MaMa Project's "Ad Astra" orbits around intrinsic movement lead by the stars

Upper West Side NY

01 March, 2022

3:33 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY LAURA JIANG FEBRUARY 28, 2022 As music fades in, an array of small spotlights hits the stage and slowly expands to meet each other's edges, merging into a unifying force of light that reveals the incoming footsteps of dancers. They step out of the wings to embody this synergetic force of light that is the outcome of an intimate and trust-building rehearsal process unique to the MaMa Project. The MaMa Project, a satellite project of Orchesis, selects a student each year to choreograph an evening-long program with a small cast of dancers. This year's choreographer and director is Lauren Wilkins, CC '22. The program ran from Feb. 25 to 26 and explored how astral influences—zodiac signs, elements, and planet placements—impact an individual's personality, mood, and connection with others. The program was split into two acts, with the first focusing on sun signs' influence on their external projections of personality, and the second exploring internal moods and connections based on moon and Venus signs. In Act 1, dancers wore monochrome outfits that corresponded with the elements: The fire signs wore red, whereas the water signs wore blue. During intermission, the dancers changed into uniform tops with a starry diamond design. This made it unclear who had been grouped together by sun signs in the first act—eliminating the distraction of color separations and focusing on internal emotion. To explore astral influences on personality and mood, Wilkins required dancers to first explore how astrology influences their energy and movement, using a variety of choreographic approaches, such as structured improvisation, to tap into the innate idiosyncrasies of dancers' personalities that come through when moving in an unrestrained manner. For example, Wilkins would ask dancers to make individual phrases of movement based on an adjective associate with their sign. Annika Voorheis, BC '24, one of the dancers on the cast, admired how Wilkins allowed dancers' birth charts to dictate how they split into groups and generated movement—something that is typically part of a choreographer's creative freedom. "Lauren's brain is so smart. … For example, for air sign rehearsal, we would collaborate together, and Lauren gave us words that were associated with air," Voorheis said. "We would start [improvising] and dancing. Meanwhile, Lauren was watching us move and also listening to the song and creating movement on the spot. That was just so cool." The choreography reflected the intrinsic movement tendencies of each dancer, making the dancing vulnerable at its core, while fostering immense trust and unity among the dancers. Voorheis found that her experience with the MaMa cast does not reflect the competitive side of dance, and she felt completely safe around every cast member. The closeness of the cast is evident through their execution of several group lifts throughout the program and their ability to find natural points of physical contact within partnerships. To Wilkins, having the opportunity to choreograph the MaMa Project was a "full circle adventure." As a first-year student, she participated in that year's MaMa Project, choreographed by Melody Tai, CC '19. In "Ad Astra," some of the music was created by artists that she had been introduced to by Tai. The title "Ad Astra" comes from the Latin phrase "per aspera ad astra" which translates to "through hardships to the stars." Wilkins hopes that this title pays homage to the struggle individuals and communities have faced during the past two years. "Ad Astra" assumed a new meaning on Feb. 24, the day before opening night, when Wilkins' grandpa passed away during one of the pre-show runs. She dedicated the show to him in memory of his persevering spirit throughout his battles with health while recognizing his newfound home—a place among the stars. "It's definitely sad not being able to have him there for the livestream. He was always one of my biggest supporters when it came to dancing and one of my biggest motivators to continue on even when I got really sick of it because he helped me find the joy in it again," Wilkins said. Wilkins also embodies this fighting spirit as she works through her knee injury from two years ago for which she will undergo surgery in two weeks. Wilkins sees this performance as her last big dance show. Spirit was strong among all numbers in "Ad Astra," particularly during group numbers. Audience members and dancers alike felt themselves tear up during the moment when the whole cast charged forward at the audience. They ran to join the soloist improvising at the front and the whole cast broke into an explosive group phrase. Wilkins identifies the rond de jambe, the foot tracing the ground in a circular path, as a motif in her piece. The audience was given the opportunity to follow the motif's evolution by seeing the orbiting walking paths morph into a luscious, circular sweep by the arm and then the emotional group hug dancers had on stage after their bows. The individual is never emotionally far from the collective in "Ad Astra," and the audience shared in the outpour of cathartic self-exploration and expression. Working through the rehearsal process, Wilkins and the dancers presented their world of individually natural movement, painting a galaxy that captured the audience in a trance where they too feel themselves moving and living among the stars. Staff writer Laura Jiang can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator on Twitter @ColumbiaSpec. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.