Washington and Lee Presents ‘W&L Dancers Create…’ The W&L Repertory Dance Company’s performances will run Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.

By Emily Innes
November 16, 2023

Washington and Lee University’s award-winning W&L Repertory Dance Company presents “W&L Dancers Create…”on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. in the Lenfest Center for the Arts’ Keller Theatre.

Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Center box office.

Presented by the Department of Theater, Dance and Film Studies and under the artistic direction of Jenefer Davies, department chair and artistic director of the W&L Repertory Dance Company, “Dancers Create…” will feature works choreographed by guest artists and W&L students, and explore a broad range of thematic concepts, designs and movement styles.

“Bringing together professional guest artists, faculty and students creates a beautiful synergy,” Davies said. “A palpable force of teaching and learning is created as people unite in a shared collaborative experience. Together they take risks, learn and grow through the artistic process.”

“Dancers Create…” will feature two works choreographed by Vivian Kim and Shaeleigh Comerford, guest artists who taught masterclasses during the Fall Term and provided students with the rare opportunity to learn choreography from professionals in the field.

“Sit. Stay. Down.,” choreographed by dancer, performer and educator Vivian Kim, was inspired by Kim’s own life and her research on the philosophies and lexicon of Confucian Analects for Women, ancient teachings that have persisted as a basis for East Asian and Asian American women’s lifestyle, behavior and understanding of self-worth. Kim, who was born into a traditional South Korean family and raised in the United States, uses this piece to explore her personal experience of reconciling Eastern and Western lifestyles and expectations.

Shaleigh Comerford, a choreographer of Native American and Irish descent and instructor of dance at W&L, choreographed “Our Thin Veils,” which explores the simultaneous and competing desires to belong and also break out of “groupthink” mentalities. In the piece, each individual is celebrated as unique as they confront the cultural, social and familial conditioning that both limits us and pushes us to grow. Throughout the work, the dancers gradually expose their vulnerability and gain the courage to share their humanity.

Rounding out the program are pieces choreographed by W&L students, exploring themes of empathy, femininity and intimacy. Lily Petsinger ’24 and Angela Tu ’24 created “Duality,” which juxtaposes the humility and pride of women and highlights the power of combining femininity and ferocity. Elise McPherson ’26 choreographed “Geometry Lesson,” a contemporary piece exploring the boxes society places women in and Charlotte Peete ’24 choreographed “Sustained,” a contemporary ballet inspired by variations within the classical ballet “Sleeping Beauty.” Mishell Lin ’25 intertwines the desire for intimacy and tenderness with moments of empathy and vulnerability in her aerial work “Cherished,” and alumna Irina Koleva ’23 explores healing parts of ourselves that have been damaged with “Olive Trees,” a bungee duet.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket purchase information. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $14 for W&L faculty and staff and $8 for students.

For a full list of this season’s performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.

The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.