On Thursday evening in the Black Box Theater, at the end of the labyrinth of hallways underneath Schaeffer Theatre, Laura Pietropaoli 鈥�17 was running the last rehearsal for her dance thesis.
The space is intimate, but does pose challenges. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a black box. And we wanted to find a way to soften it,鈥� Pietropaoli explained. To accomplish this, a dozen or so quilts and blankets are spread across the space. She continued, 鈥淚t helps the dancers get a lot more comfortable.鈥�
In her choreography, 鈥淚 wanted to explore what I learned from being at 乐播传媒 as an academic and as a person,鈥� said Pietropaoli, a dance and rhetoric double major from Yarmouth, Maine. 鈥淚 wanted to make something that took into account everything that I鈥檝e learned as a dance student and made it into something that can reach anyone.鈥�
Blankets and quilts are spread across the Black Box space.
The ensemble watches a clip from John Ford's My Darling Clementine, an influence on Pietropaoli's work.
Assistant Professor of Dance Rachel Boggia offers Pietropaoli her thoughts and critiques during a break.
Pietropaoli coaches Ellie Madwed '20 of Seattle, Wash., and Alex Eaton '17 of Lake Oswego, Ore.
Laura Pietropaoli '17 of Yarmouth, Maine, runs the final rehearsal of her dance thesis.
The piece, titled 鈥淓njoy Your Stay,鈥� is performed by a six-person ensemble, interspersing short dance pieces with abstract skits, akin to sketch comedy.
Pietropaoli is also writing a research paper as a thesis component, focusing on artistic ensembles that blur the lines of social relationships and art making practice. As her faculty advisor Rachel Boggia observed, 鈥淭here鈥檚 this interesting line that they鈥檙e always crossing between being performers and being themselves with each other in the piece, and I think that鈥檚 coming through really beautifully.鈥�
The ensemble also benefits from the thesis process. As Boggia explains, 鈥淓very thesis is not just a learning opportunity for the thesis student. The cast is also learning. We have future dance majors in this cast, so hopefully they鈥檙e learning about choreography, about performance, and about the technical aspects.鈥�
Pietropaoli has come to appreciate the demands of choreography. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about how to direct my cast and advance my artistic vision,鈥� she said.
This vision is guided carefully by Boggia, who does not insert herself too much creatively. Recalling how Pietropaoli pushed back on some criticism, Boggia was proud. 鈥淭o me that means she鈥檚 really her own artist and she鈥檚 seeing me as her adviser. And that was a nice moment.鈥�
鈥淓njoy Your Stay鈥� opens tonight at 7:30, with additional shows throughout the weekend.
