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Eight UNL dance majors have given lecture
demonstrations this semester to Lincoln students.
"Our function is to promote dance in the
public schools-that about sums it up," said
UNL senior dance major Camille Warrick. She
aKl seven other UNL students have gone into
Lincoln elementary and junior high schools this
semester to give lecture demonstrations on
dance.
The lecture demonstration is an informal
introduction to dance. "We make it really fun,"
said Warrick.
The programs begin with an explanation of
the dancer's workclothes. Then the dancers
explore everyday movements such as walk,
leap, run and jump, which are fundamental to
dance.
Using taped music, drums and hand clapping
the group performs one ballet, two modern
dances and a jazz work. All are choreographed
by the dancers themselves.
Improvisatory dancing is done with words as
a stimulus. The students say a word to the
dancers, who react to it with some sort of
meaningful movement. Warrick said the
students often come up with rather unusual
words which keep the dancers on their toes. .
The intention is to give the students as broad
an introduction as possible by showing them
the fundamentals and examples of each of the
major dance forms: ballet, modern,
improvisatory and jazz.
The lecture demonstration is concluded with
a question and answer session.
The audiences have been very responsive,
according to Warrick. She noted the Joffrey
Ballet, which also gave performances for tho
schools, had sparked interest in dance.
On the initiative, of Marie Sanwick, UNL
assistant professor in dance, this program was
begun in the spring of 1973.
"I was looking for a way to 'sell' dance to
the schools while at the same time the schools
were asking for dance to come in," said
Sanwick.
. In the fall semester of 1973 the group
traveled to schools out state.
The program involves two semesters of a
University student's time. A student registors
for the Lincoln Public Schools program in the
spring and then is eligible to participate in the
state tour in the fall. The students receive
college credit for their work.
The last lecture demonstration of the
semester will be given Monday at Kahoa
School.
Rabbit
book
may hop
to fame
keith
ondgren
Watership Down, by Richard Adams.
Rabbits. This is a book about rabbits.
And if the usual prophets and portents of
the literary world are correct, these
rabbits will be the most talked about
creatures in America by autumn.
Richard Adams's book has everything
in its favor. It's a 1 -year-old British best
seller and has won enormous critical,
acclaim from luminaries such as
Buckminster Fuller. MacMillan, the
publisher, is mounting an advance
campaign not unlike that accompanying
Paramount Picture's The Great Gatsby.
And it will sell. After all, Jonathan
Livingston Seagull sold and Adam's
rabbits are much more attractive than
that feathered philosopher. They don't
gush metaphysics, which is most people's
objection to Jonathan, but they are as
vital and alive as he ever was.
It's tempting to say Watership Down is
descended from something. The
i somethings that suggest themselves are
Jonathan, The Lord of the Rings,
Through the Looking Glass, and maybe
Animal Farm.
With Jonathan it shares a way of
seeing animals as behaving like animals: in
the second page a rabbit rubs his nose
with both front paws, something Bugs
Bunny wouldn't be caught dead doing.
Children will love Adams's heroes as they
love Lewis Carroll's stories. Like George
Orwell's pigs in Animal Farm, the rabbits
can be seen as allegorical figures, as well
as ordinary characters.
But Watership Down establishes a new
class, of fictioa,ofuch waveryf, likely7
will see a great deal more. If it seems to
remind us of other books, it reminds us
too, that it will not be classed with them.
In narrative technique and prose style it is
above criticism, yet it may be heavily
criticised simply because it's about
rabbits.
Piease don't misunderstand: I like
these little animals. As they left
Sandleford Warren for the journey that
makes the bulk of the story, I fell in love
with them, one at a time. Admittedly it's
hard to dislikd rabbits for any reason, but
these are touchingly like children, simple,
trusting, yet sometimes brave and clever.
I like, too, the hard facts about the
animals in Watership Down. Adams relied
heaviiy on R. M. Lockley's The Private
Life of the Rabbit, a lightly scientific
work full of trivia on the animals; This
careful attention to zoological reality
keeps Water siiip Down from slipping
headlong into fantasy. We are never
allowed to forget these ara rabbits, not
.people, but somehow we aren't surprised
io find they speak god&$co3bquial
English. For that matter, it isn't too
surprising to find that Kehaar, a gull who
befriends the rabbits, speaks with a
vaguely Slavic accent.
Watership Down, has almost
guaranteed best seller status, because the
quality of its style and subject and
because the time is probably right for
such a book. The only reservation this
reviewer can offer is a question: do we
really need a book about rabbits?
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And the
TOflllfl OfAHn Magnificent
ii4li!lliiiLL, THE IDJirduUll'J . Men
Sheldon Gallery Auditorium -,
The Prince and th Showgirl and
The Misfits, two Marilyn Monroe
films, will ba shown today and
tomorrow at 3, 7 and 9 p.m.
Admission is $1.25. Sunday Cary
Lewis presents the final Beethoven
Sonata Series concert at 3 p.m.
Admission is fre.
Monzlik Hall Auditorium
Sleuth, a super movie starring Sir
nrenr Oiivtar arid Michael Caina.
will be shown tonight at 7 and 9.
Admission is 75 cents with a
student ID.
Kimbail Rfccital Hall - Merest
Marcoau' student Mick Sjroi will
give a performance Saturday at 8
p.m. Admission is $1.W).
Temple Studio Theatre -Arwtol,
a laboratory show, opens
tonight and runs through Monday.
Admission is $1.50.
Union Centennial Room - Once
Upon t Mattress opens Sunday. Bill
Wallis directs the musical comedy
sponsored by Centennial College
and the Union Contemporary Arti
Committee. Performances begin at
8 p.m. and admission is $1 .50.
St. George and the Dragon -Geofree
returns to rock up a storm
in the Dijon's Den.
M
on. April 22
0 DOORS OPEN AT 7pm
8pm
T.'n!n v) UN-Liitudent
(Near 35th & HcldredgO) Sponsored by Union Black Activities $4 NCN-Studeni
EAST CAMPUS UNION
V
1 1
friday, april 19, 1974
daily neoraskan
page 7
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