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North Allegheny students connect with New York troupe to stage an original work Wednesday, February 28, 2001 By Eve Modzelewski
The sophisticated combination of dance, music and digital media that burst onto stage Saturday at North Allegheny Senior High School was the collective brainchild of district students and members of a New York City dance troupe.
"Connect(Dis)Connect," an original production created and choreographed under the guidance of New York City dance troupe Troika Ranch, was intended as a commentary on the effects of the technology age on personal interactions.
Nine student dancers and a half-dozen student musicians performed in the piece, while about 200 other students from across North Allegheny School District helped with the production, working behind the scenes to operate cameras or create stage sets or animated images for the show.
Students and troupe members had just four days -- the length of the dance troupe's stay in the school district -- to translate the students' artistic styles and ideas into a performance.
Taking the stage Saturday night before the show, Mark Coniglio, artistic co-director for Troika Ranch, told the audience of about 300 that the show was a reflection of the students' interests and input. He called it "the beginning of a piece," rather than a completed work.
"Connect(Dis)Connect" was about 20 minutes of dance, music and digital projections. It mixed modern dance, break dancing and the spoken word.
The performance started with sounds of chaos: touch-tone telephones dialing, computer modems connecting, people talking at a frenzied pace. The musicians offstage were accompanied by a computer. Onstage, the performers appeared to dance with images of themselves, projected onto a large backdrop.
After the student show, Troika Ranch performed the Pittsburgh premiere of "Vera's Body," the troupe's signature piece, which also is an intriguing blend of multimedia.
Troika Ranch offers in-residence workshops to artists interested in digital media. Coniglio and his partner, Dawn Stoppiello, have worked in such places as Toronto; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Omaha, Neb.
The troupe's residency at North Allegheny gave students a chance to participate in a new wave of performance art, said Jim Reinhard, chairman of the art department for North Allegheny schools.
He first came in contact with the troupe over the summer when it was in residence for the Governor's Institute for Arts and Educators.
"I just felt they were both artistically very impressive and good with the kids," he said.
In addition, he said, the Troika Ranch program gave students in the district's multimedia arts and music composition courses a chance to see their classroom work showcased on stage.
Eve Modzelewski is a free-lance writer.
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