Dancing mom, daughter team up
Samiha Khanna - A & E Editor 

For the typical college student, a visit from mom or dad at school
usually involves a nice meal, some grocery shopping and maybe some new
clothes. Some parents take it a little further.

When junior Kiira Schmidt's mother visited Elon this semester, she
spent five days training 14 dancers to perform her award-winning dance
program, "The Message," for the Elon Dancers Spring Concert.

Erika Schmidt, director of Vital Spark, a performance art group based
in Florida, is the guest choreographer for this year's program. Her
contribution was sponsored in part by a grant from the Alamance County
Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council.

The Schmidts carry on a tradition that began when Erika's mother and
aunt, Pirkko Lawlor and Anida Sedala, immigrated to Chicago from
Finland in the late '40s to set up their own dance studio. The studio
then moved to Winter Haven, Fla., where it now stands as the Ballet
Conservatory Dance Center. Kiira says she has been taking classes
there since before she could walk, and her mother was her instructor
for jazz and tap dance.

While many students would find it difficult to follow the direction of
their parents, Kiira says it was never an issue.

"We have a great professional relationship and a great family
relationship," she said. "The reason I love it is because no one ever
pushed me and said 'you have to do it.'"

Kiira has served as the rehearsal director for "The Message" for
several weeks. She has performed the piece in the U.S. and abroad as a
former participant in Vital Spark.

The cutting-edge 10-minute piece is based on the story "Imperial
Message" by Franz Kafka. Using Bach's music, Erika Schmidt has
constructed a heart-pounding piece in which dancers show a unique
reverence for a Grecian urn, an umbrella, a cube and an oversized
seashell.

"The Message" has received international acclaim, taking the first-
place title in modern dance at Prague Fest '99 and first place in
theatrical dance in the Dance Grand Prix in Cecena, Italy, last year.

She said she values the opportunity to catch up with her mother, a
chance she doesn't get often as a student.

"She's been such a big part of my life," Kiira said. "It's been so
nice to work with her again."


http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Issues/2002/050202/A&E/Dancers2.html

The Elon University Pendulum Online
May 2, 2002