Metro Pulse/Backstage/Dance Perspectives 2003

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What:
Dance Perspectives 2003

When:
January 25 at 7 and 9 p.m.

Where:
Pellissippi Performing Arts Center

Cost:
$10 students/ seniors; $12.50 general admission. Tickets on sale at The Dancer's Shoppe, Dancy's, Studio Arts for Dancers in Rocky Hill, Ballet Gloria, and at the box office the evening of the performances

Dancer Wendy Gilhula pliés into a new position

by Paige M. Travis

Although it's still winter, the dance companies of Knoxville are warming up their lithe and nimble limbs in preparation for the spring season of performances that will have everyone (dancers and dance-lovers alike) bounding in the streets and aisles of auditoriums everywhere. But we don't have to wait until the weather turns mild to dip our toes into the fountain of dance, creatively speaking, that is. Several dance groups will provide a preview of their talents at Dance Perspectives, a yearly performance and fundraiser held this year at Pellissippi State Performing Arts Center on Jan. 25.

The line-up of dancers and the performance site change every year, but the event remains consistently one of the best (and perhaps only) opportunities for audience members to see such a variety of types of dance on one stage. Michael Bensey, who served as artistic director of the event for past 10 years, tweaked the concept a bit in 2002, changing the name of the program from Perspectives in Modern Dance to Dance Perspectives. The name adjustment opened up the event to a wider array of dance styles. This year, artistic director responsibilities have been handed over to Wendy Gilhula, who is involved with Ballet Gloria and her own Wendy Gilhula Dance Project.

"Michael Bensey needed to take a break after 10 years, and we were looking for a new director," says Jill Weinstein of Hadassah, the charity organization that the program benefits each year. "Wendy's timing could not have been better. She called me to inquire about the show. While I did not know Wendy personally, I was familiar with her talent and creativity that she had shared with Hadassah over the years. We talked for a long time and by the end of our call, I was thrilled to have Wendy agree to take over as our new artistic director."

Gilhula, who calls Bensey "a saint" for his years of volunteering for Dance Perspectives, has had her work cut out for her, although she's had some experience as a dance participant nine out of the 10 years. Her biggest challenge she says has been "to promote the show not as a showcase, but as a fundraiser with the benefits of an entertaining show." Proceeds from the event go toward the Youth Aliyah program, which benefits disadvantaged youth in Israel, plus the Hadassah Hospital located in Jerusalem.

According to Mark Lamb, founder and artistic director of Circle Modern Dance, the program appeals to members of the community who want to help young people in Israel and those who want to be amazed by the variety of dance in Knoxville. Circle, which has participated every year of the event's existence, frequently rounds out the night's program with a humorous dance piece.

"Usually, the artistic director of Dance Perspectives looks at the variety of the pieces and asks us to do a specific piece that maybe they've seen before," Lamb says. "Or they might say, 'We really need something funny. Do you have a piece that's funny?'" This year's piece, called Boy Toys, was a big hit at Circle's "Modern Dance, Primitive Light" holiday performance at the Laurel Theatre.

"We've been doing some pretty comic pieces because it seems like that's what every dance show really needs," Lamb says. "I think [the other dance companies] have comedic pieces as well, but for some reason we've been asked to do things that are funny."

Lamb sees Dance Perspectives as a chance to get together with other dancers and choreographers, to see their work and just appreciate each other. "Each dance group in town gets so immersed in its own thing that we don't really go and see each other a lot. Or we try to, but we can't make it because we have our own rehearsals. This is a really nice time where the dance community can get together and get a little taste of where everybody is and what they're doing."

The companies participating in this year's Dance Perspectives are: Repertory Dance Theatre of Oak Ridge (Bruce Alan Ewing); Ballet Gloria (Wendy Gilhula and director Gwendolyn Johnson Delaney); Studio Arts for Dancers (Lisa Hall McKee); Farragut Performing Arts Theatre (Bart Weaver and Victoria Bolen); Wendy Gilhula Dance Project (Wendy Gilhula); University of Tennessee Dance Company (Melinda Brown); Circle Modern Dance (Mark G. Lamb); Pellissippi State Dance Ensemble (Maggie Jenkins); and For Zion's Sake (Jean Mabry assisted by Carol Armstrong). The Black Dance Theatre of Knoxville, directed by Malaika Guthrie, will contribute West African dance and drumming to the program.

In years past, Dance Perspectives has been scheduled closer to spring, which is a busy season for all of the dance companies. But late January seems a better time for dancers and their fans. Weinstein and Gilhula both express their excitement about the show. "I just want to help raise money for a good cause and help provide an entertaining show for those who wish to help," Gilhula says.