Grab Your Dancing Shoes, It's Showtime!

The University of California, Irvine’s Bare Bones Dance Theater held their annual event this past weekend, “Visual Vocabulary,” a fully student- run production.

The program included 15 choreographed pieces produced entirely by undergraduate students at UCI. “Visual Vocabulary” worked towards showcasing the talents of students in both performing and choreographing – the show wasn’t just for the eyes to see but also the ears to hear.

Saturday night was the final performance of the year for Bare Bones, with an audience that packed the venue that seats nearly 300. A small sloped seminar room, nicknamed “The Little Theatre,” is home to the yearly performance inside room 161 of UCI’s Humanities Hall.

The purpose of the show is to illuminate the students’ creative minds by assisting future dancers, choreographers, and producers in gaining valuable lessons for the future. Performances were centered on the lives of youth in society, portraying the joys and struggles of students in everyday life according to one of the participants, second year UCI student and Bare Bones committee member, Cayla Bauer. In her choreographed piece, “Hold Your Tongue,” she said “we have to accept uncomfortable situations and learn how to embrace them, for me it’s through this piece.”

The show was sold out, which likely provided a boost to students who planned and performed the event. After the program, audience member, Julianna Cressman, said “I think it’s a great experience for students to run their own show, it’s interesting to see what’s trending from their point of view in our society.”

One piece, “Who are We Fooling,” reflected a couple; the contemporary dance style showed fighting and loving as the music played to the beat of the chemistry between the two. Another, “Firefly” portrayed the livelier dance style of tap with a large group of boisterous dancers. A piece that took a look into a past style of jazz, “Baby Blues,” was danced to “How Come You Don’t Call Me” by Alicia Keys and started out slowly but soon burst into a fast-beat piano and vocal duet. Every piece was named in the brochure and had its own personality, some more up-beat and positive with smiling faces on the dancers, while others were more seriously reflective with solemn music, grim faces, and dramatic movements. The portrayals seemed to be successful with loud “woos” and hollers along with roaring applause after almost every piece.

Participants must audition in order to be able to showcase their pieces as well as audition to be a part of a choreographer’s piece. Every year, the process takes months to complete and rehearsals are held at all hours of the day, numerous times a week according to student dancer and choreographer, Emily Guerard. The experience through her eyes was described as “fun, but a crazy ride for sure.”

Founded in 1987, Bare Bones Dance Theater is an all undergraduate-student run, non-profit organization. Celebrating the 28th year of running, the performance clung to the slogan “15 new works for 2015!”

In order to keep Bare Bones up and running, students look to the Orange County community for support. Tickets for the show generally stay at $11, both online and at the door. The brochure handed out to all audience members, highlights the various sponsors who help to keep the non-profit on its feet.

After the show, dancers and choreographers gathered with bright faces to congratulate each other on the performances. Guerard said she “felt like the show went great this year! Overall, a fun show to be a part of that went so smoothly."

Q & A with Dancer & Choreographer: Cayla Bauer

Cayla Bauer is a second year dance major at the University of California, Irvine. She is pursuing two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Performance and Choreography. Originally, from San Francisco, California, Bauer has been dancing for about eight years.

G: What are some of the things you get to help do for this Bare Bones Dance Theater production since you are on the committee?

C: As a first year committee member, I am still learning the ropes of how to put on a show. I helped with a lot of the smaller jobs that help in advertising and fundraising including: creating the promotional video, selling tickets and apparel, asking for donations from local businesses, and helping with proposals for grants from the school. Outside of that, it’s a lot of maintenance and odd jobs such as helping gather things for the show, workshops, and the gala after the last show. We also spend about an hour a week at a weekly meeting divvying jobs and making bigger decisions.

G: You were able to participate in dancing in the show as well as choreographing a piece, what helped you manage both tasks?

C: I think mostly just the excitement of being able to put a part of myself onstage through choreography as well as be a part of my colleagues’ and friend’s artistic vision. To get down to the nitty gritty of it, it’s time management and learning how to be an efficient choreographer. You have to listen to your music extensively and plan out what you want from it or what you want if you have no music, and also learn how to communicate your movement aesthetic to your dancers effectively. Really, none of it is worth it if you’re not excited about the community you’re creating through Bare Bones and the work that you get to show – no one is getting a grade for this, and that’s part of the magic of it.

G: What were you trying to convey with your piece “Hold Your Tongue”?

C: “Hold Your Tongue” was inspired by a few ideas that have been germinating my mind for a little while now. I have been interested in how to make dance that maximizes the intimacy and relationship between the audience and the performers. One of the driving ideas that inspired the movement and spacing choices was how to accept uncomfortable situations and how to embrace the potential for richness within them.

G: According to the show’s brochure, you chose the song “I’m Into You” by Chet Faker for your piece, what made you want to choose this over other options?

C: Chet Faker has a bit of a raspy, unconventional sound to his music. I wanted to go along with the idea of finding richness in discomfort, I think that this song has the potential to make someone feel a bit uncomfortable, but it is simultaneously groovy.

G: How do you feel the show went this year for you, and as a whole?

C: I feel that this year’s show went very well. I always feel that the Bare Bones’ shows that I’ve been a part of or have seen are successful, even if it’s just because they are a raw reflection of where we are as student choreographers and dancers. There are definitely things that can be improved such as how we advertise further in advance and get the word out about the show sooner and work on what ways are more effective for fundraising next year. I think we all make mental notes of how to better the show in the future, but it was a wonderful show. I’m so thankful to all that helped put it on and to those that supported us.

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