It isn't often that a production featuring student dancers and musicians earns the privilege of being shown on the Main Stage of the Center for the Arts.
Exceptions are made in anticipation of exceptional productions.
On Saturday evening, the CFA will present "A Whirlwind of Sight and Sound," a collaborative effort of dance and percussion.
The show is co-directed by Tressa Crehan of the Department of Theatre and Dance and Anthony Miranda of the Music department. The two joined efforts to create a presentation featuring a wide variety of dancing and music, including abstract, Americana, ragtime, tribal jazz, traditional Italian and contemporary genres.
The show is the result of Crehan and Miranda's long-standing vision to portray the elements of dance and percussion in American culture.
"I've done small collaborations with Tony for the past five years," said Crehan. "There has always been talk for a large-scale production, but we needed the resources."
The lack of resources prompted the two to apply for a grant from the Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Activities Fund, a source that rarely funds such efforts. Luckily, the two professors' hard work paid off.
"The show is the first (in its genre) to receive this kind of funding," Thomas Ralabate, a dance lecturer and one of "Whirlwind's" choreographers, said proudly.
The show is also receiving another privilege in being performed in the 1,744-seat Mainstage Theater, the largest of the CFA's three performance spaces.
"It's really cool to get to dance on the Mainstage," said dancer Mary Brady. "It's an honor because not many dancers have the opportunity."
Though "Whirlwind" is an original product of Crehan, Miranda and their respective departments, it does have a strong resemblance to "Blast," a similar dance-meets-percussion production that toured the country and played Broadway in 2001. Crehan insists that they are two specific shows.
"Not knocking 'Blast,' but this is more artistic and research-based," said Crehan. "It has a different twist, a different appeal."
The show explores "another layer of performing," according to Ralabate. The strong focus on the education of the student performers makes the production more than just a show. The complicated structure and rhythm of the show forced the students to listen and truly learn the art of music.
The show is also unique in its methods of integrating the two art forms. Crehan wants the performers to become a single unit, unified.
"There's one thing I tried to do - I don't want the dancers to be a window, or the percussionists to be metronome," said Crehan.
The show effectively executes this goal by having dancers and percussionists switch roles. During one section, the dancers are adorned in costumes covered with instruments, symbolic of literally becoming the music. In another, the dancers have a "body patting sequence" in which they create their own rhythms. And while the percussionists don't necessarily dance, they still "move," according to Crehan.
Because this production had to be created from the ground up, Crehan and her colleagues have had to put in extra hours to guarantee success.
"We had to take care of a lot of things ourselves," said Crehan. "For example, I sewed all the costumes myself."
Despite any hardships and Crehan's desire to continue the show past this year, all involved are unsure about "Whirlwind's" future.
"We would like it to continue but it's a lot of work," she said. "We have the departments' support but it is not a department production."
"Dance and Percussion: A Whirlwind of Sight and Sound" will be presented on March 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for students with a valid ID.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
