The Department of Dance is hosting a thesis dance concert titled Spacebook tonight and tomorrow at 8pm in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center.
The concert is featuring MFA candidate Timithy Holecek choreography and according to him the show is inspired by today’s social media culture.
“I wanted to see if I could make a physical piece of moving art that said something about my experiences in dealing with friends and loved ones through social media,” Holecek said.
The name of the piece, Spacebook, even ties into this social media focus.
“The title of the thesis concert is kind of a play on “Facebook” and “MySpace”,” Holecek said. “As well as the fact that the dance occupies a specific space, and maybe a little bit of a subliminal hint to cyberspace.”
The date of the show date has been moved many times throughout the last few months due to many different reason and this has caused some major changes in the cast of performers. Originally having 14 people performing in the concert, there is now only five.
“This work is also very different from other works I’ve created in the past,” Holecek said. “I tend lean towards larger groups of people creating interesting patterns in space and in this performance you’ll see a small cast of people trying to define a set of relationships.”
To make this show unique Holecek has been working with projection designer and soloist, Mirannda Lindberg to create a presentation of the technology and projection inside the work.
“Together we worked to make sure that the tech inside the piece never over shadows the performers, and the subject matter becomes more subliminal,” Holecek said. “She put a lot of work into making my vision a reality.”
The final section of the concert is one that Holecek has the most personal connection to and he feels as though it is an import message to show.
“I am very attached to that section,” Holecek said. “It comes from my current relationship with my fiancé being deployed. Its not about military issues and its not political. Instead the focus is on our only source of contact. Social media. I feel that it creates a certain tension that was worth exploring choreographically.”
Holecek understands the beauty and art form of dance and says that is why he loves dance.
“I love that a lot can be said dancing without saying anything at all and I like to explore that,” Holecek said. “What does movement actually say from one person to another? That’s where dance shines for me.”
After graduation in December, Holecek plans on continuing performing and researching. Later on he might return to the academic world to teach.
“The time I have spent working towards the degree has been incredibly valuable in terms of knowing how to market myself and my work,” Holecek said.
Admission into the concert is free and to get more details please call the Box Office at 936-294-2339.