A collaboration between the Kenyon College Department of Dance, Drama and Film and The Ohio State University is breathing new life into a 1958 dance by renowned choreographer José Limón that will be presented in Mount Vernon Feb. 10 as part of a free community showcase.
The ambitious project to restage “Missa Brevis” — a modern dance created in response to the destruction that Limón witnessed in Poland after World War II — will involve a cast of 11 students from Kenyon and 19 from Ohio State.
The 30-minute piece will be part of “Dancing Together: Resilience and Community,” a free intergenerational show that also will feature dancers from Kent State University; Perennial Movement Group, a Columbus organization made up of performers over the age of 50; and students from Wiggin Street Elementary School in Gambier.
The show starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. A free dance class will take place earlier in the day from 2-3 p.m. in the Memorial Theater Ballroom.
Kenyon Professor of Dance Julie Brodie worked with colleagues from Ohio State — Mara Frazier and Valarie Williams — to stage “Missa Brevis” from the original Labanotation score, a way of analyzing and recording movement with symbols. Dante Puleio, artistic director at the Limón Company in New York City, also coached students from both schools.
“Dance can connect people, as it brought together these different groups on this stage,” Brodie said. “Hopefully, it will bring together a wide swath of the Mount Vernon community that maybe doesn’t always get to experience this kind of dance.”
Born in Mexico, Limón was an immigrant who founded this country’s first modern dance repertory company in 1946. He is credited with creating a technique based in a humanistic approach to movement, characterized by an emphasis on breath; fall and recovery; and the idea that movement is a physical expression of the human spirit.
“Missa Brevis” (Latin for “short Mass”) is about the importance of community and the resilience it can provide in the face of disaster. It is set to Zoltán Kodály's “Missa Brevis in Tempore Belli,” a choral work composed at the end of World War II.
“He was really inspired by what he saw in the people in Poland and their ability to continue moving forward and working toward making life better,” Brodie said.
To deepen the community’s experience with the piece, Kenyon students Zoe Weiner, Class of 2024, and Eve Currans, Class of 2025, are providing workshops about the history of “Missa Brevis” and Limón and leading movement exercises with a number of groups, including the library, local schools and senior living facilities.
Currens, a dance and physics double major from North Carolina who has earned a certification in intermediate Labanotation, assisted with interpreting the score and guiding dancers in their movements.
“The fact that we can write down movement is so cool to me,” she said. “We get the skeleton and the backbone, and then seeing how each person brings their own self to the work and to the movement — I love getting to see that process.”
Using dance as a way of creating community — both between the performers and local residents — has been a powerful experience, she said.
“Dance is a really great way to bring together all these different parts of the community. It's this shared experience that everybody can do, and it can be a really powerful tool for connection.”
Jamie Lyn Smith-Fletcher, Kenyon Class of 1996, deputy director of development, special projects, and writing programs for the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, said such events help area residents build community and friendships through shared artistic experiences.
“Workshops and performances like this make the arts accessible to patrons and inspire local dance fans in their own practice,” she said.
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
