that feeling in the audience. These pieces should uplift their spirit," instructed Byers.
She believes that the interpretive nature of dance creates, like in any piece of art, something layered in which "each time you see a dance, you get something new out of it."
