Photo by Shannel J. Resto
This May, Emory Dance Program faculty member Julio Medina’s work “tlalli” will be performed at the 2023 American College Dance Association (ACDA) National Festival in Long Beach, California at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. This event will mark the first ACDA National Festival since 2018, and celebrates ACDA’s 50th anniversary year.
Approximately 30 dance works are chosen from hundreds presented at regional conferences throughout the country, and this is the first time a work from the Emory Dance Program has been selected. This honor marks a milestone for the program, and will be monumental for Emory Dance students, providing them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, network, and broaden their perspective of what dance can be.
Founding Director of the Emory Dance Program Sally Radell shares, “It is an immense honor to have Julio’s choreographic work selected for the National ACDA conference. This is a huge first for us and truly gives us great visibility as a significant national dance program of excellence. It is also tremendously exciting for our students to be able to take classes for three days and perform alongside dancers from the top tier dance departments and programs in the country.”
Throughout the three-day festival on May 26-28, students in Medina’s work “tlalli” will have the opportunity to take a rich array of classes and view several Gala performances. Highlights of this year’s festival include:
Tlalli is a Nahuatl word, the language indigenous to the Mexica culture often referred to as Aztec, meaning earth, soil, and the planet. In his work the dancers explore their relationship to the earth, employing techniques of both contemporary floorwork and cumbia (a musical rhythm and traditional folk dance). They explore themes of rebirth, death, labor, collectivity and connection to the ground. Medina found inspiration in the story of Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent god) and the Five Suns, as well as Gloria Anzaldua's theoretical frameworks on feminism and mestizaje. Adjudicators at the Southeast ACDA Conference described the work as “A rollicking ensemble, celebrating individuals within the community. Effervescent, playful, and unexpected."
The 2023 ACDA National Festival will be held on May 26-28, 2023 at California State University in Long Beach, California. The performance will take place on May 28 at 6:00pm at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and tickets are now available for purchase here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/carpenterarts/6773?productionidlist=201379
For more information about Emory Dance Program’s upcoming season visit our website at dance.emory.edu and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @emorydanceprogram.
Approximately 30 dance works are chosen from hundreds presented at regional conferences throughout the country, and this is the first time a work from the Emory Dance Program has been selected. This honor marks a milestone for the program, and will be monumental for Emory Dance students, providing them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, network, and broaden their perspective of what dance can be.
Founding Director of the Emory Dance Program Sally Radell shares, “It is an immense honor to have Julio’s choreographic work selected for the National ACDA conference. This is a huge first for us and truly gives us great visibility as a significant national dance program of excellence. It is also tremendously exciting for our students to be able to take classes for three days and perform alongside dancers from the top tier dance departments and programs in the country.”
Throughout the three-day festival on May 26-28, students in Medina’s work “tlalli” will have the opportunity to take a rich array of classes and view several Gala performances. Highlights of this year’s festival include:
- A commercial dance track with workshops led by local professionals in the entertainment industry, exposing students to career opportunities unique to the region
- Classes focusing on dance styles of the 1970’s, the decade ACDA was founded, offering dancers an opportunity to experience history through movement
- A roundtable series discussing current trends and issues for dance in higher education
Tlalli is a Nahuatl word, the language indigenous to the Mexica culture often referred to as Aztec, meaning earth, soil, and the planet. In his work the dancers explore their relationship to the earth, employing techniques of both contemporary floorwork and cumbia (a musical rhythm and traditional folk dance). They explore themes of rebirth, death, labor, collectivity and connection to the ground. Medina found inspiration in the story of Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent god) and the Five Suns, as well as Gloria Anzaldua's theoretical frameworks on feminism and mestizaje. Adjudicators at the Southeast ACDA Conference described the work as “A rollicking ensemble, celebrating individuals within the community. Effervescent, playful, and unexpected."
The 2023 ACDA National Festival will be held on May 26-28, 2023 at California State University in Long Beach, California. The performance will take place on May 28 at 6:00pm at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and tickets are now available for purchase here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/carpenterarts/6773?productionidlist=201379
For more information about Emory Dance Program’s upcoming season visit our website at dance.emory.edu and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @emorydanceprogram.
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