Notes from the Alumni Office - Saint Andrew's School Archive - St ...

Doug Andresen '73 returns toSAS with the Eric HawkinsDance CompanyBYJEANFITE'83Doug Andresen graduated cum laude fromSt. Andrew's in 1973. As a member of thestage band and choir, he spent his four yearsavidly pursuing an interest in music. Andwhat student can pass through St. Andrew'swithout being affected by the rigors ofafternoon athletics!It is easy to wonder how a St. Andrew'seducation could possibly lead one into thefield of professional modern dance. Dougwent on to Oberlin, where after two yearsthe focus of his interests shifted from musicto Japanese studies. Dance, he says, was atfirst a means of staying in shape. His talent,however, was immediately recognized, forDoug won a scholarship to study dancewith Eric Hawkins, a major choreographerof modern dance. In 1977, the year after hisgraduation from Oberlin, Doug became amember of the troupe. For the last fouryears he has been touring the country,performing and teaching in universities.The Eric Hawkins Dance Company issaid to be "... one of the half-dozen veryfinest in American modern dance:' Creditgoes, in part, to "the economy anddirectness of each movement - so free ofornamentation:' Their costumes of leotardswith brightly colored shashes sewn intothem, emphasize the simplicity in cyclicalmovement which is characteristic of anyHawkins piece. This style has a strangelypowerful effect on an audience.Hawkins "... is famous for hiscollaboration with many of the very bestAmerican composers:' Thus, we at St.Andrew's felt increasingly privileged to hearLucia Dlugoszewski perform along with thedancers. Her piano techniques enhancedtheir movements, and at times responded tothe simplicity of the dance with an almostfrenzied approach. Her music, having beencalled "a hypnotic joy to both ear and eye",captivated us perhaps as much as the danceitself.Dance at St. Andrew's has only recentlybegun to establish itself. Although a bitdistressing to admit, maybe this is due to theundeniable pressure for involvement in amore "vital" form of athletics. Nonetheless,the day following the performance, fifteenbrave students, joined by Mrs. VanBuchem, gathered in the gym for a master'sclass. Waiting for Doug to arrive, each of uslooked down to make certain her two leftfeet had not turned against her. The moodwas, to say the least, apprehensive. Wouldhe expect us to move about as freely andwith such grace as he had the night before?Yet, when he entered we all felt a sense ofrelief. He put us at ease immediately byassuring us that his job was not to judge butto present ideas and techniques. By the endof our class, Doug had us leaping in pairsacross the gym. The mood had definitelyelevated. If our technique was not perfectand our style not refined, at least we alltruly felt the fluidity of the dances which hehad performed for us the night before.Doug is looking forward to the possibilityof a tour of Japan, hopefully in theupcoming season. We at, St. Andrew's, arelooking forward to Doug's return to school;maybe we can even coerce him into anothermaster's class! 0Opposite: Doug Andresen on stage in New YorkCity with the Eric Hawkins Dance Company.Below: Chosen for thefirst team ofthe 1972 AI/­Conference Soccer Team. Doug served as cocaptainofthe SAS team.7