Viking_Yearbook_90

Judy Patton & Cotnpany "I like to keep taking on new and different projects, that's what interests me as a choreographer," said Judy Patton, coordinator of the Judy Patton and Company dancers. "There isn't a rigid formula for what you can or can't do, so it de– pends on what I feel like doing and what I think would pro– vide a good growth and challenge experience for the dancers." Judy Patton and Company, a professional dance troupe in residence at PSU consists of four female dancers, most of whom were trained in dance at PSU. The company is given rehearsal time, space, and use of the office facilities rent free although they must pay for all technical costs. Most of their projects are sponsored by PSU. The group performed a piece from their previous per– formance "The Wild Skies Trap" at Artquake last fall. They also hosted the Contemporary Dance Season for which the five best companies they could find were brought in to perform, according to Patton. They then began to work on some new material and started the Spontaneous Combustion Series. This series ran from February through May. All of the gallery performances took place in collaboration with either a sound or comedy group. Four performances on campus were with the Loose Screws, a comedy improvisational group. "We've been ex– perimenting on combining comedy improv with dance im– prov... feeding the forms together, so that it's not just actors doing comedy improv, but actors dealing with dancers and their movement at the same time," Patton said. · Another piece called "Pulse Impulse" was performed June 8-10. This piece brought two additional dancers in to work with the company. Plans for next year include an improvisational piece seb for next October called "Coextension I". This will include a musical improv, a dance improv, and an artist painting a piece on stage during the performance. Also, a new concert is planned for next March. "Contemporary dance is not the middle road America entertainment attraction by its very nature. When it does start getting very big, you begin to wonder if you're interesting enough," Patton concluded. -Michelle Keesecker. 54