The Department of Dance hosted the performance-installation of video and live dance “On Reflection,” Wednesday and Thursday evenings, April 28 and 29th. The performance featured original choreography from well-known choreographer and graduate student Ruth Barnes. The performance also featured original music from distinguished composer, pianist, and College lecturer Barbara Bennett.

Specifically for the performance, the ARTS Building Performance Lab was transformed into a theatre-in-the-round, so that the audience could experience the show from all angles. The purpose of such a setup was to create “spatial and temporal disruptions” through differences in “two and three-dimensional images and spaces.”
The audience was then invited to travel the Lab freely, viewing the show from various angles.

The piece featured performances from dancers Erica Yamada, Erik Guzmán, Megan Maxwell and Mindy Weethee. It also showcased new music from Barbara Bennett and guitar contributions from Robert L. Scarano.

Barnes is well-known throughout the dance community; her work having been commissioned by the Scottish Ballet Moveable Workshop, Dancework (London), MoMing (Chicago), and the Northern Dance Company (Leeds), just to name a few. She was also the first American to receive a Fullbright Fellowship to work in Great Britain. “On Reflection” was created for partial fulfillment of the requirements for her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance.

Composer and pianist Barbara Bennett has taught a variety of music courses here at UCR. She received her B.M. and M.F.A. degrees from the University of Georgia. Currently she plays an active role in The College Music Society and the National Association of Composers, USA (NACUSA).