The Dance Program of the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University hosted New York City-based choreographer, educator and director Chaz Wolcott to stage a piece for the Fall Dance Concert, which will take place November 20-22. Wolcott, a dance artist most known for his appearance in “Newsies,” set an original work for AU dancers to perform. He also taught advanced tap and a large musical theatre masterclass that week, helping students sharpen their skills and experience the storytelling aspect of dance.
The dancers staged a performance exploring the everyday lives of commuters on a New York City subway.
Wolcott said, “You can watch people fall in love. You can watch people fall out of love. You can watch people deal with grief. You can watch people get a promotion. I’ve watched people book their first Broadway show on a subway to get a phone call while they’re sitting at a station… they get a phone call from their agent and they start breaking down, crying and screaming and all these strangers are celebrating with them.”
Further explaining storytelling through dance, Wolcott added, “The theme of any musical theater piece is that it has to be theatrical. It has to tell some kind of stories—challenging the students to come up with characters and work them into the dance so it’s not just them doing dance steps next to each other but trying to inhabit these characters and interweaving their stories in a way that we don’t always do in dance.”
Wolcott enjoyed spending time with students and faculty at Anderson, commenting, “They have great faculty that I have gotten to know while I was there. It’s always good to have a fresh perspective that gives them some reassurance that what they’re learning… it seems like we’re always aligned.”
Wolcott teaches at Marymount Manhattan University and a few professional dance studios in New York. He loves to travel and work with students at various institutions.
Lauren Imhoff of the Department of Theatre and Dance in the South Carolina School of the Arts asserts that bringing in an esteemed artist is an important way to support Anderson University’s pillar of Great Academics.
“We are also exercising great hospitality and great purpose as our students drive towards professional careers in this art form,” Imhoff said.
The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University trains professional visual, musical, and theatrical artists who are serious about both their art and Christian faith. More details about Theatre and Dance at Anderson University can be found online here.
