Barefoot in the grass

Since she was 5, dance has been a major element of Josselyn Levinson's life. Her current ability undoubtedly comes from countless hours spent performing, generally within the conventional confines of dance studios and theaters. The recent opportunity to take her performance out of the studio and into nature was intriguing, if not a little intimidating. "I've never danced outside on the grass before. I think it adds to the beauty of the piece, but I think that it also adds quite a challenge," said Levinson, dancer and stage manager for Dance on the Quad. The grass of the Quad is where Levinson and eight other dancers found themselves at this year's Summer Arts Festival.

"Dancing on stage, we don't need to worry about having to step on bees or bits of glass," she said.

Levinson recently traveled to New York, but nature proved to be a less familiar performance space than a stage across the country. She worked as stage manager with no stage, and "behind the scenes" consisted of behind the cover of the Quad's cherry trees.

The difficulty of performing for an ever-changing and often-ambivalent audience of passersby also posed a challenge. But as a result, Levinson and the other dancers found the experience to be a rare opportunity to bring their art to a different forum and to reach a new audience.

"I want people to come and enjoy dance for its entertainment value, beauty or whatever else they get from it," said Levinson. "I would like everyone to be able to enjoy dance -- to have it be acceptable, and not feel like there's something that they are not understanding."

Although her piece only ran for three days, Levinson's work for Dance on the Quad began nearly a year ago when she was selected for the task of casting the other dancers. Possibly the most exciting aspect of her work, however, was the opportunity to work with choreographer Rob Kitsos. Kitsos has both choreographed and performed in dance pieces for Summer Arts Festival in past years.

"Rob is very creative and inventive. He has his own style that is unique to Rob and not anybody else," said Levinson.

Kitsos flew from Hong Kong to choreograph and rehearse Dance on the Quad. Although Levinson would have liked more than a short two weeks to rehearse with Kitsos, the additional pressure of being stage manager and a dancer in his absence added to the excitement of bringing her performance to a new scene and wider audience.