Southeastern’s Dance Performance Project has rebounded after several setbacks brought about by Hurricane Ida. With the damages and loss of their dance studios in the Pottle Auditorium and Columbia, the dance program and its classes were forced to relocate outside of a couple of spaces in the Pennington center.

Nearing the anniversary of a catastrophic hurricane, odds are looking up for dance classes as they move into their new studio for practice in Pottle. Now with the computer lab turned dance studio, Artistic Director Keith Skip Costa is preparing for the Fall 2022 MAINSTAGE performance “I am: Songs in Reflections of Me” held on Oct. 18-19 in Pottle Auditorium at 7 p.m. 

Costa said, ”Since our concerts are about the human condition and how we learn from it, attending our concerts allows the audience to take a minute from their busy lives and feel connected to the world in which we live. I truly believe that we are making a difference in the world with the choreographic works that we create here at Southeastern.”

The Dance Performance Project will host the annual MAINSTAGE performance and Senior Capstone Dance Thesis Concerts this upcoming season. 

Solo dances will be used heavily in “I am: Songs in Reflections of Me,” with the goal of telling a story via movement about a wide range of persons from different backgrounds and walks of life.

According to Costa, the themes of this semester’s Senior Capstone Dance Thesis Concert will be centered on each student and their thesis research. Fall Senior Artistic Director Leigh Moore, who will unveil her topic once school resumes for this semester, will present her performance at the Pottle Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.

Moore stated, “I have prepared for my upcoming concert by listening to a lot of music to find the perfect pieces for my concert and doing a lot of choreography and conceptual work over the summer.”

Being added to the magic behind the production, they will be using live student musicians, a live student singer and spoken word in the Fall MAINSTAGE concert.   

Costa added Southeastern offers a contemporary dance program that leads to a minor in dance and contemporary choreography or a major in general studies with a dance concentration; the senior capstone dance thesis concerts are required for the latter. Students who choose to pursue these options typically need to complete 40–60 hours of dance coursework before they can graduate.

“Honestly I don’t know if I will feel ready until I get to work with the dancers I will be teaching my choreography to, but I am definitely nervous and excited for this. It will be my first time choreographing multiple dances at once, especially with the concepts being personal to me.” Moore added.

To find out more information about the performances, see the 2022 contemporary dance calendar here.