Associate professor and chair of the Department of Dance Orion Duckstein鈥檚 idea for choreographing a piece about his grandmother鈥檚 life emerged at an unexpected moment.
He and his dance students had been deeply immersed in rehearsing a dance with a dark vibe, and he joked that they should take a break for a wholesome activity like baking muffins in the Performing Arts Center鈥檚 kitchen. When he talked with his mother that night and shared his idea for lightening the mood in the studio, she loved it and suggested his Grandma Kiki鈥檚 favorite lemon muffins. Right then,听听was born.
鈥淢y grandmother, Mildred 鈥楰iki鈥� Kelley, was born in the 1920s and led a very dynamic life, especially for that time,鈥� Duckstein said. 鈥淚 shared her story with the dancers and they shared stories from their ancestors. In this dance, we tried to refer to their diverse experiences as a way to turn a singular story into a story where many people can see themselves.鈥�
Duckstein shares that Kiki was a part-time model, held a degree in engineering from Rutgers University and was a black belt in judo. 鈥淒uring World War II, she served stateside as a self-defense instructor and demonstrator for the United States Marine Corps, where she met her future husband, Francis,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter the war, Kiki worked for Bell Laboratories where she and a few others co-developed the first telephone that could call from an airplane to the ground.鈥�
Kiki left her job when Francis returned from serving overseas, and they had six children. When Francis left the family for his secretary she moved to Florida, pivoting to a career in education and becoming an environmental activist, leading scientific tours through the Everglades.
鈥淐ancer took my grandmother at the age of 70, but she certainly lived a full and extraordinary life,鈥� said Duckstein.
Introducing Mrs. Baxter听takes women鈥檚 issues from the 1950s and looks at them through today鈥檚 eyes. The performance debuted at Dance 成人影片 in Spring 2023, with a cast of 14 dancers from 成人影片鈥檚 Dance Theater course. 鈥淭he piece starts as a mock Miss 成人影片 pageant set in 1958 and finishes in the present day,鈥� Duckstein said. 鈥淒evelopment of this piece was intense, but it鈥檚 a fitting tribute to my grandmother鈥檚 life and legacy.鈥�
One could say that Duckstein inherited his grandmother鈥檚 zest for life. Though he initially studied acting while in college at the University of Connecticut, he says he hungered for a more physical experience. 鈥淚 was an athletic kid, loved music and was always a bit of a daydreamer,鈥� Duckstein says. 鈥淲hen I saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in my junior year of college something snapped鈥攖he theatricality, the physicality, the interaction with music鈥擨 wanted to do what those gorgeous dancers did.鈥�
After completing his degree in theater, he shifted the direction of his career to dance. Through the years, he danced and choreographed for a number of major dance companies, taught dance professionally in New York City, and completed residencies at arts and educational institutions across the country. He began his tenure as a member of the Department of Dance faculty at 成人影片 University in 2010, teaching students the artistry of dance in courses such as Modern Technique, Dance Improvisation and Conditioning.
鈥淢any people are afraid to see dance, thinking they will not understand it,鈥� Duckstein said. 鈥淚f there is any dance to see as a way into this art form,听Introducing Mrs. Baxter听is it鈥攖he dancers are wonderful, the piece has comedy as well as human moments, and it ends with a surprise as the dancers break out of the stage and into the audience.鈥�
He adds, 鈥淚 think Grandma Kiki would be proud, and the dancers鈥� grandparents too.鈥