April 2, 2018
By Rachel Walton
The rehearsal process for West Side Story has been a long one – but something magical happens as tech week begins and all of the theatrical elements of a performance come together. Beginning with our first sitzprobe rehearsal on Sunday, our musical director, Parmer Fuller, led the orchestra in transforming and filling the theater space with sound.
March 26, 2018
By Kaylin Sturtevant
At USC Kaufman, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to train closely with artist in residence Victor Quijada, where he teaches us his RUBBERBAND method, developed with his diverse background of breaking, hip hop, classical, and contemporary styles. After working with him for a month at the start of the semester, we actually got to see Quijada’s method translated onto the stage when his Montreal-based company, RUBBERBANDance Group, performed in a USC Visions & Voices concert in Bovard Auditorium.
March 18, 2018
By Alyssa Myers
There is a journey in collaboration that is uniquely humbling. I am so glad that my fellow colleagues and I were able to experience this journey through a project with composers; for the sophomores’ Choreographers and Composers showing, we were given the opportunity to work alongside composition majors from the Thornton School of Music.
March 11, 2018
By Jackie Schiffner
It is so rare to see process happening onstage. We are so used to seeing the finished product, often with the audience so far removed from the performers that it is difficult to see their faces. At USC Kaufman, we have the unique opportunity to present our process to an audience in a much more intimate setting through our midterm showings.
March 7, 2018
By Chloe Kuka
It’s that time of year for high school seniors—a frenzied period of checking email inboxes and refreshing application portals obsessively. It’s college admission letter season! With the April 1 decision deadline fast approaching, we asked freshmen Zack, Londyn, and Matthew about how they got through the stressful but exciting period of time between applying and auditioning for colleges and receiving their admissions decisions.
March 5, 2018
Creativity, authenticity, and originality. Anthony Denaro, aka YNOT, encapsulated all three of these properties during his residency at USC Kaufman. YNOT truly represents the essence of a hybrid artist, and it was such an honor to be a part of his choreographic process.
February 27, 2018
By Rachel Walton
The USC Kaufman audition season is a very exciting time for the current BFA dance majors. Personally, I love getting to know new people, so I jumped at the opportunity to meet potential future classmates. I was even inspired me to do things most would never volunteer for on a weekend: waking up at 6 a.m. and spending approximately 10 hours in the Kaufman International Dance Center, both Saturday and Sunday.
February 26, 2018
After seeing Kidd Pivot’s performance of “Betroffenheit” on Thursday evening, I was rendered quite literally speechless. And sure, I was being a little dramatic, but I wasn’t the only one who reacted strongly–tears were not scarce in the audience.
February 21, 2018
By Chloe Kuka
It’s been almost a month, but we can’t stop thinking about the insane talent of all the dancers who traveled to L.A. to audition for our program! However, the auditions couldn’t have run smoothly without the help of our current student volunteers, who did everything from hosting auditionees in their dorm rooms to making coffee runs for the professors. We asked freshmen Alex, Aurora, Evan, and Zach about their experiences helping out with auditions for the class of 2022.
February 18, 2018
This past Tuesday we had the great honor of exploring with Lucky Plush Productions ensemble members Michel Rodriguez Cintra and Meghann Wilkinson. Working with them after having seen them perform the night before was very exciting because of the show’s high energy.