University Dance Society celebrates 50th season with ‘Aureum’
Published:Monday | March 25, 2024 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
A grand fanfare that paints dreams of jetés, plies, pirouettes and silhouettes in glitter and gold fashion. That’s what awaits patrons as the University Dance Society (UDS) celebrates its 50th season with a tapestry of art meets movement dubbed ‘Aureum’.
“Well, the name Aureum means ‘for gold’ or ‘mixed with gold’. Seeing that it’s our 50th season, and the big 50 usually resonates with the colour gold, we decided it was best suited for the grand occasion. Gold is usually of the highest standard as it relates to value. And I believe our dances [are] of the highest standard, so that is the connection there,” UDS president, Shamike Gordon, told The Sunday Gleaner.
Open to all university students, the society provides a space for those who want to learn movement and others who are looking to hone, further their technique and participate in performances. The genres explored in classes and on the big stage range from modern contemporary and jazz, to folk, hip hop and dancehall.
Dancing for as long as she can remember, Gordon joined the society almost two years ago as a means of self-expression and to ease the stresses of her scholastic pursuits. “This is a free space; somewhere that I can just let go, whether it’s about school stress or personal issues. I’m able to leave everything on the dance floor.”
“I’ve been in productions since I was three years old. So, to put on one and be the head of it is really fulfilling. Seeing what my mother went through as a dance teacher came full circle [and] my experience has been interesting and enlightening,” she shared.
Her role has been both challenging and fulfilling. Never could she have imagined that she would be the president leading the charge for such a significant mark in history, “The 50th is a big number, so there’s a lot of pressure, but I’ve received a lot of support from alumni members like Maria Hitchins, Kyisha Patterson and Kareen McLean.”
The Sunday Gleaner was able to go behind the scenes and see the technical rehearsal for one of the spectacles ahead of this weekend’s opening. Orchestrated by Liane Williams, her dance titled Walk Good, speaks to the local culture in one breath, as it means to send someone off, wishing him or her well. But, on a personal note, this piece pays tribute to someone she holds near and dear to her heart, her late father.
“Recently, my father passed, and I wanted to do a tribute to him; something that embodied him, his walk and his trod in life. I wanted to depict in this piece a strong Jamaican man on his journey and I wish him all the best, wherever he transitions to, and that he must walk good. I thought the best society to bring that inspiration to life with was UDS.”
As a member of the society for two decades, Williams was able to not only shine as a dancer but discover new creative paths and make a seamless transition into engineering signature movements coined by her dancers as ‘Lianism’.
“My style of dance is a fusion of reggae, modern contemporary and sometimes a little dancehall. I wanted to see the popular music that I liked have more depth and be abstract; not just we’re dancing in the club, but we’re evoking feelings and telling a story,” she said, adding, “Because my dancers in pieces over the years saw this as something that only I did, they called it Lianism.” She is truly honoured to be selected as an artiste to showcase her vision for this milestone event.
Other esteemed choreographers whose works are being showcased include dean of School of Dance at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), as well as the artistic director for the National Dance Theatre Company, Marlon D. Simms; associate artistic director for Company Dance Theatre (CDT) Arts, Renee McDonald; adjunct lecturer at EMCVPA Orville McFarlane, artistic director for UDS, Kareen McLean, along with alumni members Catherine Reid and Jonae Virgo.
The 50th anniversary season, which raised its curtains yesterday, is scheduled to grace the stage for one more time tonight at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts.
“For this season, you can look forward to seeing a lot of diversity on stage. There are dances with a lot of technique involved, others which focus on cultural imagery. There are those that are being remounted from previous seasons, so it’s definitely going to feel nostalgic for some members of the audience. And then there is going to be an alumni dance as well. So it’s going to be a wonderful experience. We have a lot in store for them, so they will be intrigued from the very start to curtain call,” Gordon revealed.