Dancers participate in a lighting and tech rehearsal for #mentalhealthDaNCe2U. Credit: Alana Van Slovis | For The Lantern
Dancers from Ohio State and BalletMet Dance Academy are combining their skills to bring more than just a performance to the stage in an upcoming collaborative tour.
The Ohio State Department of Dance and BalletMet 2 will launch a tour of Ohio State campuses Friday, performing “#mentalhealthDaNCe2U,” intended to show how dance can open up a discussion about ways to talk about social or global issues, Valerie Williams, a professor of dance and a co-creator of the tour, said. BalletMet 2 is a student performing company that trains, rehearses and performs with the professional BalletMet company.
To create the tour, Williams worked with Nena Couch, head of special collections at University Libraries; Mara Frazier, curator of dance at University Libraries; and Ambre Emory-Maier, director of education for BalletMet and associate director of BalletMet 2.
BalletMet’s segment, a performance of George Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments,” depicts the four humors of ancient Greek philosophy — sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic — which influence the body’s emotions, while Ohio State dancers will perform Anne Sokolow’s “Rooms,” dealing directly with people’s relationship with aspects of mental health, Williams said.
“The choreographer has suffered from mental illness, which allows for empathy,” Meledi Montano, first-year in dance and performer in “Rooms,” said. “By being in the dance, you’re putting yourself in the position of someone with mental illness who’s grappling with how to navigate through life.”
Following the performances, a panel will be held to discuss mental health issues, featuring Laura Lewis, assistant director of the Suicide Prevention Program at Ohio State, and Jordan Vajda, a member of University President Michael V. Drake’s Suicide and Mental Health Task Force and a third-year medical student.
“A lot of issues are hard to talk about, especially mental health,” Gianna Buffano, a second-year in dance and performer in “Rooms,” said. “As artists, it is part of our responsibility, through an art form where we have this ability, to communicate through dance.”
“#mentalhealthDaNCe2U” will premiere Friday and will continue through April 26. The event is free and open to the public. More information on performance times and locations can be found at Ohio State’s Department of Dance website.
