Cheyenne Howell, junior child development major and dance minor, works with artist-in-residence Cuauhtémoc Nájera Ruiz on her solo section in his Dance Works piece.
Artist-in-residence Cuauhtémoc Nájera Ruiz works with the dancers in his Dance Works piece.
NSU’s dance program will debut a new piece by artist-in-residence Cuauhtémoc Nájera Ruiz, the former co-artistic director of National Ballet of Mexico, at Dance Works on Nov. 21 and 22 in the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center.
Nájera Ruiz’s created the piece during his two-week residency earlier in the semester. During his residency, Nájera Ruiz also hosted an intermediate ballet masterclass for students.
Nájera Ruiz’s piece explores ideas of individuality, emotion and self-expression using ballet and contemporary movement.
“The choreography isn’t about something specific,” Nájera Ruiz said. “It’s about what the dancers are feeling in the moment, about who they are. I want the audience to connect with them and what they’re expressing.”
Elana Lanczi, associate professor and director of the dance program, said that Nájera Ruiz’s residency gave students the experience of working in a professional rehearsal environment.
“They’re rehearsing for longer hours in a condensed time frame, which is what it’s like in a professional company,” Lanczi said. “That kind of experience is rare to get while still in college.”
Cheyenne Howell, junior child development major and dance minor, is one of seven dancers in the piece. She said that working with Nájera Ruiz challenged her to grow her dance technique and artistry.
“The piece is more of a ballet-contemporary work, which we don’t do a lot of here,” Howell said. “I had to get my ballet skills back and adjust to what he likes to see visually. It’s definitely not something I’m used to, but it’s been a cool process of learning it.”
Howell said that the fast-paced experience was the most rewarding part of participating in Nájera Ruiz’s piece.
“We started with nothing and, in just two weeks, created a full five-minute work,” Howell said. “It’s been really inspiring to learn from someone who brings such a different perspective and background to the studio.”
Howell said the piece differs from other pieces in this year’s Dance Works due to Nájera Ruiz’s international influences and personality in the choreography.
“It’s his style, his movement and his story,” Howell said. “He shared a lot about his background and experiences in Mexico, and I hope the audience will see that reflected on stage.”
For Nájera Ruiz, the goal of the piece is for the audience to connect emotionally with the dancers and see their individuality.
“If the final result is happy or sad or something in between, that doesn’t matter to me,” Nájera Ruiz said. “What matters is that the audience feels something real and connects with what the dancers are living on stage.”
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