Imagine a world without any technology. How would our economy function? How would our relationships be different? Could we, as a technology hungry generation, survive? These are all questions and issues addressed in “Dance Concert: Pulse.”
“It’s a story about where we have come from, in terms of technology, and where we might be going,” said head of Otterbein’s dance program Stella Kane, who is also the artistic director and a choreographer for the dance concert.
The idea evolved from many discussions Kane had with Rob Johnson, a design technology professor, about technology and how it is a vital part of the way we live.
Kane had been frustrated with students texting in her class.The frustration and lengthy discussions with Johnson and the dance faculty about the use of technology gave form to the idea behind “Pulse.”
The performance, about an hour and a half long, will show how humans have gone from the primitive state as cavemen into modern society in which everything is available virtually with a click of a button.
Kane described the concert as a narrative experience that captivates the audience, which could be attributed to the faculty choreographers using the same theme throughout for the first time.
Dancer Kelsey Gorman, a senior psychology and public relations major, described the theme of the concert as “how we have moved through different decades until technology takes over our lives.” She also said the show will make clear that without technology, the universe seems to stop for people who depend on it.
Since the concert focuses on technology, the audience will see advanced lighting design, such as LED lights.
Also, some of the 25 total dancers have worked on making videos and text that will be projected onto a screen for each piece. The projection will be used throughout the performance.
Among the students, Kane said she appreciates senior music education major Chelsey Loschelder who is the student choreographer for the concert. Loschelder’s piece tells the story of the degression of silent films and the emergence of movies with music and speech. The characters in this piece “freak out” because they realize their fame in the silent movie industry is over.
The final piece, choreographed by Kane, embodies what the concert is about: how technology is such a pivotal aspect of our lives and we forget how much we depend on it until it is taken away.
This last number will also feature an original composition by Johnson as a lesson for his students. He wrote the song that would teach his students to “go outside the box.”
The seniors are excited about being apart of this performance and what it stands for. Gorman is most excited to see how the audience reacts to the strongly powered message that “Pulse” presents.
“I hope that it will be a dance concert that will make you think,” said Molly Sullivan, dancer and senior public accounting major. “I think the last piece is very dramatic and will make the people really think about it.”
Kane said she hopes the audience will leave feeling positive.
