Dirty Dancing as collaborative research?
L-R, Cameo Lethem ’14, John Schneider ’14, Emily Pacilio ’12,
and Corry Ethridge ’14 discuss their project “Choreography
for the Camera” August 2 at the Faculty-Student Summer
Research Program final presentations.
Cameo Lethem ’14 is a double major in dance and neuroscience with newly acquired expertise
in dirty dancing.
This summer, the Hawaiian native was one of 77 students and 32 faculty members who
participated in the just-concluded 2012 Skidmore Faculty-Student Summer Research Program.
So, of course, she did dance research in dirt and in water. Dance research? In dirt
and water? Really?
Yes…
Titled “Choreographing Environments for the Camera,” Lethem, Corry Ethridge ’14, Emily
Pacilio ’12, and John Schneider ’14—under the guidance of dance professor Rubén Graciani—choreographed,
performed in, filmed, and produced two professional-grade dance movies in distinctly
different media.
“Stage work is very kinetic,” says Graciani, who plans on submitting both movies to
film festivals: see dirt and water. “I wanted to confine ourselves to spaces where movement was harder. And I also wanted
to deliver the product via video on the Web—another distinction from the standard
stage production. We wanted to push the envelope.”
Virtually every day, the dance team shot video and stills and headed back to campus
to review, discuss, and edit the latest material. Says Lethem, “You’re constantly
analyzing your own body movement. I also did a lot of outside research, looking at
footage of others dancing in dirt and in water. And internal research, too. You get
in touch with your own body. And you start asking the question, ‘How would I?’ ”
John Schneider '14 and Cameo Lathem '14 performing
their water dance.
Schneider, an economics major from Arizona who partnered with Lethem in the water
movie, particularly loved “telling a story with movement rather than through words
or speech.” He also conceded that his vision of both films was often different from
his peers. “I learned to let go of an idea I was very attached to,” he says. “It was
important to focus on the whole.”
“I took the hammer to some things,” admits Graciani, who plans on submitting the movies
to various film festivals (see movie links below). “I could feel the angst and tension
watching the students let go of it, then trusting me to destroy their work in the
interests of making something even better.”
The choreography project was one of 46 faculty-student research projects, ranging
from health issues such as obesity, malaria, and pyroglutamates (an uncommon amino
acid derivative); to topics such as the qualitative analysis of racially charged humor,
differential equations, and quasi-experimental design with artificial streams; how
children learn by watching adults, creating a large-scale tapestry weaving influenced
by Islamic art, and making computers run faster.
Since 1989, Skidmore’s summer student-faculty collaborative research has given students
the singular opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member. The research often
forms the basis for a senior’s honors thesis or can lead to published articles in
peer-reviewed academic journals. Long-term, participation can help students gain admission
to graduate schools or launch research careers. The program is made possible by the
generous support of many foundations, alumni, and friends. For the full list since
1989, click here.
Movie Links:
