Interpretations of science fiction, anime, fashion and comic art aren't what you'd expect to find in a modern dance performance, but that's just what three ASU graduate students have done.
"New Danceworks I" is the first of three shows this year that presents the "best of" choreographies by the dance graduate students.
"It's really accessible to a non-dancing community," said AJ Niehaus, one of the choreographers. "We've all been influenced by popular culture."
Niehaus, Keira Hart and Liz Young have worked together before, but now they will be presenting their work separately.
They designed the costumes for their choreographies, and Hart and Niehaus will have small cameo appearances in their own pieces.
Niehaus' piece, "Talking String," deals with interactive technology and is based on the science fiction novel "Snow Crash," a story about how computer viruses can affect humans.
In "Look, Don't Touch, All the Pretty Things" Hart strives to integrate other art forms, such as fashion, while dealing with how women are seen in the fashion world.
Young mixes dance, theater and comic strip art in her piece "The Takeover," where the main character loses her wallet and develops obsessive thoughts about having her identity stolen.
The recital series runs Oct. 20-23 at ASU's Dance Studio Theatre and is sponsored by a grant from the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
"It's multimedia and interactive technologies integrated into a concert dance setting," said Jennifer Tsukayama, the artistic director.
Reach the reporter at ljiljana.ciric@asu.edu.
