肉肉传媒

KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 13, 2021

Dance-for-Camera performance by Thang Dao and KSU Dance Co. students wins five awards

肉肉传媒鈥檚 Department of Dance is celebrating the achievements of professor Thang Dao and student dancers in 鈥渞un(A)way,鈥� a dance-for-camera work which premiered in October 2020 as part of 鈥淭hreshold.鈥� The first dance-for-camera event for 肉肉传媒 State, 鈥淭hreshold鈥� celebrated the diverse artistic voices of the KSU Dance community through original works performed by the award-winning KSU Dance Company. 

Dao鈥檚 piece 鈥渞un(A)way鈥� was chosen by the American College Dance Association (ACDA) to be featured in the ACDA's Screendance Festival Gala Concert 3 on April 10, making it the 7th national selection for the Department of Dance. The work was one of 30 dances selected from a pool of 152 applications from colleges and universities across the country. Additional laurels include Official Selections by the Paris Independent Film Festival (2021) and FilmFest by Rogue Dancer (March 2021), and Frostbite International Online Film Festival awards, one for Best Original Score and one for Dance Cinema Award. 

The work鈥檚 theme of escapism may be one reason why the performance resonated with so many people around the world, especially when it was not possible to escape the confines of a global pandemic. Dao said, 鈥淭he pandemic really forced us not to move, and yet, we all wanted to move in one way or another. It鈥檚 a critical part of our existence, and perhaps now, we appreciate it more.鈥� 

Ivan Pulinkala, Dean of the College of the Arts, said, 鈥淎chieving excellence with this film modality continues to advance our artistic spirit, despite the challenges of this pandemic. 鈥榬un(A)way鈥� is an outstanding work that is cinematically captivating, technically virtuosic and choreographically brilliant.鈥�  

The pandemic helped the choreographer see the technology available in a new light, and to use it creatively to represent time, space and physicality on the screen, a very different platform than a proscenium stage. But Dao looked at it as a unique opportunity. 

鈥淚t was a blank canvas for the dancers and me to explore with our limitations, to see how we could create dance with the film space in mind, and it was an open space for us to be creative. It required a different set of rules and regulations, but also gave us new potential, one we might not have explored if not for a pandemic,鈥� said Dao. 

鈥淭o be able to overcome these limitations and barriers that are not conventional for dancers鈥攍ike space, body, and physicality鈥攁ll these were disruptive. But we were able to adapt and still be creative, and it was captivating, accessible, and artistic, and we all learned from the experience,鈥� added Dao. 

Marsha Barsky, Chair of the Department of Dance, said, 鈥淲e are so proud of Professor Dao and our students, and we are thrilled that 鈥榬un(A)way鈥� has been honored in so many ways, and that the work has touched so many people, continuing to advance the mission of the arts at 肉肉传媒.鈥� 

Learn more about and watch the 鈥渞un(A)way鈥� . 

--Kathie Beckett