Northwestern State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present its annual Senior Dance Concert Saturday, May 5 at 7 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. The concert “E•mo•tion” will feature original choreography by graduating seniors Anna Birbiglia of Metairie, Skilynn Fontenot of Eunice, Dwight Robinette of Prairieville, and Madilyn Wood of Houston along with Abigail LeBlanc and Jada Bezue of the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts and guest artist Leslie Scott.
Birbiglia’s work “Chronic” revolves around chronic pain and how it affects one’s relationships.
“I was inspired to tackle this subject matter and express it due to my father’s own struggle with chronic pain,” said Birbiglia. “He, in the past, had spinal fusion and will soon need another surgery. Watching his struggle, but how he continues to live on with hope has taught me to be a stronger individual and helps me deal with my own chronic pain as well.”
Fontenot’s “Púrpura” is a contemporary piece about a scarred person, who could female or male, fighting his/her inner self to heal.
“An obstacle or person comes into his/her life and rips their happiness away and breaks that person from the inside,” said Fontenot. “By the end the person finds their whole self, strength and self love and starts to put their life back together.”
“The Jive” by Robinette is a musical theatre/contemporary jazz piece that brings the audience back to when Grease was the word.
‘“The Jive’ combines 1950s dances like ‘The Twist’ and ‘Mash Potato’ with new age dances like ‘the Shoot’ and so much more,” said Robinette. “This piece is also a love story between two individuals, and we see them come together in this upbeat dance.”
“Anxious in the Silence” by Wood is a contemporary dance about everyday anxieties.
“This piece is about how sitting in silence can sometimes be the scariest moments for a person with anxiety,” said Wood. “I’ve always kept quiet about my anxieties, and I am using this piece to help me to open up about my issues.”
The work by Scott, founder and director of BODYART, a Los Angeles based multimedia dance theatre company, was performed recently at the American College Dance Association South Regional Conference hosted by NSU.
