Amid the pandemic, virtual concerts and performances have become the norm, and this year’s filmed Spring Dance Concert, “T-E-C-H-N-O-B-O-D-Y”, is no exception. Accessible to anyone with a computer, the dance will be available to stream live on April 29 through May 1 at 7 p.m., and on May 2 at 2 p.m.
The first and last day of the program will feature a post-performance Q&A section, and while tickets are free for all performances, audience members must register for a time and day via the Theater Arts and Dance website under the “On Stage” tab.
“TECHNOBODY”, according to the Spring Dance webpage and Matthew Langlois, a guest artist who worked on the video, sound, and music for the production, will feature four different “sections”, including the “Dance Alumni Chain Letter”, featuring Langlois’ song “The Weird New World”, a collaboration with Kinetech Arts entitled “CHASM”, edited Zoom recordings called “Making Of”, and “To Mask To Reveal” which Langlois said he began editing “like a long music video, being so inspired by all the awesome choreography and scenes around The Green Music Center.”
Christine Cali, director of the concert and department chair, said, “As the dance program has been adapting to virtual performance during covid, I thought it would be an exciting opportunity for them to be guided by Kinetech Arts and engage in innovative approaches to virtual and embodied creative processes.”
Kinetech Arts is a San Francisco based “non-profit organization that combines the work of dancers, scientists, and digital artists to create innovative and socially responsible performances” that explore the connection between science and technology with the art of movement, according to their website.
The co-directors for the organization, Daiane Lopes da Silva and scientist Weidong Yang mentored dancers on their choreography, “helping them to discover their concepts and figure out how to use movements to convey the concepts that they chose to work with” and taught theater-tech students about unfamiliar editing software, specifically the program Isadora.
Yang said “…we bring a lot of the concept of the science and the technology to work with the dance. And so, it is designed to expand the horizon of the dance… we hope to bring a different perspective to the students…”
Their goal was for students to, “think beyond the dance. I hope [students] experience that it’s not just about making the dance or… using a cool technology, but how can you communicate with your body and with the tools that are available,” da Silva said.
A technical theater major working on the production, Julie Vargas, said she felt she learned a lot through Spring Dance.
“Kinetech Arts is a very established company and Weidong really helped us and guided us through the process and taught us a lot of tools that we didn’t already know. So I think for me it was really important to, as a graduating senior to get a new tool, I think that that’s what I got to put in my resume and my tool bag of things is that I now know new editing software,” Vargas said.
For dancers, the new virtual medium proved to be difficult to adapt to, but ultimately taught them that trusting the process and learning new things is all worth it in the end.
“What was challenging was not being able to have everyone around. Meaning the ones that were on zoom. As a department we thrive off of each other’s energy, connection, etc.… A lot of uncertainties that I had internally during the process, but also, I had to let go of my own fears. Sometimes the unexpected is so amazing,” dancer Brandon Lombardo, a fourth year Dance major said.
“I loved the way we also worked with our peers who were not able to physically be in the space over zoom! This was very new to navigate having in person dancers and dancers over zoom, but I think it worked out really well,” said dancer and fifth year Dance and Early Childhood Studies double major Angeles Higareda.
