Five College dance concert set for March 3–5.

Five College Dance Department faculty and nationally renowned guest artists will present an evening of dance March 3–5 at Mount Holyoke College.

By Alheri Egor-Egbe ’17

Faculty from the Five College Dance Department will present a concert featuring their original work March 3–5 at Mount Holyoke College’s Studio Theatre of the Kendall Sports and Dance Complex. The show begins at 8:00 pm.

The event will showcase the large ensemble work “Megawatt,” from the nationally renowned Pilobolus Dance Theater, as performed by Five College dancers. In addition to new works by faculty and guest artists from across the five campuses, the concert features a multiscreen video installation by Smith College faculty member Rodger Blum. 

James Coleman, professor of dance at Mount Holyoke and chair of the Five College Dance Department, is excited about the program’s variety and quality. 

“This concert will be a brilliant display of the stylist range and performing expertise of choreographers and dancers from all five colleges,” Coleman said. 

Coleman and Terese Freedman, also a dance professor at the College, will present “written in the body,” as performed by visual artist Neal Parks and dance department visiting artist Candice Salyers. This performance will be set to an original sound collage by Coleman. 

Other performances include the Pioneer Valley premiere of “BE’SPOKE (n),” a solo for UMass Amherst’s faculty member Paul Dennis that was choreographed by Deborah Goffe from Hampshire College. Bessie Award–winning dancer and choreographer Jennifer Nugent will present “Stir,” a large ensemble work set to an original composition by Sam Crawford. 

And Thomas Vacanti of UMass Amherst and Amherst College will premier “Interludium,” a duet set to music by Santiago de Murcia and Billy Cowie.

Coleman’s dance photography installation, “Stillpoints,” will be on display throughout the weekend.

Tickets are available for $10 for the general public and $5 for students and seniors. They can be reserved by calling the box office at 413-538-2848 or by sending an email to mhcdance.reservations@gmail.com.

Learn more about Mount Holyoke’s dance department.