This was originally published in the Principia College Alumni Dance newsletter, Back at the Barre (Issue #9 - March 2011).
Christine Dunbar’s “Backstage Past” column takes a look at the Principia Dance programs over the years.
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Greetings Dance Alumni and Friends!
In this edition of BATB, I would like to share Principia College graduate David Wilck’s professional experience in the field of Dance.
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, David (at right, with Stewart Levin, left, in 1983; photo courtesy of Amy Nickell) developed a passionate interest in Dance. He studied dance techniques, choreography, participated in the Dance Productions as choreographer, performer, crew, and photographer and enrolled in the new academic course offering, “Understanding Dance” which had this description in the course catalog:
David’s classmates, who pioneered this course, included: Renee Chenue, Brad Heinig, Sylvia Hofflund, Victoria Miner, Deena Rohrer, Marcia Satterwhite and Gigi Schmiett. The class met in the Russian Room of The School of Nations.
As Principia’s Dance instructor at the time, I remember having a discussion with David Wilck’s parents regarding their concern about their son’s growing interest in dance studies versus other academic class options. I recall assuring his parents David was nurturing a talent and this was a good time for him to experience and put in to practice his new found passion for Dance. We all were glad he persisted, because David’s professional life after graduation included work as a Dance Critic for The Christian Science Monitor.
David invited me to join him at Lincoln Center for a performance of the New York City Ballet while on a dance criticism assignment for The Monitor. I was delighted to see him put his knowledge of Dance to work! The highlight of the evening came while turning around in my audience seat to see Anna Kisselgoff sitting behind us doing the same job for The New York Times. Anna Kisselgoff was and continues to be a highly respected and admired Dance Critic in the World of Dance. Born in Paris, she served as Chief Dance Critic for The New York Times from 1977-2005. What a joy it was to see my former student working alongside her that night!
Years later, (remembering David after his early passing) I logged on to The CS Monitor’s Archives and read several of his published articles. Below are some short excerpts:
June 27, 1984 edition-- “Graham at Jacob’s Pillow: Powerful”
…“Above all, it must be remembered that Martha Graham is a master of emotions. This is the wellspring of her technique, and of her classic works, many of which were presented during last week’s performances. One of her all-time favorites, and an excellent example of this great emotional power, is “Errand into the Maze (1947).” This is a woman who comes face to face with her worst fears - and overcomes them. The theme is basic to the human struggle, and in the hands of two finely tuned Graham dancers, its message of struggle and triumph is undeniably powerful.”….July 26, 1984 edition -- “Clogging in Maine; Maine-ly Dance”
“….the spirit of dance was revived the next evening when I stumbled upon “Old Home Days” in Harrison--you know, the guys from the Lions Club cooking fried chicken, the Ferris wheel, and kids running everywhere. Here, upon a broad wooden stage and in front of farmers in lawn chairs, was displayed some of the snazziest and most spirited dancing I’ve seen in months. It’s clogging--a countrified forerunner of tap-dancing--set to swinging string-band music….”August 1, 1984 edition--”International Dance Leaps Into The Olympic Arena”
…“For those looking for a unique cultural experience threaded with some dazzling individual dancing, the show was a big success. For those looking for precisions and dramatic or intellectual depth, it was something of a disappointment. But then those qualities are not what this African troupe sets out to exemplify, anyway. It’s stated purpose is to present “the virtues of the traditional and social life of a continent.”….August 13, 1984 edition-- “Olympic Arts: The Night the San Francisco Ballet Turned Superficial”
“It’s almost as if the San Francisco Ballet thought it was playing Las Vegas. Here it was in Los Angeles at the prestigious Olympic Arts Festival, and the show it put on-a 16-piece repertory evening full of glitz, glitter, and blatant sensuality-was an embarrassment, not only to the company but to its country…Thankfully, the second half improved. In fact, probably the best piece of the evening came just after intermission. “Song for Dead Warriors” is a five-man elegy to heroic American Indians…The dancing, for the first time in the evening, was compelling, and even thrilling at points. And the choreography was nearly brilliant in its marriage of traditional Indian and modern balletic movement. It was a moving statement about the heritage of the West,…”Sept. 11, 1984 edition- “Choreographer at the Cutting Edge: Beth Soll’s World of Wit and Wonder”
“…[Beth Soll’s] dances, while complex, are considered by local observers to be some of the most provocative, entertaining, and deeply thoughtful being created today. She is part of the “Next Wave,” a movement of choreographers, musicians, and other artists whose work is marked by splashy multimedia collaborations (mixing dance, music, theater, video) infused with neoclassical attitudes (viewing art as a search for truth). Increasingly making itself felt in the music videos, on Broadway, and at theaters around the country, “Next Wave” stands at the cutting edge of contemporary art.”…November 8, 1984 edition- “Profound, Perplexing Sankai Juku”
“The lobby was jammed. When an anxious crowd tried to press into an understaffed Boston Opera House recently to see Sankai Juku - the popular new Japanese avant-garde dance company - chaos erupted. Irate people pushed and shoved, while others tried to relax and wait out the storm. When we finally burst through the two small openings to the theater, there was a tremendous feeling of release, of calm and order restored. Watching Sankai Juku is very much like the above scenario: It is a form of dance-theater that speaks of tension and release, anxiety and peace, confusion and order.”…November 15, 1984 edition- “Balanchine Celebration”
..“After a rather inauspicious season-opening “Giselle,” the company reignited its esprit de corps with a vibrant “Balanchine Celebration” at the Wang Center for Performing Arts. Leading the revival was Christopher Aponte, whose emotionally exhausting performance as the Prodigal must have pleased the man who first danced the role - Edward Villella (whom the company had brought in to coach this production). When Aponte, bruised and beaten, crawled and scratched his way back home in the third scene, the crowd was crawling with him, and when he arrived, the hall erupted with applause.”….
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So there you have a sampling of David’s professional experiences as a Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor. Would he have been prepared to serve as a Dance Critic without his hands-on experience as a serious student of dance? A serious student of dance needs to know something of those who have gone before as they embark upon their own dance career. And a dance career includes more options for the serious student of dance than just being a performer.
Long live Dance at Principia!
Christine Dunbar
(C’77, Faculty ‘78-’82)
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