In a departure from the norm, Daniel McCusker Dance Projects will present its latest creation to the Tufts campus this weekend. The diverse group features 16 non-student dancers of all shapes and sizes whose ages range from 23 to 60. Despite their differences, they have one thing in common: Daniel McCusker.
McCusker has been active in the Boston dance community since he moved into the area 14 years ago. He teaches classes not only at Tufts but also at the Dance Complex in Central Square. Many of the dancers in this weekend's show have taken lessons from McCusker and were invited to be part of Dance Projects after expressing special interest or aptitude during lessons. Others met McCusker during his own career as a dancer and choreographer.
The piece, "Jupiter," lasts 25 minutes and features four smaller 'satellite' dances drawn from material in the larger piece. The dance's celestial name references its form, which evokes a large planet with orbiting moons.
"Who knows what associations people have with Jupiter?" McCusker said. "It seems to describe something really specific, but if you ask someone what they know about Jupiter, it wouldn't be a lot. That seemed really appropriate for dance. I'm not doing something narrative, and I want people to come and be prepared to be open-minded about what they're going to experience. That's what modern dance is about: you, the viewer, kind of imaginatively finish the experience."
While there is no story behind "Jupiter," it is possible to find meaning in the piece's movement. From an aesthetic perspective, the piece is beautiful but not conventionally so. It continually surprises the viewer.
Joelle Garfi, an experienced dancer who performs in "Jupiter," says she is drawn to McCusker's choreography for its appearance and the way it makes her feel when she dances it.
"His style of movement is very clear and very clean with beautiful lines," Garfi said. "I enjoy dancing it because moving like that has moments of soaring. I feel like I'm almost flying."
An interesting aspect of McCusker's process is his collaboration with his dancers. He asks them to create movements inspired by a series of words like "loop, fold, shake," a series of pictures or even crochet instructions. These movements are then incorporated into a larger piece.
"He's kind of like a collage artist how he pieces everything together," dancer Rebecca Lay said. "He allows your own movement to be integrated into the concert."
For McCusker, the overall aim of "Jupiter" is to challenge its audience to think in new ways.
"More than anything else, I want to communicate the idea of investigation or exploration," McCusker said. "That's another reason I liked the name 'Jupiter' - it evokes this image of backyard astronomers investigating the cosmos. Beyond that I think there are some very beautiful things to just look at in the dance, and that's a big attraction for me. I'm interested in things I find beautiful - but not conventionally, not in the sense of you go to ballet and everyone is beautiful."
"Jupiter" will be an exploration not only of dance but also performance space. The show will take place in Jackson Dance Lab, which McCusker chose for two reasons.
"It's a very nice space," McCusker said. "That's the major reason. The other part of it is kind of curiosity, wondering if an audience that is not a Tufts audience will go to Tufts for a performance."
Margo Caddell, the show's lighting designer and a lecturer in the department of drama and dance, thinks that "Jupiter" will show audiences the dance lab's huge potential.
"The space has been recently renovated, and I think many college dance programs would be jealous of it," Caddell said. "I think it shows how much we can do in the space with time, extra money and care."
Caddell believes that even students who have never seen modern dance before can enjoy "Jupiter."
"It's a very modern-based dance," she said. "If you're someone who's looking for storyline, you're not going to get it. The movement is loose and controlled at the same time. It's very abstract without being too far out there. No one is going to be freaked out by it. It's a different form of communication."
"Jupiter" will have feature accompaniment, including a performance on accordion by Tufts' own Michael McLaughlin.
The dance will be in Jackson Dance Lab tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. There will also be an hour-long dress rehearsal, free and open to the public, tonight at 8 p.m.
