Choreographer Breaks 'New Ground'

By bringing together students, artists and members of the community Coleen Lorenz hopes to broaden the expressive arts experience for everyone in the mid-Peninsula. 

Lorenz, who teaches dance at  and (NDNU), is a choreographer and artistic director for the newly formed NewGround Theatre Dance Company. 

"I've always wanted to develop a professionally affiliated dance company--every university has one, and that was one thing missing from this part of the Peninsula. We want NewGround to become the dance company of the South Bay area," she said.

Story-based productions

According to Lorenz, NewGround provides "story-based" dance productions that are intended not just to entertain but to inspire.

It's clear that Lorenz is passionate about combining her training as an expressive arts therapist and dance with her advocacy for community arts outreach.

"I want my students to express themselves through pieces that are about their personal experiences---their challenges, growth and successes. Then we start to create and produce a piece that has a loosely threaded story-line based on those experiences."

"We take a unique approach," explains Lorenz. "We work a lot with archetypes that carry a message and make people think."

By definition, a dance company is a group of dancers who perform one style of dance or another, plus an artistic director and support staff. The company generally has a home theatre where it stages its performances. And through her work at Notre Dame High School and NDNU, Lorenz has been granted the use of the university's theatre for her productions.

"We want to be the company for the Peninsula--story-telling is unique, and it's contemporary," said Lorenz.

Non-profit will support dance company

Along with NewGround, Lorenz is helping launch a non-profit organization, Arts Unity Movement, or AUM, whose goal, according to the website is to "Promote and sponsor all NewGround performances and offer workshops and classes in conjunction with the thematic works of NewGround." Lorenz hopes that AUM will have central facility which will be run by the non-profit.

So far, NewGround has found success in its Belmont home on the NDNU campus. Earlier works, "Earth Dance" and "The Terrain Project Performance" received positive reviews and attracted a new following of dance fans.

"'Earth Dance', in 2009, was our first attempt and people really seemed to like it. There was some talk of touring with it, but I was unprepared for that," said Lorenz. 

"Earth Dance" was also Lorenz's first attempt at drawing artists from the community. She had high school and college students in the production. "We even had Serra boys who were trained in Shinto sword fighting by an NDNU student---they loved it and were quite good!"

Indeed, the success of NewGround as well as the dance programs at NDHS and NDNU keep Lorenz "on her toes." She teaches every form and style of dance technique, including jazz, ballet, modern, lyrical and urban style. 

"Christmas Carol" choreographer

Lorenz, who, for the past 11 years has been choreographing the annual "Christmas Carol" production at NDNU, is also credited with expanding the dance program at the university.

"NDNU only had one dance class when I started, now there are five," she says, somewhat overwhelmed by the success of the program. In fact, she says, several of her students are now participating in NewGround productions.

"I have two from the high school and three from the university, and several from the community who have been connected to be through other projects I've done. We have this synergy and it's really exciting."

Art form fusion

Although the focus of the NewGround productions is dance, Lorenz is quick to point out that "It's really a fusion of other art forms---we weave in all kinds of different sounds and visuals. Local musicians and visual artists are also part of the story-telling that goes on at NewGround," she said.

Lorenz hopes to expand NewGround into a training ground for other schools that want to offer dance and choreography. She has also been auditioning performers for apprenticeships with the company.

"NewGround is a great venue for students to train over the summer. And since I always need more dancers for my shows, one of the best ways to discover new talent is through apprenticeships."

The performances share a strong script, but with no dialogue. "As artistic director, I weave together our core dancers, guest dancers, actors, musicians, and vocalists into the story."

Of course, these ambitious productions require more than a one-woman show to drive them.

"Will Springhorn Jr. is the technical director at NewGround and is also on the faculty at NDNU. He's is responsible for the many facets of our multi-media," said Lorenz. She also said that long-time Belmont dance instructor Leslie Marx is a guest choreographer for the company.

"Leslie is wonderful and has had so much experience in the dance community."

Up next: "Axiom"

NewGround's next production, "Axiom," will premier in August of this year. 

"Axiom is a composite of all styles of dance," explained Lorenz. "It's about four things: heart, which is surrender; power, which is the dynamic in our life; pulse, our connection to the earth itself; and flow, the flow between man and woman and the earth and humans."

Lorenz hopes her message carries throughout future NewGround performances: "Art is the universal language--it bypasses separation."

For more information about NewGround Theatre Dance Company, and Arts Unity Movement, go towww.newgrounddance.com.

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