The Beat Goes on with "Percussion in Motion" at RU
Percussion in Motion combines music, art and dance in a multimedia, multisensory performance-art presentation.
Disciplines from the College of Visual and Performing Arts come together at Radford University on Thursday, April 12, for the third annual Percussion in Motion, a multimedia, multisensory performance-art presentation with electronics and interactive theatrics.
The RU Percussion Ensemble is collaborating with the RU Dance and Art departments on the pulsating performance, free and open to the public at 8 p.m. at the Performance Hall in the Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
Assistant Professor Robert Sanderl, who has coordinated the show since its inception in 2010, said, "It is such a creative rush to see all these elements begin as simple ideas in our own minds and then to be a part of the process as we bring it from concept to reality."
"For those of us in the field of performance art, it is critical to continually build your audience," Sanderl said. "By including multiple disciplines in our concerts, we offer something to a broader base of people."
"This is the third year we have worked with dancers and artists on our spring percussion ensemble program," Sanderl said. "I feel that we enhance each other's art forms and, in the process, bring something new and unique to those in attendance."
Performing in the show for the first time is Associate Professor John O'Connor, who will create digital visuals to accompany "Cloud Forest," one of his favorite percussion pieces.
Masked members of the RU Percussion Ensemble show how costumes and theatrics are part of the multimedia mix.
"Robert has done a superb job in creating a collaborative effort that spans several of our departments in the College of Visual and Performing Arts," O'Connor said of Sanderl. "I am excited to be a part of this performance, especially as a digital artist."
For his part, Sanderl said he is thrilled that O'Connor is bringing a new element to this year's production. "We are continually looking to break new ground," he said. "This will be a wonderful addition to what we have done in the past."
Giving encore performances at Percussion in Motion are Associate Professor danah bella as choreographer, her dance students and Professor Richard Bay, chair of the Department of Art.
Sanderl said part of the process is "brainstorming with everyone to see how we can break new ground in our performances and excite the audience more and more each time. When it is all done, our best hope is that we have created a new fan of what we do."