Since 1989, Veselica International Dance Ensemble has presented the St. Olaf student body with dances from around the world. Founder and Artistic Director Professor Anne von Bibra started the group to share her passion for global folk and community dance traditions with her students outside the classroom.
Veselica aims to bring St. Olaf’s mission of global engagement to the college’s dance community by creating performances “with a global perspective that strives to spread awareness of dance from around the world.”
Elizabeth Leeser ’23 joined Veselica after working with the group during her first-year company dance show. “The company dance show is my favorite performance of the year because you get introduced to many different kinds of dance,” Leeser said of the experience, which led to her joining the group as a non-dance major.
Many dances Veselica performs come from folk traditions, particularly partner and community dance. During the COVID-19 restrictions on campus, the group needed to adjust its rehearsal practices to reduce contact. Leeser believes that the reinstatement of close-contact dancing shows the importance of these practices to the group and many global dance styles.
One of the other essential tenets of Veselica is teaching by guest artists, choreographers, and various professors. This February, two guest artists from the Basque region visited St. Olaf to teach Veselica a traditional Basque choreography.
A donor paid to host the guest artists and plans to sponsor bringing choreographers to campus once again. Professor von Bibra hopes to bring in another guest artist for the fall semester so the group will have plenty of time to rehearse for their spring concert.
The Basque guest artists who visited earlier this semester are known for their creativity. They teach altered versions of the traditionally gendered dance style to incorporate elements of men and women in movement and costume. Veslica will perform this piece in their program and works from many other cultures.
Countries represented on the program include Ghana, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Spain. Additionally, the program contains a suite of dances from the Veracruz region of Mexico choreographed by Sugey Romero Sagero ’24. Professor von Bibra’s 2016 fusion piece to “Blue Rondo a la Turk ” is also on the program.
Dances in this year’s spring concert will include various forms and performers. This one to two-hour show will feature individual, small group, and full company dances.
The annual Veselica International Dance Ensemble spring concert will be held in the Center for Art and Dance’s Wagner-Bundgaard Studio. Performances will take place on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. and April 22 at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.
