Monday Monologues works to bring more students to Parks Library
During the first Monday Monologue of the semester, cast members from “Climate Change Theatre Action: Lighting the Way” acted as hurricanes from the five categories and described their destructive powers Sept. 30 in Parks Library.
January 25, 2020
The first Monday Monologue of 2020 is set to take place from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Monday.
The event will take place at the Grant Wood Foyer in the Parks Library and is free to attend. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy their lunch while they watch and listen.
Monday Monologues is a series that has been held since the fall of 2018. It has provided students an outlet to bring words to life in creative ways to spread various messages. This Monday Monologue is unique because it is the first performance to feature a choreographed dance rather than spoken words.
The Orchesis I dance organization will perform a few small scale excerpts from their “Barjche’ 2020: Dancing through Barriers” show, which honors past and future heroines through the integration of music and choreographed dancing. Specifically, the show celebrates the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
After practicing nearly every week since the start of the fall semester, Orchesis I is fresh off their first showing Friday in Perry. Cynthia Adams, the artistic director, choreographer and advisor to the organization, said their first performance was great despite a frozen stage door and uncooperative weather.
Kathleen Hermesdorf, a dance producer and teacher from San Francisco, California, and internationally acclaimed composer Albert Mathias made guest appearances during the show’s production. Hermesdorf and Mathias worked with Orchesis I every night for a week, coming up with a score and choreography piece for the show.
“When the students work with new guest choreographers it just brings them to a different place,” Adams said regarding Hermesdorf. “It gives them a new experience that they might not be familiar with.”
Susan Gent, the founder of Monday Monologues, says she is very excited for the dancing performance.
“I gave this a little thought about expanding beyond poetry or performance, and thought dance is also a way we communicate,” Gent said.
The full “Barjche’ 2020: Dancing through Barriers” show can be seen 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Fisher Theater.
