Five performances of ‘Frame Works’ slated during Fringe

By JAN WILLMS

Dance has been a part of Chloe Sekhran’s life since she was three. Raised in Como, and now a junior at the University of Iowa, Sekhran is performing in a Fringe presentation choreographed by her former dance teacher, Margaret Marinoff.

Five performances of the dance presentation, called Frame Works, will be offered during the Fringe Festival, which takes place Aug. 4-14 at various venues in the Twin Cities.

Sekhran is using the performance to hone her skills in dance and marketing, as she is also working on the publicity for the Fringe show. She is majoring in dance and marketing at the University of Iowa, one of few schools that allow students to do a double major. “It’s one of the reasons I picked Iowa,” she said.

Sekhran said she has been dancing all her life at the Midwest Youth Dance Theatre (MYDT), where she met Marinoff, who continues to teach there. It started out in Falcon Heights and has now relocated to Roseville.

“I have done ballet, modern, tap, jazz and musical theater dancing,” Sekhran said. “In Iowa, I am focusing on ballet and modern. I am drawn to the contemporary ballet style.”

“I knew I wanted to dance in college,” she continued, “but I wanted to also major in something else to supplement it. I chose marketing, because some day I want to be a fashion buyer.”

This will be her second time performing a production for Fringe, and for Marinoff it will be the third.

Marinoff, from Arden Hills, can trace her beginnings in dance back to the Como area, also.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a BFA in dance, she said she first started dancing at the Davis School of Dance, which was in a little green house by Como Park. “I remember there were lion statues outside the front doors of the house,” she recalled.

Photo left: Chloe Sekhran and Margaret Marinoff strike a dance pose. (Photo by Jan Willms)

Marinoff teaches ballet, pointe and combos at MYDT. In Frame Works, she works with a cast of six, some of whom attended the St. Paul Conservatory of Performing Arts and trained at the St. Paul Ballet (655 Fairview Ave. N. and a location on Grand Ave.).

Frame Works is described as an art-in-motion piece with dances that explore the beautiful hues and themes found on canvas, and inspired by artists past and present.

“I was influenced strongly by art work done by Henry Asencio, who paints figures of women,” Marinoff said. She said that his work is the basis for the opening piece, which is done to Cuban guitar music.

The second part of the performance reflects seascapes that are painted by Ran Ortner. And the final dance pays homage to Vincent Van Gogh and his sunflower paintings.

“The first part of the performance has a little bit of ballroom style, the second is more contemporary and the last is more classical,” Marinoff explained.

She and Sekhran have kept in touch through the years. “Some students I have bonded with more because of their interest in ballet,” Marinoff stated. “Chloe is a strong dancer in ballet and modern and musical theater. When someone is that well rounded, you want to keep in touch with them so you can utilize their skills.”

She added that marketing is one of her biggest challenges, so she thinks it is wonderful to have Sekhran here to work on that aspect, also. “With this experience, she can see how it goes if she someday wants to start her own company.”

Sekhran agrees that she is grateful for the experience to use both her dancing and marketing skills this summer.

“Dancing has always been my primary activity,” she noted. “When I was in elementary school, I tried other sports like softball and basketball, but I wasn’t too good. And I liked dance more than anything else. I knew that was what I was supposed to be doing.”

She considers herself fortunate that she can pursue dance as one of her majors. Once she finishes college, she hopes to perform in a contemporary ballet company and then go on to teach dance as well, with the fashion buyer career still a part of her plan. “I like to teach five to seven year olds, something I have been doing here and there when I can fit it in,” she said. “You can really make a difference, and I want to inspire young girls to like dance as much as I do.”

For the Fringe performance, the dancers have been practicing for four hours on Saturdays, and this coming week will have an additional four days of practice. The show is being put together in about two months.

Marinoff also puts together the costumes. “I rely on Marshall’s, Discount Dance Supply and those darling little discount shops on Facebook,” she said.

During preparation for the Fringe, Marinoff said it takes priority over everything else. “My house and car show it,” she said with a laugh. “And I also work at another job, and I tell my co-workers they are all a part of Fringe, too, because I rely on them for support.”

The most challenging aspect of putting on a Fringe performance is the short time frame and working with everyone’s schedules, according to Marinoff. Sekhran said she doesn’t mind the short time allotted. “You have to work hard, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t hinder the process.”

For her, the fact that the shows can be any time of day, in the morning or at 10pm, makes it interesting. “People can be in different moods at different times of the day,” she said.

As far as audiences, Sekhran said dance shows tend to attract people familiar with dance.

“Family and friends come to support you, too,” she added. “But then as the show goes on, word of mouth gets out, and other people come.”

“Dance is probably one of the least understood art forms,” Marinoff said. “It takes a specific type of person to be attracted to dance because there isn’t dialogue that goes along with it like in normal theater. Some dance forms are a little less clear on what they are trying to say, and doesn’t translate as well.”

All genres will be covered in the 169 live performances offered by Fringe this year. Audiences will have an opportunity to see Frame Works at 4pm on Aug. 6, 8:30pm on Aug. 7, 10pm on Aug. 8, 8:30pm on Aug. 11 and 1pm on Aug. 14.

For more information on schedules and venues, visit the Fringe website at www.fringefestival.org.