Chris Schlichting is most recognized for his cutting-edge choreography. He describes his work as an "obsessive and meticulous generation and combination of everyday, ordinary movements and actions, thrown in with some other more traditional and stuffy dance conventions, that are twisted and reshaped to resemble something that sparks some interest and curiosity for me." In other words, Schlichting is deeply invested in the question, "What makes dance dance?"
He has presented his work across the country, and was awarded a 2012 Jerome Foundation grant to produce "Matching Drapes" (Jan. 31-Feb. 3 at the Red Eye Theater) -- a work that he says will explore vulnerability, gender, attraction and repulsion. He is working with the James Sewell Ballet on a piece for the Ballet Works Project (Feb. 8-24 at the Cowles Center) and was commissioned to produce a performance to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in August.
But by day, Schlichting directs his creative energies into the challenging but lower-profile art of academic advising. After graduating with a theater major from the University of Minnesota, and on the advice of choreography mentor Linda Shapiro, Schlichting enrolled in dance technique and composition courses under the Regents Scholarship Program for university employees while working in academic advising. Chris currently works in the U's College of Design, where he advises more than 300 architecture and landscape planning students on everything from how to register for classes to how to apply to graduate programs, in addition to meeting with faculty and serving on committees.
Like choreography, advising requires the ability to make sense of disparate and sometimes overwhelming possibilities. Advisers help students make connections with their educational, career and life goals. "It is nice to see the connections that develop between our students and the professional communities," Schlichting says. "It is inspiring how many people in the College of Design are doing thoughtful, exciting, socially conscious work."
Schlichting's philosophy on advising? To "meet students where they are and empower them to pursue the interests that give them the most energy and fulfillment. It is my belief that they are going to discover great possibilities when they invest in that idea fully."
