“Atika” is the Swahili word for “to plant or to replant” and the Arabic word for “purity.” Emory senior and Atlanta native Irfana Jetha explores both of these concepts in “Atika: Light, Space, Beauty,” a new work performed by members of the Emory Dance Company in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens on May 5-6, 2007. The performance will be presented at 12:30 p.m. and repeated at 1:30 p.m., and is free with garden admission. This three-section work is a choreographic exploration of the elements of a garden that invites viewers to follow the dancers as they move through the Fern Glade, Vine Arbor and Rose Garden.

“Light,” is a trio performed in the Fern Glade that uses contemporary movement to reflect the importance of light in a garden, which, not only creates a unique atmosphere, but also determines what plants will thrive in certain environments. “Space,” instead, is based largely in the classical ballet vocabulary and features 10 dancers moving in and out of the Vine Arbor to the music “Meetings Along the Edge,” by Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar. Jetha said that she was inspired to choreograph fast and intricate movements for this section to reflect the layering of repetitive quick piano melodies with Asian influences found in Glass and Shankar’s music. The final section, “Beauty,” takes place in the Rose Garden and is a duet that plays with the relationship between the two dancers and the architectural layout of the space.

Jetha, a double major in international relations and dance, said she chose to do a site-specific work because “I enjoy doing work at spaces where dance is unexpected. It allows the audience to experience the garden in a different way and allows the dancers to perform in a location that is naturally alive with movement and where the audience’s primary focus is not necessarily the dance.” She did, however, adapt two sections of the piece for an indoor performance setting and they will be performed in the Emory Dance Company’s spring performance, “Inside Out,” April 26-28 in the Schwartz Center’s Dance Studio. For tickets ($8 general public; non-Emory students, patrons over 65 and under 18, Emory faculty and staff, and other discount category members $4; and Emory Students $4) and additional information contact the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu .

source : www.theweekly.com