Ashley Haviland helps bring "Hair, Hemlines & Husbands: Women in US Politics" to the stage at Baldwin Wallace University

2016 Mar 2

Ashley Haviland of Grasonville was among a talented group of student choreographers, composers and dancers who produced Baldwin Wallace University's "fyoo zh en '16: new music + dance" this spring. The annual fyoo zh en dance concert pairs choreographers from BW's Dance Program assisted by dance professor Sara Whale with composers from the Conservatory of Music assisted by composer-in-residence Clint Needham. Together they create new works inspired by an academic research project. Haviland, a graduate of Kent Island High School majoring in early childhood education, was a choreographer for the production.

The choreographers and composers participating in fyoo zh en '16 teamed up with Dr. Barbara Palmer from BW's Department of Political Science to create "Hair, Hemlines & Husbands: Women in US Politics." In this election year, it was particularly fitting to tap into Dr. Palmer's extensive research on female political candidates from the last century. The show's title comes from the media's tendency, when covering women in politics, to focus on the three H's: hair, hemlines and husbands.

Each of the six choreographers chose a prominent female politician from Dr. Palmer's book, "Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change." The resulting dance works sought to illustrate a small slice of each woman's life or career. The show featured 1872 presidential candidate, Victoria Woodhull; first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin; first African-American congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm; first congresswoman from Colorado, Pat Schroeder; first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; and current U.S. presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

The fyoo zh en dance concert is one of many performance opportunities offered through the BW Dance Program. Designed for students interested the performing arts, dance therapy, exercise science, dance education or arts management, the program offers an analytical, imaginative and physical study of movement with an emphasis on technical, compositional, and performance skills. Ultimately, the Dance Program strives to produce well-rounded dancers with a sound technical foundation, while nurturing their creativity and appreciation of the art form.