“Aoibhneas” is a full-length contemporary dance created by Hannah Feldhues, a senior with Arts Administration and Marketing majors, dance minor, and College Fellow at Elon University. This production is the final thesis of her undergraduate research project. Mentored by Assistant Professor in Dance, Renay Aumiller.
Elon College Fellow Hannah Feldhues will present “Aoibhneas,” a virtual dance concert, April 23-25. The performance is the result of a two-year choreography research project that investigates how semiotic theory can be implemented into dance composition to discover how audiences perceive meaning.
Dance movement is an artistic experience that utilizes and interacts with our inner emotions while also representing the larger context of the world around us.
Semiotic theory is the science of signs and when applied to dance movement can be a way for understanding how meaning is created and conveyed to an audience.
The final choreographic work, featuring Elon dance majors and minors, will blend the ideas of perception and reality, through the lens of escapism. The full-length work will feature seven vignettes all inspired by the ideas previously mentioned.
It wanders somewhere between the realms of reality and enchantment; weaving the movement and atmosphere into a journey. The windy path of one’s life, containing protruding branches makes it hard to tell what is real and what is a simple trick of light and shadow. The ideal reality we create for ourselves could be just as sinuous as the one we are already living and filled with faults of its own.
There is a dilemma in deciding when to push forward on the path and when to turn around. One must decide what they are willing to give up on the journey of escape and if the magic and the joy are worth the risk. Can we work to find the bits of magic in our present reality or are we only looking to escape?
This 30-minute long performance piece will be presented in a virtual format. It will premiere on April 23 at 7:30 pm and will continue through April 25 at 10 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public.
To remain updated on the production process, cast, and performances follow aoibhneas.performance on Instagram, @aoibhneas.danceperformance on Facebook, and check out the website at https://hfeldhues.wixsite.com/mysite. The performance link will also be available on these channels.