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Show LIFE VOLUME LII ISSUE 19 JANUARY 23, 2012 WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM Buccaneers and buried gold kick off Senior Theater Platforms For Marc Navez's Senior Theater Platform, he took the story of 'Treasure Island' and asked himself, 'What if Long John Silver was a pimp and the rest of the pirates were his whores?' What followed was an original musical with buccaneers, buried treasure and contemporary pop music By KELLY CANNON Life Editor GILBERT CISNEROS/UVUREVIEW Six final choreographers have two weeks to teach their dancers their original work. Every year, members of the Utah Regional Ballet participate in the Choreography Design Project, this year, six choreographers will be competing for prizes, including $1,000 By SIERRA WILSON Asst Editor of the V From barefooted modern ballet to pointe-shoed classical, the Choreography Design Project promises to nights of original, diverse dance. The fifth annual Choreography Design Project, running January 26-28 in UVU's Ragan Theater and funded in part by the Orem City CARE grant, will showcase the work of six competition-finalist choreographers as danced by Utah Regional Ballet. "The public really likes this one," said Jaqueline Colledge, artistic director of URB. The six finalist choreographers were each given two weeks to teach an original dance of their own to the dancers of URB. This twoweek period is "very intensive" for both the choreographers and dancers, according to Colledge, and involves many hours of work. When the six dances are performed, judges will select the winning choreographers. The largest prize up for grabs amounts to $1000. Four of the choreographers are competing in the professional bracket, while the other two are competing as preprofessionals. The number of professional finalists chosen was higher than normal this year due to the "high quality" of their choreography pieces, according to Colledge. As Colledge says, the level of choreography in the competition continues to rise. For Dancers and choreographers joined forces to present an exciting array of dances.,, -JACQUELINE COLLEDGE this reason, it was a challenge to select this year's finalists. Colledge describes the Choreography Design Project as an excellent opportunity for choreographers to progress. The project grants choreographers an opportunity to display their work. Also, for the newer choreographers, the project grants exposure to the work environment of choreography: fast-paced and full of high expectations. These six choreographers will be judged and receive feedback from three independent judges at the project's show. However, the choreographers will receive more than just the judges' feedback. The Four of the six choreographers will be competing in the professional bracket, while the other two are pre professional. - CONTACT: choreographers will also have the opportunity to receive notes of feedback from the audience. This arrangement is enjoyable for the audience and is also a helpful tool for the choreographers, according to Colledge. The choreographers won't be the only ones to benefit from the project. Colledge says she appreciates the project because it gives URB dancers the chance to work with a variety of choreographers. In this sense, the project is one that fosters growth for dancers and choreographers alike. As far as the audience is concerned, Colledge believes "there's something for everyone to enjoy" at the project's show, which will be both diverse and creative. For tickets to the Choreography Design Project shows, contact Campus Connection at (801) 863-8797. WHO'S INVOLVED? The dances will be performed in front three independent judges. GILBERT CISNEROS/UVUREVIEW lhis is the fifth year for the annual Choreography Design Project. GILBERT CISNEROS/UVUREVIEW SHAYLA BOTT • UVU faculty member and Artistic Director of the Repertory Ballet Ensemble ELLIE STOTT - UVU dance student and Repertory Ballet Ensemble member RACHEL ROBISON - Dance instructor at BYU and other locations TERRY S. DAVIS - Dance instructor at UVU and performer REX WHEELER - Dancer with the Sacramento Ballet WILSON M. DOMINGUES - Instructor at the University of Utah and Classical Ballet Academy GILBERT CISNEROS/UVUREVIEW LIFE EDITOR ASST. LIFE EDITOR LIFE DESIGNER lifesectionuvu@gmailcom devenleighe@gmail.com drewmilton@gmail.com KELLY CANNON DEVEN LEIGH ELLIS DREW MILTON Every year the theater department sponsors a project called the Senior Platform Series, allowing students to produce original work. Many theater majors use the oportunity for their senior project. For Marc Navez, however, a 2011 December graduate with a bachelor's in theater and an emphasis in directing musical theater, there simply wasn't enough time in the schedule of productions for him to produce his work. Luckily, the school has allowed him to come back to realize his dream. For the past 13 months, Navez has been working on his Senior Theater Platform, a program in the theater department which gives seniors a chance to produce and direct their own original work. Navez's project is a musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island." Navez was inspired by the idea during last year's production of "Oklahoma" when he saw Rebecca Burroughs, a fellow cast member and eventually one of the main characters in his play, playfully saunter down the hall. He suddenly had an idea: "What if Long John Silver was a pimp and the rest of the pirates were his whores ?" The other inspiration came when he was driving home from campus and the song "Firework" by Katy Perry came on the radio. "It evoked all these emotions," Navez said. "And I saw the whole play in one instant." Navez's production is a musical, using songs from contemporary artists Pink, Christina Aguilera and other similar pop artists. The rights to the songs were paid for by the department, which purchased them from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or ASCAP. Another aspect that sets this production apart is the fact that gender roles have been switched. In the novel, the protagonist is a boy named Jim Hawkins. In Navez's production, it is a girl named Jen Hawkins "I thought it was a really interesting and daring project," said Jordan Hall, who plays Hawkins. BUCCANEERS B8 TWITTER UVU LIFE SECTION @UVULife |