Now in its 50th year, UNLV’s dance department is among Southern Nevada’s oldest arts programs.
Led by department chair Louis Kavouras, UNLV Dance has performed -- and sent its graduates -- all around the world.
On February 27 and 28, it will produce a show called Universal Motions, featuring nine works by seven different choreographers. It will also highlight the work of a cultural icon who has loomed large in UNLV Dance’s curriculum, choreographer and dancer Erick Hawkins.
Some interesting tidbits about the department and the forthcoming shows:
- When Kavouras began developing the department after his 1992 arrival at UNLV — and his promotion to chair two years later — he not only established a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, he expanded it to include production and design. "We started to train students, not only to do the dancing on stage, but also to be dancers and artists who could do all of the lighting design, all the technical side of it," Kavouras said. "[We were] really looking at dance holistically, all parts of it." Student Lauren Kochheim elaborated: "We're always working on the show, both on the front end and behind the scenes. When I'm not rehearsing, sometimes I'm helping fix sculptures. I'm helping hang lights. I'm helping with scenic design — just all sorts of things."
- Kavouras wanted his students to be able to perform on the Strip. But he also wanted to widen their understanding and exposure to the greater dance culture. So he began developing relationships with dance organizations outside of Nevada, such as the Erick Hawkins Dance Company and the Korea National Sport University. And, more importantly, he got his students to pack their bags for performances around the globe. Next up: Georgia in May, with other performances planned for Germany, Australia, and Scotland.
- UNLV Dance has a long relationship with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. Kavouras began studying Hawkins' techniques in 1983 and became a principal dancer for the company in 1996. He eventually established the Erick Hawkins West Institute at UNLV, as well as the Erick Hawkins Dance Collection, which features historical set pieces, props, masks, and costumes. The company's current artistic director, Katherine Duke, has been working with Kavouras and UNLV since 2000, pushing Hawkins' legacy into the 21st century. "The universities today keep it alive, and it's super important," Duke said. "Erick was such an iconic figure and such a true mover and philosopher and lover of art that anyone would be excited by all the things he pulls together in his work."
- The Universal Motions performances will feature nine works by seven choreographers, mostly from UNLV faculty and Cirque du Soleil — and, of course, Hawkins, whose "Classic Kite Tales" will be recreated by students such as Kochhein. "What drew me to continue pursuing [UNLV's] performance and choreography BFA was actually the Eric Hawkins soul that lives in the school," she said. "That's something that no other school offers, and it's a great technique that I've since learned."
Guests: Louis Kavouras chair, UNLV Dance; Lauren Kochheim UNLV student and dance major; Katherine Duke artistic director, Erick Hawkins Dance Company
