Emory Dance

Alumna Elizabeth Cooke's Narrative Tango Tours in Buenos Aires

2011-10-27T14:21:00.000-04:00

In 2010, Emory dance alumna Elizabeth Cooke ('09C) co-founded Narrative Tango Tours in Buenos Aires, Argentina, an organization that allows visitors to explore the world of tango. Tourists can immerse themselves in the tango culture and sub-culture by combining dancing, listening, watching, and learning to personalize their experience. While at Emory, Elizabeth majored in Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture and Society and minored in Dance. She studied abroad in Argentina where she fell in love with the culture and tango. After graduation, her love for tango brought her back to Argentina, where she remains an active participant in the tango lifestyle. For more information about Narrtive Tango Tours, visit its website. For a Q&A with Elizabeth, read on.

How did you first become interested in tango?

I was first introduced to the tango in July of 2007 shortly after I arrived in Buenos Aires. My study abroad program organized an optional outing to a milonga, a traditional Argentine dance hall where people gather to socialize and dance tango. Although I’ve been a dancer all my life it was oddly not the dance itself that first attracted me to the tango. I saw the tango as a whole, with all of its facets, as a community and a sub-culture of its own. I was fascinated not just by the dance but also by the history, the music, the clothes and the shoes, the companies and performances, and the role that each aspect played in the tango industry in its entirety. I came to appreciate tango’s importance not just as something culturally significant for Argentina, but also as an internationally celebrated and practiced dance form, and began to recognize the implications that had on the industry at large.

How did your experience at Emory (in dance or elsewhere) influence your decision to move to Argentina?

During my junior year (between July 2007 and July 2008) I completed a yearlong study abroad program in Buenos Aires through Emory. Often referred to as “the Paris of Latin America.” Buenos Aires possesses a magical gritty charm, and I was totally hooked after the first few weeks. Thanks to my areas of study (Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture with a concentration in Dance in the Media, and Dance and Movement Studies) I was able to complete an independent research project on the national and international tango industry. Running around the city interviewing tango masters – from dancers to musicians to academics – served as the perfect backdrop for me to absolutely fall in love with the city, its art scene and its tango scene. I knew early on that I wanted to move back after graduation, and fortunately I was able to make it happen. It’s hard to say whether or not I would have gotten the same undergrad opportunities at an institution other than Emory.

How did the Emory Dance Program prepare you for this career?

I think the Emory Dance Program provided me with a fairly comprehensive base to dance as art form. "History of Dance" and "Contemporary Issues in Dance," two Dance Department courses, for example, give students an essential understanding of dance’s past, while acknowledging the present and encouraging future innovation. As with any art form, it’s important to educate yourself on where things come from and where they’re heading. If art (and dance being an art form) does not evolve it will die, and the tango is no exception to this. The Dance Program also showed me the importance of pushing your boundaries and being knowledgeable about various dance forms, not just your favorites – they all have a role in the larger scheme of things.

Tell me a little about your company, Narrative Tango Tours (NTT), and how it was formed.
As I mentioned earlier, I had the unique opportunity of completing a comprehensive research project in 2008 on the tango industry here. In early 2010 I was introduced to Cyrena Drusine, a professional tango dancer who is now my business partner. Shortly after we met she came to me with an idea for a historical tango walking tour, which is now the "NTT Historical Tango Tour – Tales of Tango through the Barrios of Buenos Aires." The rest of NTT’s services, as well as our business philosophy, stemmed from that first idea, and we now offer a wide array of tango services in Buenos Aires, all based on the way the client would like to access and experience the tango. Our services are broken up into four categories – dance, watch, listen, and learn – and all focus on getting a unique, insider perspective on the tango and how it has functioned and continues to function in the lives of Argentines and foreigners in Buenos Aires.

You are currently performing in a musical. Can you describe the show and the audition process or how you became a part of it?
After leaving Emory I doubted whether or not I would ever step foot on a stage again. I suppose it was foolish for me to underestimate the power of my relationship with dance and performance, because it didn’t take long before I was diving into the local dance scene here and determined to get up on stage in Argentina. Singing and acting are two art forms within the performance realm that I have long wanted to explore. After a ballet class one day at the Fundacion Julio Bocca (the dance and musical theater school formed by acclaimed Argentine dancer Julio Bocca) I saw a sign up for an open casting call the following week. I was the only North American among the 250 that auditioned. I was pretty nervous. The first day we had to dance a combination and sing a solo, both of which they had taught us that day. For callbacks we had to do a monologue and more singing and dancing. It was all pretty crazy, but it ended up being an amazing experience and I was constantly surrounded by extremely talented people. Those seven months of weekly shows reaffirmed my belief that there’s nothing quite like the rush you get from being on stage.

