On a snowy day in Lubbock, I had the opportunity to visit with Alexandria Davis, one of the guest choreographers for the upcoming Flatlands Dance Theatre’s (FDT) Solo Series premiering in May. Alexandria chatted with me from her home in Michigan. She applied to be a choreographer for the upcoming FDT production and has been working with local dancer Anastasia Kim.
The two have had a collaboration thanks to the incredible technology which has the ability to link a talented choreographer in Battle Creek, Michigan with a gifted dancer in Lubbock, Texas. Davis has been teaching dance for approximately 16 years. She currently teaches high school dance in Battle Creek and wants to inspire her students to move and find the joy in dance – wherever they are.
I was fascinated with how choreography can take place from over one thousand miles away. Davis says that she searched the Visit Lubbock website to find the premier locations for each dance and sent Kim the props and asked her journal about the locations. They decided on water as the theme for this year’s Solo Series. In fact, Kim’s name in Korean means “water”.
After deciding on the locations for each solo performance, they began collaborating on the movements and inspirations behind the dance. The entire series will be filmed on location in Lubbock, Texas by the videographer of FDT and later sent to Davis for editing and approval.
Davis holds a degree in dance from the University of Florida and is also a graduate of the University of Michigan. She is working on her credentials for the highly regarded area of dance therapy and is currently a screen dance artist. During the COVID-19 shut down, she recorded herself dancing each day. She says dance is incredibly important to bring freedom, expression and movement and kept her looking ahead during the worst times of the pandemic.
Lubbock is proud to be the location for this guest choreographer and others and can’t wait to see the Solo Series to be presented in May. To view the production, tickets can be purchased on the FDT website. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
The Solo Series invites audiences to experience a one-of-a-kind opportunity to watch the Company’s incredible dancers perform a solo choreographed virtually by renowned guest artists from all over the world, including choreographers from South Korea, China, Brazil, and all across the US. Filmmaker Andrew Ina has created screendances located in some of Lubbock’s most compelling and beautiful sites. The work will bring world-class talent together in one evening of dance and is available through an easy virtual format.
