In the Dance program we are focused on a number of different events currently, the main one being DanceTech, our faculty driven production that takes place in March. The event this year compiles Dance on Film pieces, most shot in site-specific locations. The co-artistic directors of the production this year are Mallory Prucha, Head of Design and Joshua Whitt, Head of Production:
Serving as co-artistic directors on DanceTech, we are experiencing an exciting unity of creative forces: reinforcing each other's strengths by balancing artistic vision and technical mastery across a very unusual production process and quite literal landscapes. As Artistic Directors, we have the opportunity to focus on dance and dance film, reminding us that both production and design serve as a bridge between theatre and dance. Also, as with our entire season, we are privileging the educational process, teaching our students.
Underlined by the central theme of the season, "the personal and the political," we became interested in the concept of movement. It felt timely, impactful, perhaps a bit literal, and embodied the inherent awkwardness and humor that underscores vulnerability. The creative process taught us that movement encapsulates polarity: how extremes conjoin and isolate, the sense of connection and rejection summoned by quarantine, our desire to be near others and, simultaneously, the need to stay apart, exemplifying current political and social spheres.
In DanceTech, we emphasize the creative lens that explores environment, the contrast of both the urban and synesthetic landscape. We feel that DanceTech inventively explores production in the time of a global pandemic, and confirms the inseparable relationship between motion and sound. Ultimately, each piece uniquely illustrates this theme. We trust that this production serves as a collage of our time and does service to the brilliant, varied, work it includes.
I am so thrilled that we will have their unique perspectives not only on the format and but also how to thread diverse aesthetic creative voices together to create a cohesive experience for our audiences. The showing of these works will take place at the Stars and Stripes Drive-in Theatre on March 26th and might also be projected on to the gorgeous new Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in downtown Lubbock.
On that note: a big congratulations to the city of Lubbock for the addition of this beautiful, contemporary piece of architecture that adds such a breath of fresh air to the cityscape of Lubbock and provides an amazing site in which to experience the performing arts in Lubbock. The Toronto-based architectural firm Diamond Schmitt responsible for the design sees the city of Lubbock as the heartbeat of Texas music:
We were struck by the scale of the landscape and impressed by how special moments can attract people across the vast Llano Estacado to create community. Our design aims to gather the community's social energy in a large, multi-use place, while allowing focus for artistic intimacy.
Yvonne Racz Key, a TTU dance faculty member and the Artistic Director of Ballet Lubbock (resident in this new building) agrees:
The new studios at Buddy Holly Hall are literally life changing. For the dancers it raises the caliber, the expectations, the excitement, and the desire to learn. For the community it puts us on the map as having one of the most beautiful and state of the art performing facilities in our nation right here in Lubbock Texas. It provides opportunities for growth, collaboration within arts organizations and even possibly having a professional dance company. The possibilities are endless.
It is inspiring when vision and ambition of the performing arts are supported by leaders in the local community. An inspiration to our current students, the vibrant Buddy Holly Center will help the dance program to recruit future talent to our BA, BFA, and MA programs just by illustrating our commitment to excellence in the arts.
