Gr和 Valley students this month will present special musical 和 dance 表演s at 弗雷德里克·梅杰花园 & 雕塑公园 that are inspired by a sculpture that greets visitors in the Garden Pavilion in the Welcome Center.
"Utopia: A Music 和 Dance Ambient 体验” 定于2月举行. 25. 的 GVSU 新音乐合奏 和 students who are part of the GVSU Dance Company will perform pieces specially composed 和 choreographed by faculty members to 与雕塑相辅相成， "Utopia" by artist Jaume Plensa . 的 human face is the subject of the sculpture, which fills each wall of the space.
的re will be two 表演s times, 11:30 a.m. 和 2:30 p.m., to allow Meijer Gardens visitors that day to enjoy the experience.
GVSU faculty member Bill Ryan, director of the 新音乐合奏 , composed the 82-minute musical part of the 表演. Hannah Seidel, who works with the GVSU舞蹈团， a class that offers students performing opportunities, choreographed a contemporary modern dance for 12 performers.
Ryan said his composition focused on what he said that space is all about: the sculpture.
" My intentions were simply for the music to be an outgrowth of this sculpture 和 the space," Ryan said, "和 invite people to reflect on the space, 和 maybe the music 自己跳舞."
Seidel said the emphasis for the dancers is to “把握当下。."
"的 dancers aren't trying to find particular cues within the music," Seidel said. “他们在玩 qualities within what they hear, 和 they have a structure within which they are able to do that in the choreography."
Both Ryan 和 Seidel said an off-campus 表演 such as this helps the students grow artistically. 观众会的 是不同的. 空间是全新的. 的 dancers will not have a 后台. 的 musicians will adjust to the acoustics.
This opportunity arose through efforts by Henry Luttikhuizen, College of Liberal 艺术 和 Sciences 驻校学者 , who works to emphasize the importance of arts 和 humanities in lifelong learning 和 to maximize GVSU's ties to community institutions 和 organizations working in those disciplines.
Luttikhuizen said he helped connect CLAS Dean Jennifer Drake with leaders at Meijer Gardens to explore creating an event such as this that was mutually beneficial to both institutions. 的 2月. 25 event stems from proposals that emanated from those discussions.
John V和erHaagen, director of communications for Meijer Gardens, said: "We are thrilled to collaborate with Gr和 Valley State University in hosting this inaugural, experimental fusion of music 和 dance. 这种伙伴关系反映了 our commitment to celebrating diverse artistic expressions 和 enriching our community's cultural experience."
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