Theater and dance students will perform at Meijer Gardens

Grand Valley theater and dance students will combine their talents to perform “FRAGILE” at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Saturday, February 22, at 2:22 p.m. 

Access to the performance is included with the cost of admission to Meijer Gardens. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean's office will cover the admission cost for students who bring a valid GVSU ID.

“FRAGILE” was created by Demetria Thomas, assistant professor of theater, and Edgar Page, assistant professor of dance. They said the piece has provided interdisciplinary opportunities for faculty and students, resulting in a performance that engages its audience visually and auditorily.

“There is movement and text in sculpture,” Thomas said. “And, I love being able to see these three art forms of sculpture, theater and dance live together.”

The purpose of “FRAGILE” is to explore the many facets of fragility and strength. While developing “FRAGILE,” Page and Thomas said they drew inspiration from moments of fragility in their own lives. 

“How do I create in this space of perceived fragility and how can I name what is fragile?” Page asked. “In order to do that, we have to name the opposite of fragile.”

This performance also bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world experiences for theater and dance students. “Each of the performers in this piece is not just a dancer, they are the creative collaborators and choreographers. They are the ones who are generating the content that the audience is coming to see,” Page said.

Thomas and Page hope that performances like “FRAGILE” will inspire students to continue working collaboratively on creative ventures in the future.

Thomas said: “When you cross-pollinate artistic disciplines, students start to see the world differently and process stimuli in a much more present way. They become more well-rounded artists.”

– Annie Petitt is a student writer for University Communications.