25th Annual Perpetual Motion wows Sewanee

25th Annual Perpetual Motion performanceby Mary Morrison
Editor-in-Chief

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Perpetual Motion (affectionately known as PMo), Sewanee’s performingdance company. The2014 performances ran from April 3 – 5, and were free to the public, with donations accepted at the door. More than 60 dancers performed in 22 pieces, which were all student choreographed. The dances ranged in styles including ballroom, hip-hop, ballet, Irish and African. They also vastly varied in size, including four solos. “Being a soloist has definitely helped me grow as a dancer- I get so nervous before every performance still – but its a great exercise in confidence,” said PMo co-president, Kate Campbell (C’14).

The final dance, entitled “A Sexyhood of Man,” was quite the crowd pleaser. Brothers Audrey (C’16) and Fridien (C’17) Tchoukoua choreographed the all male piece, including homage to Beyoncé’s famous “Single Ladies” dance. Dancers in the Perpetual Motion performanceChoreographer Virginia Flowers (C’14) praised the piece, saying, “I’m sure anyone that saw the show will agree that the final number of the show, “The Sexyhood of Man,” was a highlight. I think it was the best All Guys’ number I’ve ever seen.”

Despite the quarter century on the Mountain, PMo underwent many changes this semester. Last August, Dr. Courtney World, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts, joined the Tennessee Williams Center faculty in order to teach dance. Campbell commented on the changes, “This year was the first year that Dr. World, the dance professor, has been at Sewanee, so it was really great to see Sewanee’s dance community strengthened in that way. The freshman class is also extremely talented and wonderful to work with. I can’t wait to see the course the show takes over the next few years!” PMo Media and Publicity Chair, Grace Shaw (C’15) added, “This year PMo had to obtain music copy rights for the first time… It was a hassle, but everything turned out ok.” Shaw edited the music for the show and helped with sound before the show, but was needed on stage during the performances. Running the show was trusted to the technical staff, Josie Guevara-Torres (C’15) and Chynna Miller (C’17).

Shaw lauded the decision to shorten the show to an hour an a half, calling it “By far our best decision this year.” Shaw was elected PMo president for 2014-2015. Shaw also added, “Everyone should do PMo. Come try out next fall, we welcome everybody to our show and love the diversity of the people who participate. Dance brings people together. You spend a lot of time with each other and naturally become really good friends. Some of my closest friends are people I met through PMo and I probably wouldn’t have met them otherwise.”