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IN THIS ISSUE Hat Trick Choreographing a Romance Evolution of a Biology Professor Sweet Rewards Academic Stepping Stone Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff… |
Choreographing a Romance Tempos are changing in the life of City College choreographer Alicia Rincon. Not only is Rincon designing the dance for West Side Story, the college’s big spring semester musical production, but she is also helping establish a respected dance program for the district while also maintaining her teaching duties and occasional public performances. “It’s a busy time,” Rincon said between classes and rehearsal for West Side Story. “Our dance program has really found an identity, and the talent of the students is obvious.” Several of those talented students are cast in West Side Story, the timeless tale of starcrossed lovers in Manhattan, separated by race and prejudices—a modern Romeo and Juliet. “This is among the most challenging of musical scores,” Rincon said. “Normally musical theater scores are fairly consistent in tempo, but this one is all over the place. The sudden changes are part of its mystique, part of what attracts us so much to this show. It’s a real work of art.” Rincon has a master’s degree in choreography from United States International University, and has been a respected dancer and choreographer in San Diego for nearly three decades, so she isn’t afraid to take chances—even with a familiar classic. “I went back and watched the show once on video, but I didn’t want to study it,” Rincon said. “I wanted something fresh, my own take. This is a show that is so multilayered, with acting, singing and dancing all involving high levels of skill, that creating your own approach just makes it all the more appealing.” It’s not that Rincon believed she could better the Oscar-winning work of original choreographer Jerome Robbins, but she desired to expand on his brilliance with some modest new touches of her own. She was helped by an enthusiastic, talented cast, and by the fact that this is a show that still strikes a cord with audiences. “I grew up in East Los Angeles, so I know about class and race differences,” Rincon said. “It’s the same friction that is in our culture today in many ways. What’s exciting to me about our show is that while it’s set in the same time period as when it was originally written, many of our cast members have a contemporary look, with piercings, modern hairstyles, tattoos. It’s the past meets the present in a story that is still useful, valuable.” Rincon has proved a valuable instructor for dancers in the district. Plans are in the works for associate’s degrees in dancing at City, Mesa and Miramar. The program has come a long way since Rincon began teaching at City College 24 years ago. “I was hired full-time eight years ago,” she said. “Before, the program was off-campus, in the gym and at Balboa Park. We never had a home until three years ago. Now the district’s dance program has found an identity. We’ve tripled enrollment.” Rincon, who with her twin sister, Patricia, produced and performed in San Diego’s popular Jazz Unlimited troupe before each began trying new things, has found a like-minded partner in City College theater director June Richards. “We think alike,” she said. “The groundwork has been connected for a prosperous and creative era of partnership between the district’s theater and dance programs.” Meanwhile, Rincon, co-director Richards, musical directors Jerry and Terry Fenwick and set designer Duane Gardella prepared for a West Side Story opening night they hoped would not be just any night. “When everything starts to come together, that’s the most exciting part of the process,” Rincon said, “when you can see the audience is in for something special.”
Sharks and Jets get ready to rumble. |
