CoDa

CoDa’s spring concert demonstrates the “contemporary” part of its acronym while also celebrating the traditional backgrounds of ballet and modern dance – the fundamental genres in which the dancers train. The company, under the direction of Erica Dankmeyer* and Janine Parker, will perform a commissioned dance created by choreographer Diane Arvanites, whose physical aesthetic invokes the powerful “fall and recovery” technique of the revered modern icon José Limón, seen through the lens of a strong theatricality that addresses humanity’s beauty and its struggles. CoDa co-director Janine Parker’s “the moon’s clockwork dream” is a playful, mysterious romp set to a mash-up of music by Latin American composers while her ballet “Sam, goodnight” responds to the now-haunting and mischievous music by Robert Schumann.  Pianist John Sauer will provide live accompaniment for the Schumann piece. Three student-choreographed works, each rich with duet work, round out the program: a duet by Gabrielle DiBenedetto ’16; a quartet by Isaac Johnson ’16; and a sextet by senior and company TA Amanda Washington ’14.