How has your relationship with dance evolved over the years?

I think within my post-grad years my relationship with dance has become more widespread and more stable. Being in Argentina has allowed me to explore other forms of dance, including tango and other Latin American styles like salsa. But I’ll always go back to the basics - I take jazz classes with a great teacher here from NYC, who used to teach at STEPS and is a fabulous pedagogue. Living in a big city with a thriving arts scene also has its benefits – seeing things often keeps me inspired and motivated. I know that dance is something that has an integral role in my mental and physical health and happiness, and it's clear that relationship isn’t going away.

What inspiration does the Narrative Tango Tour draw from "Tales of Tango Through the Barrios of Buenos Aires," the original historical walking tour?
Dance history, especially when it comes to cultural dance forms, is something that has always has really fascinated me. One of the most interesting things about the tango is its past, and this is a fact that both myself and many other tango lovers agree on. The Argentine tango, much like Argentina as a country, has had a very tumultuous history, and that has been largely reflected in its story. What’s cool is that so much of this history was created in confiterias, milongas and street corners that still exist today in Buenos Aires. During NTT’s Historical Tango Tour we try to relive this experience for our clients, bringing them to specific places in the city (like the “La Boca” neighborhood where tango was born, and the old house of tango music icon Carlos Gardel, which is now a museum in his honor) and telling them stories that correspond to the places they’re seeing.

A Journey into GYROKINESIS® Movement Training

2011-10-07T13:40:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Sally Radell, Professor of Dance at Emory. Sally is teaching a free gyrokinesis class at Emory tomorrow, Saturday, October 8. Please see the events section of our Facebook page for more details: www.facebook.com/emorydanceprogram.

As dancers we are always working to listen to our bodies, expand boundaries, build our strength, hone our ability to respond and to continually explore and maximize our expressive potential. It is with these desires that I stumbled upon gyrokinesis movement training about eighteen months ago. I particularly wanted to find a training form that I really connected with and that focused on core strength. Former Emory dance faculty member Amanda Lower recommended it to me. So I began taking classes at CORE studio in Atlanta, which at the time was the only studio in Atlanta that taught gyrokinesis, and thus my journey began.

Gyrokinesis feels like dancing. It is filled with circular, spiral, and peripheral movement that originates from the core, very Laban-like, and I loved it. It pushes one's body beyond its limitations and focuses on core strength, use of breath, and continuous flowing movement. The functional capacity of one's body is increased in a harmonious way through this work. Its development began about thirty years ago by injured dancer Juliu Horvath as a way to strengthen and bring movement back into his body. It is frequently taught at Pilates studios and is starting to be taught in university dance programs across the country as a somatic technique to train dancers. It was clear to me that this would be a great movement training form to support and facilitate the technical growth of our dancers at Emory. I decided that I would pursue my teacher certification in the gyrokinesis work so I could bring it to Emory and the larger community.

The certification process in Gyrokinesis takes from one to two years. The first step, after training in the material for at least six months, is to take a pre-training six day course. The classes meets for about 5-6 hours a day and involves an intensive total immersion into the material to the point where one can develop a personal practice to perform on a regular basis. Within about three months aspiring teachers then take the next step, a nine day foundation course. The classes meet for six hours a day and students dive even deeper into the material. This part can be physically grueling and exhausting but it also feels great and is transformational. This course culminates in teaching the material to other students in the class. Now the apprenticeship begins--students go out and teach a minimum of thirty apprentice classes in their communities. Up to this point all the training can happen in Atlanta. The next and final step is to fly to one of the certification centers in the world (Miami, Germany, Mexico City, or Australia) and participate in a two day final certification course. There are currently about 3000 gyrokinesis movement educators worldwide. I have finished the entire training process except the final step, which I plan to do this coming spring.

Presently I am teaching on-going gyrokinesis classes at Emory and will soon start in the Atlanta community. The work has been received well by dancers and members of the general population. One of its strengths is its versatility. The intensity of a class can be dialed up or down depending on the needs of the individual student. Its calming, affirming, continuous, circular movement appeals to the more mature mover, and the intense core strengthening work and flexibility is ideal for the professional dancer. The work has enriched my movement life and I know the lives of many others.

