Loyola Marymount University junior dance major Jovan Dansberry just wants to communicate.
That’s what he and nine other LMU dancers will be doing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., at the end of the month, when they will perform “CLOSE(R)”, a modern dance that depicts the human emotions of love, anger and friendship, as well as the enduring bond of family.
The LMU dancers earned the Washington trip with a standout performance at the American College Dance Festival Association’s Southwest Regional Dance Festival in Tempe, Ariz., where dance troupes from more than 50 schools performed, and four were chosen to take part in the national gala at the Kennedy Center.
The LMU group is one of about 30 that will appear at the national event, winnowed from the more than 350 member institutions that presented their best works at 10 regional festivals.
“This is the national showcase of the best college programs in the country,” said Associate Professor Damon Rago. “It is an honor to be selected for nationals. Having been there as both a student and faculty, I know it will be a rewarding experience for our dancers. We are all looking forward to a great time.”
Joining Dansberry from the LMU Dance Program in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance are seniors Felicia Kelley and Cheryl Smith; juniors Ellie Biddle, Jesse Chin, Miesha Gantz and Lauren Cannon; and sophomores Mackenzey Franklin, Charles Roy and Shae Stanton. “CLOSE(R)” was choreographed by Mike Esperanza, a part-time faculty member.
Rago emphasized that more than a competition, the dance festival association events are a celebration of dance, where young performers get to meet, share and perform for their peers. It is also an opportunity for young artists to participate in daily classes and workshops that are a key part of the annual regional events and the biannual national festival, which runs May 27-29.
Dansberry, who was a business major before switching to dance, found the regional festival in Tempe truly rewarding. “We were with new faculty and students. It was a huge community where everybody gave each other support. [The national festival in] Washington will be an opportunity to perform before a new audience. It will be cool.”
Dansberry chose dance as his major because it integrates his emotional, physical and intellectual sides. “Dance keeps me in tune with myself and it is how to communicate without words,” he said. “Nonverbal communication is how to know people the best. In dance, we are not just sitting in class, we are communicating and interacting with our bodies.”