Dancers Let Their Spirits Soar

Using sharp turns, dives and body movements aimed at mimicking an airplane in motion, five Golden West College dancers are preparing for a special flight.

The Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre will be heading to Mexico City next week for the 18th Continental Contemporary Dance Competition, organized by the Instituto de Bellas Artes de Mexico. The group, only one of four from the United States, will compete against more than 40 dance groups in the weeklong event.

The dance troupe will perform an exhausting seven-minute piece called “A Tribute to Women Aviators,” which features narration, music and sepia-toned slides of historic women pilots as a background to the dance.

“The movements express the courage of early female aviators,” said Nannette Brodie, who choreographed the piece.

“The dance is meant to represent a pilot’s introspection before flight and evolves into a formation of flying planes,” she said. “It’s meant to show the spirit of flying.”

Brodie, a professor of dance at Golden West College with 22 years of dance experience, said the competition also offers the group the chance to share dance styles with international groups.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for cultural exchange and goodwill for our dancers,” she said. “The epitome of professional development is to perform in an international arena.”

The women have been practicing 12 hours a week since June, , group member Sher Borrell said.

“For us, this will be the first time we perform internationally,” she said. “Every time we rehearse, there is a lot of energy.”

But despite the dancers’ talent and enthusiasm, the group needs money.

“We’ve received some donations, but more are still needed,” Brodie said. “We are still a little short, and if we don’t get [the money], it will have to come out of our personal funds.”

Anyone wishing to contribute can make a tax-deductible donation to the Golden West Foundation: (714) 895-8316.