Company brings modern dance, improv to Botanica

The Regina Klenjoski Dance Company is “slowly making our way to live performances,” its founder says, “still in a small way, very socially distanced and very outdoors.”

The dance company will have its first live performance in more than a year on April 18, titled “In Full Bloom,” at Botanica.

“It’s a beautiful space, and the pandemic definitely has steered us toward outdoor spaces … to keep it safe for people to be comfortable and still have outdoor performances and still keep our dancers dancing,” Regina Klenjoski said, noting that Botanica executive director Marty Miller is excited about bringing more performance arts to the gardens, including a Wichita Symphony performance on May 14.

Klenjoski said she likes the opportunity to bring dance to where it might not be expected, away from a theatrical setting.

“I’m excited about dance in site-specific locations, bringing it down to peoples’ faces,” she said. “It breaks down that barrier between artist and communities.”

Social distancing of six feet between parties will be in place, and the performance will follow Botanica’s rules for face masks, to be worn indoors but not outdoors.

The dance performance will include three pieces: “Radical Joy,” what Klenjoski has called a “work in progress” for the past year: “US,” a live version of the short dance film that debuted during the “Duets for My Valentine” streaming program in February; and an improvisational dance piece.

“Radical Joy” received input from the community during the past few year and was turned into a filmed piece last fall.

“Last fall was centered around looking through a camera lens,” Klenjoski said. “Now it’s really focused on developing it for live performance, which is different choices from an artistic viewpoint and what we want to focus on as far as movement.”

Some of the quiet, intimate moments have been taken out, including text, Klenjoski said, which work better for a camera than for a live audience.

“It’s been a cathartic process because it’s focusing on live performance after focusing on film for so long,” she said. “That has changed the development of the piece, where it’s back to the choreographic whole picture versus all the cinematic opportunities.”

Four of the company’s five dancers — Heather Eilerts, Max Mayerle, Elleigh McClelland and Rhiannon Vieyra — are featured. The fifth is en route to a live performance in Washington, D.C.

“US” was originally created with a Valentine’s theme, Klenjoski said, but was changed after the Jan. 6 violent protests at the U.S. Capitol. It retains the same music — “Somebody to Love” by Queen.

“The underlying theme of that work is passion — passionate attraction and passionate resistance — and how is it that our passion can uplift something, or cross the line and enflame and burn something,” Klenjoski said.

Dance improv is something neither Klenjoski nor her company have tried very often, she said, except for warmups before rehearsals.

“The dancers are in the moment, responding to prompts they’re given,” Klenjoski said. “This piece will be kind of a new venture to put out there for” the dance company.

Klenjoski is undecided whether she’ll be on stage with the dancers during the improv.

“They’re responding to each other, to the audience, and to the space,” Klenjoski said.

One week prior to the performance, the company will host a “Community Dance Experience” at noon on Saturday, April 10 at Botanica.

All ages are welcome, she said, and will participate in movement exercises.

“I’m going to be guiding them through a warmup, with some of the improv tools,” Klenjoski said. “We don’t want to say it’s a ‘dance class,’ because the minute you hear ‘dance class,’ people think, ‘Oh, I’m going to learn something and copy it and perform it.’ They’re going to be moving with us.”

This fall, the company plans to finally record a video version of “Far From Home,” a piece it premiered in the fall of 2019 and was scheduled to tape last fall. It also has plans for a major production and a major collaboration, thank to an arts grant, for the spring of 2022.

Klenjoski and company members also will be visiting senior residences this fall, working with the older generation on movement and dance based on the concept of “Radical Joy.”

“Joy is a lifelong pursuit,” Klenjoski said.

‘In Full Bloom’

When: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 18

Where: Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, 701 Amidon Street.

Tickets: $20, including admission to Botanica, at rkdc.org.