State of LA Danse

The Dance Program presented the 24^th annual production of State of LA Danse in the Ducrest-Gilry Auditorium in Angelle Hall November 16-19

The concert, the twenty-fourth annual production, is reflective of the Dance Program’s mission to present a program that offers a balance between classical ballet and modern dance while also striking a balance between the reconstruction of recognized masterworks and the premieres of original choreography by established and emerging Louisiana choreographers.

The 2017 production of State of LA Danse included five dances that served to fulfill our mission. Resident faculty artist and choreographer Marie Broussard restaged Michel Fokine’s Romantic Era ballet Les Sylphides (1908). Broussard chose this ballet that, at the time it was made, was radical in its approach and served as the harbinger of the most important choreographic trend of the twentieth century and as a precursor to the work of George Balanchine. Les Sylphides is a non-narrative ballet blanc described as a “romantic reverie” and is frequently cited as the first ballet to be simply about mood and dance.

Two resident artists and adjunct faculty, Clare Cook and Sonia DeVille, also premiered work during State of LA Danse. Clare Cook, along with UL-Lafayette architecture professor Ashlie Latiolais, explored and responded with a 2017 interpretation of the 1917 masterwork Parade. Parade, created during World War I, was a collaboration among artistic luminaries that include: Jean Cocteau, who wrote the one-act scenario, choreography by Leonide Massine, music composed by Eric Satie, with set, costume and curtain design by Pablo Picasso. All of these artists came together to produce Parade for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes. Members of the Clare Cook Dance Theatre also performed along-side UL Lafayette dancers in this production.

Sonia DeVille concluded a three-year exploration into the cyclical nature of domestic violence in Threads. This timely work focused on the effect of domestic violence on individuals; the impact on families and the desperate need for greater awareness necessary to end the cycle of this invisible, unspoken menace.

We are proud to announce the addition of Brie Scroggs Castro and Whitney Willis Hebert to our extensive roster of Louisiana artists who have contributed to the State of LA Danse offering. Well known throughout the Acadiana region for their versatility as gifted performers and choreographers, Brittanie and Whitney premiered new dances made especially for State of LA Danse. To complete the evening, Brittanie chose to create an energetic contemporary ballet while Whitney worked on the theme of “thirst” contributing a new modern dance.