Current Production

Orchesis 2010

November 13, and 14, 2009 at 8:00 PM

Artistic Director: Jill Becker

Dance styles incorporated into “Orchesis 2010” include modern dance, jazz, tango, step dance, hip hop, ballet, and Double Dutch. Themes to be explored involve love, play, loss, street culture, neurosis, cooperation, and more. 

The dances were developed by Jill Becker, artistic director and assistant professor of theatre & dance; Noelle Chun, assistant professor of theatre & dance; and guest choreographer Colleen Leonardi, along with 10 Ohio Wesleyan student choreographers. 

Student choreographers are: seniors Kate Alexander of Cincinnati; Lyndsey Planicka of Brunswick, Ohio; Gloria Clark of Huntsville, Ala.; and Jaime Fuentes of Canton, Ohio; juniors Laurel Elliot of Phoenix, Ariz., and Aryn Taylor of Athens, Ohio; and sophomores Brittany Robertson of Wadsworth, Ohio; Yvonne Hendricks of Hartford, Conn.; Frieda Trovela of Morton Grove, Ill.; and Elisabeth Schweers of Dayton, Tenn. 

Overall, the company includes 37 Ohio Wesleyan student dancers and about 30 crew members.  

OWU theatre & dance professor D. Glen Vanderbilt Jr. serves as the repertory lighting designer and mentors the student lighting designers who plan the stage lighting for each choreographer. Student lighting designers are: senior Chad Claussen of Columbus, Ohio; juniors Elliott Ares of Hemet, Calif., and Gabby Libby of Novelty, Ohio; sophomores, Tyler Elrod of Davidson, N.C.; Ed Howland of Somerville, Mass.; Brittany Robertson of Wadsworth, Ohio; and Will Pierce of Park Ridge, Ill. The master electrician is sophomore Alexa Haubrich of Newbury, Ohio, and the stage manager is junior Katelyn Schroeder of Hong Kong. 

Theatre & dance department part-time instructor Jacqueline Shelley is the costume designer and coordinator. 

To reserve tickets for Ohio Wesleyan’s production of “Orchesis,” call the Theatre Box Office at (740) 368-3855 from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $5 for Ohio Wesleyan employees, non-OWU students, and senior citizens. Thanks to a grant from WCSA, admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid OWU ID.