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Page 10 - The Michigan Daily- Friday, February 13, 1987
Impact offers dance with democracy
By Jose-Arturo Martinez
Who ever heard of a working
democracy in a dance company?
Most dance companies are better
described as benevolent dictator-
ships. Although it's a rare occur-
ance, the spirit of democracy is
alive and well at the University's
Impact Jazz dance troupe.
Impact Jazz is a University Act-
ivities Center sponsored, student
run dance company which will be
presenting a series of performances
this weekend at Lydia Mendelsshon
Theater. That in itself is not so
unusual; but what is unusual is that
there are about as many chor -
eographers for this concert as there
are dances.
"This has always been a com-
pany by the dancers for the
dancers," says Impact Jazz co-Chair-
person Melissa Bunney.
There are ten works scheduled to
be performed this weekend and
eleven choreographers are credited
with creating them. Everyone in the
company who has a desire to
choreograph is thus enabled the
opportunity.
The other significant difference
in Impact is that it does not allow
dance majors. The company was
founded in 1980 under the premise
that it would be a place where non-
dance majors who had a interest in
dance and performance could
perform.
Most of the dancers in the
program have backgrounds not
usually associated with dancers.
Majors of the students participating
this weekend include political
science, psychology, computer
science, and English. This goes for
Jenny Desar too, who is the artistic
director and co-chair of the
company. She began her career at
Michigan with a double major in
Math and English. Math?
"I'd always been good at math,"
said Desar. "The thing was I got
almost completely through my pro -
gram when I realized that I hated it
so I dropped it."
"I've danced since I was nine
years old and had continued it
through high school, but after I
started college I just dropped it,"
she continued, "Last year I took a
modern class here at U-M with
Peter Sparling and I guess the bug
just bit again." Desar has decided to
forego her career in law, an earlier
idea, and head back to her home
town of New York to immerse
herself in the dance world.
"I'm going to dance for as long
as I can in New York, and then I'm
sure I will probably go into arts
management when I'm done
dancing," she said.
Desar shares her position with
Melissa Bunney, which frees her
from the technical and business
details of running a company. It
allows her to instead focus on
creating and teaching dances, and to
worry about the company's per -
formances.
Though mostly a female
company, Impact Jazz does include
a small complement of male
dancers. Brad Appleton and Van D.
Knox III are currently the only men
in the group.
"I guess the reason we don't
have more men on the company,"
said Bunney, "is that those men
who are interested in dance are for
the most part already in the dance
school.,"
As usually happens at the end of
each school yeay, Impact Jazz will
undergo a transition in May. Co-
chairs Bunney and Desar are
graduating, and a number of the
company members will also be
moving on.
"We already have a couple of
people who are viable candidates to
take over next year," said Bunney.
"Though UAC actually does the
hiring, we have a lot of
independence in terms who the
company wants to have as its
directors. It's usually someone with
a lot of experience in the company.
We're fairly secure that the
company will carry on next year."
Impact Jazz Dance will be
presenting their annual concert
Friday and Saturday night at Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre at 8 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance
for $3.00 at the Michigan Union
Ticket Office or at the door for
$350.
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Boring 'Kindred' fails to thrill
4
By Brian Hall
Remember those good old days
back in high school when movies
like Friday the 13th were so fun to
watch? They were all about people
our age, having a good time, easy
sex, and forced to fight for their
lives against some bizarre killer. Of
course they were bad films, but we
loved them. (I didn't really, but it's
a good lead). Well, The Kindred is
just like that - except for the fun
to watch part.
Now that I've said that, I might
as well get to the point.TheKindred
is simply an awful movie. It has all
the necessary ingredients: poor
acting, pre-school writing, and as -
toundingly remedial direction. It
was sooo bad.
The Kindred is about these five
young genius-scientists. One scien -
tist's mother, yes mother, has been
fooling around with these "renegade
proteins" and hybridization tech -
niques, so they all hop over to her
house to investigate. Not much of a
premise, but I'm still hopeful.
When will I learn?
Well, the film goes on - and
on and on - with no cheap sex or
gruesome violence to keep my
interest, until finally, the hybrid
creation appears. But by now, who
cares? The director, who knows
nothing about suspense, kept me
on the edge of my arm-rest the
whole time. These would-be
Yuppie scientists were so boring, I
was sort of hoping the creature
would kill them off so I could go
home. No such luck.
Well, I know there's a lot left
out of this review, but I can no
longer handle the memories. Just
let me reiterate: no matter what
you do, do not go see this lame
excuse for a film. Let The Kindred
(even the name is stupid) die the
death it deserves.
--- ---- ---- -
V
r.
t.(
UMON
Ar ts
& Programming
This Neek at the Michigan Union.... .
February 15
"Women In The Arts":
A lecture presentation 'by artist &
UM alumna Janet Taylor Pickett.
3-5pm Kuenzel Room
February 19
Arts at Midday:
Tenor Ray Wade sings music by
John Carter, Handel, Mozart & others.
12:15pm Pendleton Room
I
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OPEN TILL MIDNIGHT 7 DAYS A WEEK
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The University Activities Center presentation of
Impact
Jazz Dance
In Performance
February 12 13 14
8:00 p.m.
Mendelssohn Theatre
Michigan League
For more information cal{ 763-1107
Tickets $3.00/advance $3.50/dor
Available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office
}'
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Drop by the,
Academic Resource Center
Room 219
Undergraduate Library
Monday - Friday,
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