Trends
8 – The University Star
Merge combines
traditional, modern
dance styles
By Pam Renteria
Features Reporter
Students will bring together
their diverse heritages and
ideas to create a cohesive
statement in the form of a
dance.
Merge Dance Company is
a Texas State modern group
formed in spring 2009 under
the direction of Ana Baer-
Carrillo and Pat Stone. The
company will put on a perfor-
mance of Merge and Emerge
March 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. in
Evans Auditorium.
“Students can expect a broad
angle of dance,” said Baer-
Carrillo, co-artistic director of
Merge Dance Company.
Baer-Carrillo, assistant pro-
fessor in the department of
theatre and dance, said stu-
dents can expect a wide range
of styles incorporated into the
performances. She said the
piece “Dream Catchers” epito-
mizes this variety, and was
created by German choreogra-
pher Tarek Assam.
Assam accepted an invita-
tion to travel from Germany in
October 2010 to choreograph
and give workshops at the
university. Assam came to San
Marcos for two weeks, where
he lectured about German
dance and helped the com-
pany create “Dream Catchers.”
Baer-Carrillo said it was
helpful to work with someone
who has a different perspec-
tive on dance than she does.
Baer-Carrillo said Assam’s
movement style uses pop mu-
sic in his choreography while
she leans toward classical mu-
sic for inspiration.
Alaina Flores, dance senior,
said the production was un-
like anything the group has
done before. She said the cho-
reography pushed all dancers
both stylistically and physical-
ly, no matter how much train-
ing each member previously
had. Flores said the challenge
was like “a breath of fresh
air,” because Assam brought
something new to the table,
although she is trained in a di-
verse set of dance styles.
“One of the greatest things
about working with them is
that they were able to take any
genre of dance and put it into
one piece,” Flores said.
Baer-Carrillo created a folk-
loric dance solo for Merge and
Emerge along with Sarah San-
chez, dance junior. Sanchez
said the piece is contemporary,
fused with her background of
Mexican folklorico, zapateado
and the use of skirt. Zapateado
is a dance of Mexican-Indian
origin performed with a lively
rhythm similar to tap dancing.
“(The dance) talks about
stereotypes the general public
has on female Hispanics, and
Hispanics in general,” Sanchez
said.
The Merge Dance Company,
according to its website, con-
sists of Texas State’s ethni-
cally diverse and “most gifted”
dance students. Merge is an
exclusive touring ensemble
with the goal of recruiting
populations who reflect Texas
State’s multicultural goals.
Check out
UniversityStar.com
for an exclusive
video.
Hollie O’Connor, starentertainment@txstate.edu
̒Bone-afide̕ fashion
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Freshman starts own clothing line of unique designs
By Jordan Gass-Poore’
Features Reporter
Fashion design is no sweat for one student.
Diverse muses such as skeletons and floral prints inspired
Krizia Aponte, pre-fashion merchandising freshman, to design
and create one-of-a-kind sweatshirts.
Aponte said she frequented Austin vintage stores such as
Cream for dresses to change and make “more trendy.” She be-
gan working with sweatshirts after running out of dresses dur-
ing the Winter Break.
Aponte said she fused her childhood love of fashion and
“adult business sense” to start Lady Bones Apparel. The name
“Lady Bones” stemmed from one of Aponte’s first designs of a
floral patterned ribcage.
“My favorite thing is mixing up styles, and I think just a floral
pattern with a ribcage is a total contradiction,” Aponte said.
Aponte said she made cut-up, off-the-shoulder sweatshirts
for friends as Christmas gifts. Aponte said the friends have
worn the sweatshirts around campus and generated buzz for
her fledgling business.
Karli Koerner, pre-communication studies freshman, was a
recipient of one of these gifts.
Koerner posted a picture of the sweatshirt on her Facebook
page. Koerner said people from her hometown more than four
hours away asked to bring sweatshirts back to purchase.
“It’s not just a Texas State thing, it’s branching out,” Koerner
said.
The growing popularity prompted Aponte to make a Face-
book page for her business. She sold almost 30 sweatshirts in
one week, and had to raise the price to $30 because of demand.
Aponte learned how to sew from her mother and grand-
mother. Aponte said her grandmother still helps to read design
patterns and understand the templates.
Aponte said a sewing machine and mannequin are in her Krista De La Rosa, Staff Photographer
childhood room in San Antonio. Aponte said she goes home ev- Krizia Aponte, pre-fashion merchandising freshman, runs her
ery weekend to work on the company’s designs. own clothing line called Lady Bones. Aponte sews and designs
Aponte takes requests aside from sticking to her own cre- sweaters she sells for $30 each.
ations. She said customers cand send a message on the Lady
Bones Facebook page if they want a simple design on a sweat- ing a red sweatshirt with a leopard heart. Cavazos approached
shirt. the student, asked where she purchased the sweatshirt, and
“People would just message me on Facebook and say, ‘I want contacted Aponte the following week.
a black (sweatshirt) with this color,'" Aponte said. "I work with Cavazos said she is approached by people who want to know
it." where to purchase a sweatshirt anytime she wears it.
Koerner, Aponte’s next-door neighbor in Jackson Hall, likes “One time I was at Walmart and I was wearing it and this
how she can wear the sweatshirts everyday and still look guy was like, ‘Do you know Krizia?’" Cavazos said. "Just by me
fashionable. wearing the sweatshirt, he recognized who made it."
“It’s not hard. I don’t blend into a crowd when I wear it, and Aponte wants her business to grow and is working on
I love how they’re original,” Koerner said. “People always ask branching out into tank top screen-print designs.
where I got it.’” “I put a lot of time and effort into what I make,” Aponte said.
Natalie Cavazos, communication studies junior, said she met “I just put my heart into all of it and I don’t like to cut corners. I
Aponte through Bobcat Build. Cavazos said she did not en- want everything to be worth the money. I love just making cute
counter Aponte’s designs until seeing another student wear- clothes for people, and I hope people see that.”