The Warm-Up Preparing for the Student Choreographed Dance Concert Count 1: Hopeful choreographers submit paper applications to student producers Kiefer and Schwarzrock. Count 2: Student producers hold dance audition for aspiring choreographers. Count 3: Student producers select student choreographers. Count 4: Choreographers pick dancers for their performances after holding a dance audition. Count 5: Rehearsals begin with choreographers and dancers meeting at unusual times, whether at 8 a.m. on Saturday mornings or 10:30 p.m. on Friday nights. Count 6: Choreographers and dancers hold a mid-point show for producers to assess their progress.  IWU dance instructors Jean MacFarland Kerr, Sheri Marley and Jessica Riss provide feedback. Count 7: Choreographers consult with IWU student costume designers or design their own costumes for dancers. Count 8: Producers, choreographers and dancers pitch in for set up of the stage, chairs, lights, etc. Show time!

Illinois Wesleyan Students Think They Can Dance

January 15, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University students are back from break, and some students will start the spring semester dancing.  The Student Choreographed Dance Concert will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 in the Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington).  This event is free and open to the public.

Dancing styles featured in the concert will include hip-hop, jazz, modern, lyrical, tap and Irish dancing.  Student choreographers were chosen following an application process and an interview with the student producers, undecided major Miranda Kiefer ’10 and music theatre major Liz Schwarzrock ’09.  After this selection, the choreographers held an audition for dancers before finalizing their casts.

One choreographer in particular, music theatre major Evan Kasprzak ’10, carries with him industry experience after making it to Las Vegas this summer on the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance?”  On the show, 20 men and women dance for America’s votes amid weekly eliminations. 

Kasprzak’s audition, which made air time, was choreographed by his brother and styled after forties and fifties theatre jazz.  He was one of approximately 200 dancers to make it to Vegas week, which included five days of auditions and performing various dancing styles.  Kasprzak made it to the final round of Vegas week before being cut. 

Upon his return to Illinois Wesleyan, Kasprzak played the French ambassador in the musical Of Thee I Sing and will perform in the Faculty Choreographed Dance Concert running April 7-12.

Other student choreographers include theatre arts and history double major Cat Smith ’09, music theatre major Neil Stratman ’10, English and French double major and dance minor Sami Skelton ’11, English and dance double major Amy Bannon ’11, theatre arts major Kyle Blair ’09, English writing major Kim Stabosz ’09, international studies and French double major Emily Coles ’11, sociology major Christie Ivie ’09, international student Alejandro Postigo, music theatre major Katelyn Schmidt ’11, music theatre major Katie Whalley ’09, Kiefer and Schwarzrock.

For further information on the performance, contact Kiefer at mkiefer@iwu.edu.

       Contact: Nicole Travis ’11, (309) 556-3181