AUP's First Performing Arts Company Opens
AUP has long lacked a performing arts curriculum in its courses, a gap that has been filled in recent years by smaller student organizations on campus. But those student organizations, which include an improv club, a music and performance club, and a dance club, have always been independent of one another.
But now, Vivre performing arts is bringing those clubs together, just in time for the AUP arts festival in the Spring of 2022.
Vivre is the first-ever performing arts company of its kind to exist at AUP, and it's a collaboration between the clubs of the different performing arts. Its head is composed of the various board members, presidents, and directors of those different clubs, and its membership includes all the artforms that the clubs represent separately.
"The ultimate point of Vivre is to give a place to performing arts on campus," said Vivre's Chair of Board of Artistic Directors, Hera Soysal at a recent info session about the organization. "Our mission is really just to provide a community and a place for self expression. And of course our clubs do this as well, and this is kind of a conglomeration of all of this coming together."
Soysal also pointed to Vivre as an opportunity for AUP students to exercise their performing arts talents when AUP doesn't actually offer academic opportunities to do so.
"We do not have a curricular performing arts major or minor within the school, and so we thought that it would be important to have this kind of organization on campus so students can perform," she said.
Vivre is looking for people to audition in all kinds of performing arts, including acting, singing, and instrumental performance. It is also looking for dancers, but for dancers there is no audition process; instead, any AUP students interested in dancing for Vivre should can simply attend sessions with the AUP contemporary dance company, which happen each Monday and Thursday.
The culmination of this year's Vivre efforts will come in the Spring semester, during the Vivre Performing Arts Festival: The 60th Anniversary of AUP. Dates haven't been set yet for the event, but Vivre's board has indicated that it plans to present plays, musical performances, dances, and even films at the festival.
"We are working in collaboration with the Presidents office to make this a part of the events for the 60th anniversary," said Soysal.
Vivre's board has emphasized that it's interested in any and all performing talents that students have to offer.
"Come to the auditions, do the acting exercises, and express interest," said Safia Benyahia, the staff advisor and theatre director of Vivre.
"I couldn't stress more that we need all of you - every single person every single skill that you guys can bring to the table, we want it," added Soysal. "The door is wide open and we're going to basically make a show out of who we have so that [AUP] can see that this is something that is going to be great for our school in the next coming years."
If you're interested in becoming more involved, you can reach out to Vivre by email at vivre@aup.edu.
