Molly O’Connor/Winonan

The 24th annual Dancescape show made its way once again to the main stage of the Performing Arts Center Feb. 13-15. The show was received by a full house when it opened Feb. 13.

The show featured 15 originally choreographed dances, each with a different story or interpretation of what the movements meant.

The music selection—or even the lack of music within a few of the pieces—tied into the fluidity of motions from the dancers.

Each year, Dancescape showcases the talents of many of Winona State University’s students and faculty, as well as other community members, as they plan and execute original choreography. A total cast and crew of 55 people helped make this year’s show possible.

Senior Danielle Stone attended Thursday’s opening show and was surprised by the raw talent she saw.

“I like both the more interpretive dances and the less-so ones,” she said. “Each type of dance has something to offer.

Part of the beauty of Dancescape is the opportunity to see how Winona State students are talented in choreographing and performing both types.”

A dance that stood out the most to Stone was the opening number by choreographer Kathryn Rudolph, “Patterns Breaking.”

“The music was great and the choreography kept me, as an audience member, captivated,” Stone said.

During another piece, “Cages,” choreographed by Robbie Deering and Marcus Wodarski, Stone felt intrigued by the choice of dancing to a monologue rather than music.

“It was a father leaving messages to a mother about their child, who he refuses to admit is autistic,” Stone said. “The reading with the dancing is haunting.”

Three other dances were performed with spoken word or, in the case of Pedro Lander’s choreographed dance “Alone Together,” silence. The lack of audio was used to exhibit the emotion exclusively through dance. For other pieces, there was also a live musician present for the show.

Gretchen Cohenour, the artistic director of Dancescape, has been involved with the show since the very beginning 24 years ago. She showcased her own work in this year’s Dancescape with her piece titled, “Keep These Animals Afloat.”

Cohenour’s dance was performed to live, original music by local artist Noah Glenn Short, demonstrating the idea of staying afloat in changing situations and revolving around the importance of relationships.

In this piece, the dancers each performed with a teddy bear.

“There are lots of different themes and metaphors to the piece, and one of them is taking care of our creatures—our relationships, whatever they may be,” Cohenour said.

Cohenour’s piece involved a lot of time and teamwork from her with her dancers, as several ideas from rehearsals were brought into the final arrangement.

“I chose to work really collaboratively with the dancers, and I gave them some writing assignments and movement improv,” Cohenour said. “Then I selected little bits and pieces from them and configured them into a new context.”
Along with writing her piece’s choreography, Cohenour mentored the other choreographers and helped set the lineup and preparation of the show.
She explained that the modern dances performed at Dancescape were a representation of how the choreographers felt or what they were trying to say.
“We have two arms, two legs and a body with a head to tail, and we have all these possibilities through movement and space and time, and we craft movement material based on our instincts and our past training,” Cohenour said. “But modern dance is not a time we just replicate codified forms. Instead we generate a new project based on our life experiences, our taste, our desire, our passions.”
Those passions, Cohenour said, are as varied as the dances.
“Whatever it may be, it’s different for each choreographer.”