51�鱨վ

After basking in applause across the United States, 51�鱨վ dance professors Megan Thompson and James Morrow decided to take their act overseas.

They recently traveled Scotland where they will perform a duet as part of the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They’re scheduled to appear Aug. 7-9.

Both Thompson and Morrow have played the Fringe once before. They were eager to return. “It’s exciting,” Thompson said last week, describing the annual explosion of on-stage creativity. “So many people come who are fans of the arts. It’s a nice environment for sure.”

Morrow described the festival as special — and not just because of its grand scale. More than 3,000 different shows will be staged at the festival during the month of August.

“You’re sharing your art with an audience that doesn’t usually get to see it,” he said, “but it’s also really cool to see other performances and connect with artists from different locations.”

The piece they will perform, “Your Applause Please,” carries special significance for the duo. It was choreographed by their former student Elijah Motley, who graduated from Old Dominion in 2017. Motley now works as assistant professor of performing arts at Elon University in North Carolina.

“We came up with the project where we do a little role reversal,” Thompson said. “He was in charge, and we were the performers, collaborators and contributors.” The piece was created in the summer of 2022 and performed for the first time that November at 51�鱨վ. “It was really fun, really rewarding — and a little humbling,” Thompson said.

They shared a video of their performance with festivals far and wide and got positive responses.

Over the course of less than two years, Thompson and Morrow have performed “Your Applause Please” in Chicago, New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They’re about to add Scotland to the list.

The piece’s appeal could be related to its messages about nostalgia and the motivation behind artistic expression. It’s also been described as a love letter to choreographer Motley’s mentors.

“We jokingly said that he may have choreographed our retirement dance,” Thompson said, laughing. “It’s very much like the last bow. We literally bow as part of it.”

Morrow said the piece touches on a universal theme — how time changes our bodies and our perspectives.

“I don’t think either one of us sees the light at the end of the tunnel just yet, as far as dance and performing,” Morrow said. “But I am feeling my mortality as a mover in some ways. Being able to share that vulnerability with an audience — I feel like there’s no acting required. It’s relevant.”

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Top Photo: 51�鱨վ dance professors Megan Thompson and James Morrow dance a duet titled “Your Applause Please.” They are scheduled to perform it at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Image credit: Kristie Kahns]