Student Profile: Aileen Norris
Like many students, Aileen Norris has spent most of her life with the next few step planned out. Standing at the brink of graduating with a double major in English and an Honors BFA in Modern Dance, she plans on approaching the next phase of her life with a sense of improvisation. This open-ended approach has made its way into her senior dance piece ‘take me away,’ premiering this weekend at the Marriott Center for Dance.
Last semester Norris presented her Honors Thesis dance work, 'Alert' examining issues surrounding gun violence directed at women and approaching dance as activism. This semester, her creative process took on a different form, emerging with a looser sense of experimentation and discovery. Instead of picking a topic to research in advance, Norris entered the studio with a sense of play. She spent time with her dancers playing improvisational games, creating movement scores, and discussing their experiences. The first day in the studio was exploratory with no pressure to create something spectacular, no need to even remember the material.
Norris crafted 'take me away' based on the initial improvisation and continued catching ideas from the dancers throughout the rehearsal process. The final piece mixes spoken word on stage with singing and dancing. Like with many contemporary choreographers, the six collaborating dancers have retained a strong sense of agency within Norris's craft. “If one of my dancers were different, it would be a different piece.” The piece draws from the creative work in the studio and hints at compositional ideas from the daily lives of Norris and her dancers through tableaus and partnering. As a senior preparing to exit the structured life of the university and build the beginnings of her post-grad life, Norris's final creative work sets the tone for this exciting time. 'take me away' promises to be full of questions, play, community, and joy.
Norris is one of ten seniors in the modern dance program presenting work this weekend. Showtimes are Thursday at 5:30 PM and Friday/Saturday at 7:30 PM at the Hayes Christiansen Theater, Marriott Center for Dance. Another set of seniors take the stage on March 21-23.
The senior class is hosting a silent auction to raise money for advertising, programs, and post-show reception. They have great items to auction off from donors such as Red Butte Garden, Sugarhouse Coffee, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and many more! Bidding will take place before and after the shows, as well as at intermission. Bring your cash and checks (only), and support the senior class! Tickets are available in advance here and at the door.