Advertisement
The youth performing troupe of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will perform “Dance Chronicles” for its annual spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre.
 |
Dancers from left, Dot Armstron, Katie Harbinson, Clara Bruner and Adelle Vietor will perform in the Dance Repertory Company’s "Dance Chronicles" that opens Friday night in St. Mary’s Page Theatre in Winona. (Photo by Andrew Link/Winona Daily News) |
Among the more than 30 dancers are the Vietor sisters: 20-year-old Jacqueline, Kaitlyn, 15, and Adelle, 13. All were dancing by the time they were 4.
Jacqueline used to dress up her younger sisters in fancy outfits and make them dance to routines she choreographed in the family’s basement. “Dance was always my passion,” Jacqueline said.
The sisters can’t remember a time when they weren’t dancing, although Jacqueline took almost two years off from dance after high school.
“When I go in now and take a class, I really try to absorb it,” Jacqueline said. “I feel lazy when I’m not dancing.”
Some people get songs stuck in their heads. The sisters fixate on dance rhythms.
“I love doing ballet, but think tap is more fun,” Kaitlyn said.
“It’s cool to hear different sounds you can make with your feet,” Adelle said.
The concert includes contemporary ballet, jazz, modern, tap and hip hop. Students have worked with visiting guest artists, as well as current MCA faculty. Choreographers include Jessica Draskoci-Johnson, Juliana Piscitiello, Tammy Schmidt and Dustyn Martincich.
Martincich, 25, is from Joliette, Ill., and choreographed a jazz piece for the recital. Jazz has always been her favorite form of dance. “There’s a get-down quality to it. It’s a human rhythm,” Martincich said.
She came to Winona in August to work as a guest faculty member at Winona State University. She will head back to Joliette after the show.
The daughter of dancers, Martincich has been dancing since she was 3. By the time she attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, she wanted to study anything but dance. Then a few theater friends told her they needed dancers.
“Evidently that was a sign,” Martincich said. “Dance kept walking back into my life, and now it’s my career.”
Contact Käri Knutson at kknutson@winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3523.
