Dance group presents 'dreams'

Dancers from around the city gather in the auditorium of the John Waldron Arts Center displaying flexibility and mastery of the dance skills as they stretch, warm up and focus for rehearsal. This was the scene Wednesday night at a technical rehearsal for the Windfall Dance Company's spring production "Lucid Dream." The production, which debuts at 8 p.m. tonight at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium, features new approaches to modern dance and a fusion of theater and dance itself and even incorporates Freud and the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe, company members said.\n"'Lucid Dream' is all about how you feel in a dream, you have feelings like you are trapped and you can't get out," said dancer Rachel Auer.\nThe dancers will be performing with two other dance companies housed within the Windfall Dance Studio -- "Parallel Differences" and the youth group. \nThe youth ensemble is a younger group of serious dancers who also choreograph their own pieces. "Parallel Differences" is a recently developed group of young dancers that "explores issues like race, religion, culture, lifestyle, beliefs and tolerance through dance," according to the company's Web site. "Parallel Differences" was started through a grant given to Windfall last year. It is open to dancers ages 11 to 17- years-old regardless of previous dance experience. \n"We started dancing here when it started last year, and we just continued on," said member Rachel Beyer.\nThis year, the dance company worked in cooperation with the Bloomington Area Arts Council and the John Waldron Arts Center in order to make their production a success. The arts center takes care of most of the production costs in order to help smaller arts organizations around the city.\n"We work to give smaller organizations an outlet," said sophomore Amy Wanninger, an art director at the center. \nThe company's production will feature pieces choreographed by the dancers themselves that tackle some issues not usually addressed in dance -- pieces titled "Babyface" and "Voices Behind the Wall" explore relationships between people. \n"(Voices Behind the Wall) is about domestic violence. "It is a really interesting piece, and it is saying that you should take action if you see domestic violence and not just act as if it is a dream," Beyer said.\nThis production comes as a result of months of meticulous planning. About a year before the performance, the company discusses possible themes and chooses the ones that members think will work best, said Adrienne Sewell, art director and choreographer for the company. \n"Our pieces are mainly collaborations between our students -- both graduate students and undergrads," Sewell said. "This company is different than other dance companies because the dancers have more control over the pieces themselves." \nSome of the directors for the company will be dancing in the pieces choreographed by students, which also sets the company apart from traditional dance companies.\nThe dances performed by the company mainly feature modern styles. Members said they have also performed routines which were more reflective of hip-hop, techno or rave and jazz styles.\n"Modern dance is a more free form of dance than other dance," Sewell said. "It uses elements of other dance styles."\nThe dancers will be performing at 8 p.m. tonight and April 26 and 27 as well as May 2 and 3 in the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students and seniors and $6 for children 12 and under.