Lessons from dancing KEIGWIN's "Runaway"

One of my first performances as a first-year dance student at the University of Minnesota was performing Larry Keigwin’s Runaway in the spring concert in 2014. The two-week residency included classes from Kile Hotchkiss followed by rehearsal with him. As a freshman, my mindset was to approach the rehearsal prepared to learn the choreography at a quick pace and layer on performative details later. At the time, I measured my artistic performance based on how accurately I could execute the choreography. But through this process, my eagerness to perform the work shifted to strengthening my dynamics, movement quality and musciality throughout the arc of the piece.

The opportunity to have rehearsal immediately after class with Hotchkiss introduced me to the aesthetic and movement vocabulary of KEIGWIN + COMPANY as well as to the choreography of the work. This rehearsal was also one of my first experiences working with the U dance professor Erin Thompson. Her guidance gave me a greater understanding of physicality and how it shifts within different techniques. The cast of the piece, who were mainly third and fourth year students, influenced me to further my work ethic and performative exploration in each rehearsal. Through the support and encouragement of Hotchkiss, Thompson and the cast of the piece, performing Runaway was an experience that greatly influenced the direction I chose to continue my dance career after my recent graduation from the U.

With KEIGWIN + COMPANY. joining the Symphony Orchestra at Northrop on Apr 14, I am looking forward to seeing how the energy of sound manifests in the bodies of the dancers and how both artists influence each other’s performance throughout the arc of the work. I always find it majestic to have a live soundscape encompassing dance artists on stage and I’m ready to be at the edge of my seat.