Kennesaw State and Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts hosted Atlanta’s biennial contemporary dance festival, “Off the Edge,” at the Marietta Dance Theater the night of Thursday, Feb. 28.
“Off the Edge” brought several innovative dance companies together for a night of unforgettable beauty and revolutionary contemporary dance. This included names such as Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, Company Wayne McGregor, Ephrat Asherie Dance and Kennesaw State Dance Company.
The performance included pieces by Tara Lee of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre and Cayetano Soto and Matthew Neenan of BalletX.
Audience members and dance students alike enjoyed Tara Lee’s “Everything is Waiting,” a piece made possible with the support of Lavona Currie. The piece featured the human tendency to wait on everything and hope for a better future to come. Lee pokes at the promises of contemporary culture that cause people to wait for what is more fulfilling in life.
“Everything is Waiting” featured only five performers who would rotate on and off stage for solos, duets and group pieces. Lee also heavily included signs like “Line Starts Here,” “Can’t Sleep?” or “Looking for Love?” to share contemporary modern ideas and issues through movements.
Kennesaw State Dance Company students were also given the opportunity to be showcased in “Off the Edge.” Seven dancers presented a 14-minute piece titled “Parish,” which featured innovative contemporary choreography from McCree O’Kelley, Lisa Lock, Andrea Knowlton and Sean Nguyen-Hilton.
“I’m really excited for them,” O’Kelley said. “It really forces them to up their game and rise to a professional level. It’s a huge platform for them to be seen next to professional dancers. Just to be in that space and work alongside with them is special.”
Later this month, Kennesaw State Dance Company will present “Bodytraffic” on March 27. The evening performance will be presented as part of the American College Dance Association Southeast Conference and will feature the work of three Israeli choreographers.
For more information about the KSU Department of Dance and its upcoming events, visit arts.kennesaw.edu/dance.
