By Amy Shaunette

The 2008 fall dance concert, “Worlds Within Worlds,” premieres this Friday. Featuring the work of 12 faculty and student choreographers, the show is centered around the theme of building worlds. Performances cover a vast range of subject matter, drawing inspiration from everything from Janis Joplin to Japanese landscapes. And of course, the fall dance concert features the notorious naked dance. The so-called “naked dance,” which is officially titled “See and Be Seen,” has been the topic of much conversation and rumor this fall. The dance is Emily Gastineau’s senior thesis. Gastineau, a WGSS major and dance minor, said she has considered choreographing a nude dance for years.

“I started with nudity as the subject matter itself rather than the effect of some other concept, because I was-and continue to be-interested in it as a social experiment,” Gastineau said. “It’s been very specific to the context of Macalester, because in some places a naked dance would be totally unremarkable and in others it just wouldn’t be done, but we’re somewhere in the middle.”

Gastineau hopes the audience approaches the piece “with respect and a willingness to question their own role in viewing the performance.”

“Worlds Within Worlds” also showcases work from student choreographers Molly Griffard, Cassie Veach, Tempestt Gilmore, Laina Copely, and Susana Hostetter. Like most Macalester dance concerts, audiences can expect a variety of styles, ranging from hip-hop to ballet to modern dance.
The dance concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday. Nov. 22 and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23 in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center.