The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 09, 1983, Page 12, Image 12
USC theater and speec
From Staff Reports
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grown to 50 members, performing a variety of works ranging
from Shakespeare to original ballets created by the company's
leaders.
The creative force behind its development is Susan Earle,
director and choreographer of the group.
A professional dancer with the Los Angeles Dance Theatre
before moving to Columbia in 1975, she began teaching at
USC through the College of Health and Physical Education.
Her position as an assistant professor was moved to the
Department of Theatre and Speech in 1978.
EARLE BEGAN dancing lessons at age five when her
mother grew tired of picking up broken china that had been
shattered by her daughter's erratic movements. "I just wanted
to entertain," she said.
She became serious about dance at age 13 and studied in
Europe, where her father was stationed with the Army. At 14,
Earle won a part for a summer tour with the Ballet Celeste of
San Francisco.
Earle started the USC Dance Company on a $200 budget.
Its performances were staged at the Booker T. Washington
auditorium, and the College of Library and Information
Science. She had no scenery, special lights or costumes for the
concerts.
"It was like, 'Let's put on a show,' like Mickey Rooney and
Judy Garland did in the barn" in movies, Earle said.
VERY FEW of the men and women who were members of
the company in those days had much formal dance training,
she said. She used to go down the hall in the Solomon Blatt
Physical Education Center, where she had her office and ask
whomever she saw, "Would you like to be in a ballet?"
Now there are 50 members of the USC Dance Company, 10
of whom are men, with years of training in ballet and other
dance forms.
"The company is open to everyone" ? students, faculty
and community members," Earle said.
She emphasized the theater department's role in helping the
dance company stage its performances. The staff, faculty and
students in the costume and production areas have built sets,
handled the lighting and sewn clothing for the company's concerts.
Costume shop foreman Vivian Brooks has designed the
costumes for the company's major ballets.
At first, the Dance Company produced one performance a
year. In 1978, the members performed their first full-length
ballet, an updated version of "Firebird," by Stravinsky.
THE, COMPANY'S first original ballet was performed the
following year. Earle choreographed Shakespeare's comedy,
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'Let's put on a show'
Susan Earle has developed the (JSC Dance Company into a stron
"The Taming of the Shrew," using music students to help her
coordinate the music with the dance numbers. p
Columbia artist Blue Sky wrote and designed a full-length F
ballet called "Planet Dance" for the company in 1981. And ^
last spring, Earle wrote and choreographed a ballet called
"Seasons of Life" to Vivaldi's music, "The Four Seasons."
This year, the company's fall dance concert will feature a
ballet called "Pleasures of Paris," including a 15-minute cancan
number. It also will spotlight a spiritual piece, a jazz
number and an avant-garde oolitical Diece bv new dance facul
ty member Wrenn Sapp.
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OVER THE years, the Dance Company has been invited to
>articipate in several prestigious events, including Spoleto
restival U.S.A. in 1983. It also has participated in Columbia's
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The fall concert will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 2-6 at Longstreet
Theatre. Tickets will cost $4 for Nov. 2, 3 and 6 and $4.50 for
the performances Nov. 4 and 5. Season tickets cost $20.
For information on tickets for the dance concerts, call
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and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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