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Kiana Smith, bottom, Nicole Dlug, left, Brenden Gregory and Katie Leenig are some of the dancers who will be featured in "The 7 Deadly Sins."
Dance show to bring ‘7 Deadly Sins’ to life
February 10, 2014
Pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed and sloth will take the stage for this year鈥檚 student dance show, 鈥7 Deadly Sins.鈥
The inspiration for the show, choreographed by adjunct theatre lecturer JoEllen Kuhlman, came from the song 鈥淵oung and Beautiful鈥 by Lana Del Rey.
鈥淭he song sounded like pride to me,鈥 Kuhlman said. 鈥淔rom there, I thought of the seven deadly sins.鈥
Performances of 鈥7 Deadly Sins鈥 are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, in the Anderson Center鈥檚 Chamber Hall. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for faculty/staff/seniors and $6 for students with ID.
Seven female dancers will represent each of the sins, and male dancers are featured in some of the segments 鈭 such as lust, envy and pride 鈭 to help tell each story, Kuhlman said.
Katie Leenig, a sophomore majoring in industrial systems engineering and a dancer who represents 鈥減ride鈥 in the show, said 鈥7 Deadly Sins鈥 is unique in that Kuhlman鈥檚 choreography presents the sins in a new way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a relatable interpretation of the sins,鈥 Leenig said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not stereotypical pride or stereotypical gluttony. Instead, it鈥檚 a more relatable and realistic interpretation of the sins.鈥
Brenden Gregory, a junior theatre major, agreed: 鈥淛o鈥檚 choreography has taken the essence of what each sin is, but presents it in a new way.鈥
鈥淭he motions themselves are equivalent to that of the sin,鈥 added Nicole Dlug, a senior majoring in biology and dance, who represents 鈥渨rath鈥 in the show. 鈥淭he dance moves for wrath are equally as frustrated and angry as one would feel emotionally, and that鈥檚 a common theme throughout the show.鈥
The movements are mainly a mix of modern and jazz, Kuhlman said.
The dancers also emphasized that costume, lighting and stage design will have an impact on the annual show.
Sarah Pogolwitz, a junior majoring in theatre/tech design and the stage manager for 鈥7 Deadly Sins,鈥 said working with dancers was a great experience.
鈥淒ancers don鈥檛 stop,鈥 she said.
Leenig said she believes that with the combination of Kuhlman鈥檚 choreography, the dancers鈥 abilities and the technical design, the show is set to be unforgettable.
鈥淭he entire show is so visually dynamic and exciting,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e familiar with dance or not, it is so pleasing to the eye. All the elements together create such a spectacular show.鈥
Gregory wants the audience to leave the Chamber Hall with an understanding and appreciation of how hard each person involved with 鈥7 Deadly Sins鈥 has worked.
鈥淓veryone has put in a tremendous amount of commitment and effort, and it shows,鈥 Gregory said. 鈥淭his show is not just a show. It鈥檚 an experience. We pull you in from moment one 鈭 and don鈥檛 let you go until the last moment.鈥