In yet another change compelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, 61´«Ă˝and Pomona Colleges presented their annual “In the Works” fall dance concert online from December 4–5, 2020. Named for its original works-in-progress of student choreography, the recital showcased a variety of contemporary dance styles performed in a series of unusual and exciting films produced by the students and shared via livestream.
This years’ choreographers included Christina Dong PO ’22, Eric Garcia PO ’21, Selina Ho SCR ’21, Adrienne Kafka CMC ’21, Sasha Marlan-Librett SCR ’22, Vianey Martinez PO ’21, and Cassie Wang PO ’21. To aid the dancers in focusing on the filmic nature of their projects alongside choreographic development, The Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity supported a four-part guest series with filmmaker and Pitzer alum Steven Liang on film production that covered conceptualization, storyboarding, lighting, camera operating, and editing.
“The students ran with this information and their own expertise to create magical new dance films,” says 61´«Ă˝Assistant Professor of Dance Kevin Williamson. And, given the impact of the pandemic on both The Claremont Colleges as well as access to arts and culture in general, Williamson found this year’s performances to be especially profound.
“The choreographers and performers were able to forge a sense of community with their collaborators, both in the process and the culminating project. Through their ingenious use of musicality in their dance vocabulary and skillful editing, emotions were conjured in their dance works’ power that transcended a 2D screen,” he shared. “I feel deeply inspired to keep dancing through these difficult times after viewing the choreographers’ works.”