By
Lisa Lucas
Arizona Daily Wildcat
David Dorfman does not limit himself to the role of choreographer. Rather, he said he believes in changing roles, as depicted in his current UA dance project "No Roles Barred."
Dorfman described his style of dance as "post-post modern" as it incorporates both modern and experimental movement.
"We use movements that don't spell everything out," he said. "I don't think that needs to happen."
"We have a real visceral connection to who we are as people, so even if we might not understand the literal quality of every movement I think we can get the 'moves' by the overall feeling of the movement - how the movement is put together and how it is performed," he added.
Dorfman said his company, David Dorfman Dance, has had experience with community participants re-discovering themselves through dance.
"Kraig (Kensinger), who's one of the participants (in 'No Roles Barred'), got so inspired in the workshop audition that he went out and said, 'OK, I'm quitting my job and I'm doing something different,'" Dorfman said.
Kensinger, a teacher for the extended university program SEEK (Summer Enrichment Education for Kids), has danced with Dorfman before.
He participated in "Familiar Movement: The Family Project" with Dorfman four years ago, when the company was last in Tucson.
He said dancing makes him feel "20 years younger" and added "any body can move."
Kensinger described Dorfman's style of dance as allowing participants "freedom to realize that everyone can express themselves by movement - (they) can find joy in movement."
Wade Colwell, community engagement director for the company and participant in "No Roles Barred," added to Kensinger's definition of dance.
"Dance is a universal language," he said. "We can all share in similar movements that convey emotion."
Colwell further described the message the piece is meant to convey to the dancers.
"(We, as performers,) are supposed to look at roles we play in our lives - juxtaposing what we think - looking at ourselves through movement and improvisation," he said.
Colwell added that the dance will "(break) down barriers of stratification" since its UA participants are from all walks of life. These participants include students, staff and even members of the Tucson community that are not affiliated with the university at all.
The Saturday performance includes 3 parts: "No Roles Barred," "Arts in Action," featuring the six-person dance company, and "To Lie Tenderly," which includes live music by composer Amy Denio.
