Brent Quam
Winonan

Seniors Sydney Swanson and Erin Gilliland combined their talents and their names to bring together Winona State University’s Dance Society’s annual Senior Dance Show, “Gillswan Song.”

The show is co-directed by Winona State seniors Sydney Swanson and Erin Gilliland. Winona State theatre and dance professor Gretchen Cohenour also collaborated on the project, and a Facebook event of the same name has helped drum up support for the performance.

This year’s show title, “Gillswan Song,” is courtesy of the Performing Arts Center’s general maintenance worker, Bill Koutsky.

“He just came in one day to one of the Dance Society’s meetings and said, ‘You should call it Gillswan Productions.’  We kept the ‘Gillswan’ and added ‘Song’ after talking to Gretchen about titles,” Swanson said.

Dance Society has been working on the project since the show put on last year ended.

“It’s been fun, but a lot of work.  Erin and I volunteered for the job.  We did the details, found the crewmembers, and held the auditions,” Swanson said.

“Each choreographer picked their own music, though,” Gilliland said.  “A lot of slower songs, as well as a little hip-hop.”  Many of Winona State’s own Hypnosis hip-hop dance club will also be dancing in the show.

Gillswan Song will feature the choreographic talents of Swanson, Gilliland and at least nine other Dance Society members.

Altogether, 59 dancers will perform in the show with anywhere from one to twenty-two dancers on stage at once for one piece.

Two of the pieces are solo performances.

Dance Society members and those who auditioned last year will perform 13 pieces, ranging from an African tribal piece complete with live drummers to jazz swing, from tap-dancing to Swanson’s own piece, titled “A/VOID,” a dance performed blindfolded to a song by Icelandic indie rock group Sigur Ros.

Dancers will wear costumes they and the choreographers made themselves as well as ones gleaned from Winona’s extensive costume library.

“I bought white dresses for my performance and painted them,” said Gilliland about her piece, “Kind of like tie-dye.”

“Mine will be wearing some costumes from the Winona State Costume Shop,” said Swanson.  “A lot of blues and purples.  I was really going for a ragged look.”

The performances will be held 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, and Wednesday, April 10 on the Performing Arts Center’s Main Stage.

Admission for the hour-long performance is free, but the Dance Society is asking for a $2 minimum donation at the door to pay for performance expenses and future Dance Society conferences and guest stars.

There will be baked goods and T-shirts for sale at the door.

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