“Exposure: A Student Choreography Showcase” will run Friday through April 21 at the Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance, giving students the chance to perform their own choreography with a variety of styles, such as African and contemporary.
“I think my dance is more of an exploration — and this is true for a lot of the dances that are going to be in the show — rather than coming to a conclusion. We are all asking questions through dance,” said Julianna Massa, a dance major, who will be performing her own solo piece.
She said the question her dance aims to define success.
“I think for me, the biggest thing is that a successful life is where you keep asking questions and you keep having new things to learn and new things to explore,” Massa said.
Rujeko Dumbutshena, a graduate student, will be showcasing her African dance piece with the help of her three performers.
Her particular style is less traditional and more contemporary, she said. As a student she has been able to explore different ways of expression with her style.
“I really love to create dance, so when I get to that point when I’m in the studio with the dancers and I found people who are committed to performing then there is a lot of satisfaction in it. I think that is my happiest times,” she said.
Creating the dance is not the difficult part to Dumbutshena — rather she enjoys the challenge, she said. In African dance there is movement innate to the dance so leaves a lot to explore.
“When I remove myself from creating, and I’m just watching the dancers moving, I’m enjoying their beauty, their strength, their vulnerability and their ability to express that,” she said. “I feel it leaves you with a good feeling. I think more importantly, it leaves the dancers feeling empowered.”
Dumbutshena feels that a lot of what she has been exploring is way to be expressive of traditions like rituals and prayers, she said.
Anyone interested in learning more about the show can visit finearts.unm.edu.
Marisa Cabanillas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
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