Success at ACDFA

2011-03-17T10:07:00.005-04:00

"miles to the left" choreographed by Lori Teague

Emory faculty members Gregory Catellier, George Staib, Lori Teague and Anna Leo, along with 12 Emory students returned March 9 from the Southeastern American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) conference held at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Of the 44 dance works adjudicated by a most prestigious panel of choreographic artists (Bebe Miller, Zvi Gotheiner and Mary Cochran), Lori Teague’s work “miles to the left” was one of nine pieces chosen to be presented on the closing gala concert. Also adjudicated was undergraduate student Lauren Kaplan’s solo “Closed In.” Adjudicators described Lauren’s performance as “beautiful, vibrant, sensual.” For the first time in the history of ACDFA two schools presented a work for adjudication in collaboration. Agnes Scott College and Emory dancers performed together in Doris Humphrey’s “Shakers.” Adjudicators comments included: “Exquisite ensemble, as though a painting has come to life.” Emory dance alum Kathleen Wessel’s work “Quiet, you’ll cause an uproar.” was also chosen as part of the gala. Kathleen is currently on faculty at Spelman College. All four of the dances works were brilliantly lit by Gregory Catellier.

Emory Dance Company Conert Photos

2010-11-23T16:08:00.001-05:00

These are just a few of many beautiful photos taken by Lori Teague of the fall Emory Dance Company Concert, November 18-20, 2010. A larger selection can be found on our Facebook page.

"Shakers" by Doris Humphrey

"miles to the left" by Lori Teague

"After the Curtain" by Tara Lee

"Chimera" by Gregory Catellier

"Off Main, Veer Left" by T. Lang

Working with a Guest Choreographer: A Student's Perspective

2010-11-17T13:38:00.001-05:00

This post was written by junior dance major Kala Seidenberg, about her experience working with Emory Dance Company guest choreographer Tara Lee, principal dancer with the Atlanta Ballet. The Emory Dance Company performs at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts November 18-20, 2010. Click here for event details.

Opening night of the fall Emory Dance Company concert is one day away, and I am feeling sad that rehearsals are ending. I have to admit that this year’s EDC concert is very distinct from past shows. Working with Tara Lee turned out to be very different from what I anticipated. Back in August, hearing that a principal ballerina would be coming to choreograph at Emory immediately grabbed my attention, and I saw working with Tara as an opportunity to improve my technique and work on ballet performance. I have been pleasantly surprised however, that the work is not really ballet, but more contemporary in style.

Working with Tara, her assistant Jessie, and the other dancers has been a huge learning experience for me in so many ways. First of all, watching Tara and Jessie move with such an organic and spineless quality has shown me the importance of versatility. Here are two dancers who constantly train and perform in classical ballet, but are diverse enough dancers to step away from that and do less bound movement when called to do so. Rehearsing with them has proven to me the importance of training and technique in all dance forms, and that the more you train and study, the more eclectic and versatile dancer you can be.

Similarly, it was interesting to work with their choices of music and its relationship with their movement. They included four different songs from the artist Beirut in our piece. Seeing how they match their movement with the music through musical visualizations has been a new experience for me. The other choreographers I have worked with at Emory have taken a different approach in which the main focus of the piece was the movement, not necessarily connecting visually with the music.

Please join us to see Kala and the other students from the Emory Dance Company perform works by Doris Humphrey, guest choreographers Tara Lee and T. Lang, and Emory faculty members Gregory Catellier, George Staib, and Lori Teague.

Dance for Reel, October 14, 2010

2010-10-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

Image from the film "Cinetica" by Ana Cembrero of Spain

On Thursday, October 14th, the Emory Dance Program partners with the Department of Film Studies to present Dance for Reel, a screening of dance for camera works taking place at the Performing Arts Studio (1804 N. Decatur Rd.), at 8:00pm. Now in its third run, this free signature series brings contemporary, international works from The Dance Films Association in New York to campus and community audiences. Emory Dance alumna Blake Beckham (01 C) curates and helps coordinate the event. “This is one of several ways“ says Beckham, “that the Dance Program makes cutting edge work accessible to diverse audiences, and takes part in an interdisciplinary dialogue to move our field forward.”

This year’s program features five short films that range in length from 2 to 30 minutes. Each artist adopts a unique approach to how choreographic framing intersects with filmic devices. They artfully manipulate time and space to create evocative imagery that resides in a variety of locales – amongst them a rolling hillside, a desert, a cave, a bathtub, bedside, bridge. Several of this year’s films share a meditative quality, unfolding like a dream in which graphic elements merge, meander, and collide.

Dance for Reel’s dynamic line up of films should appeal to a wide variety of patrons, artists and students – from visual artists, to film buff, to dance-goers. “Rather than relying heavily on formal, choreographed sequences, most of the films adopt a subtle approach to movement” explains Beckham. “Constructed more conceptually, these works ask us to re-imagine how we see the moving body and place it in the context of performance. As a choreographer, I am always inspired by an experience that challenges my practices of looking and habits of visual design.”

Photos from Arts Soiree and Friends of Dance Lecture

2010-09-23T11:09:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos from our September events, the Arts Soiree on September 10 and the Friends of Dance Lecture on September 14. At the Arts Soiree, dance musicians Kendall Simpson and Klimchak improvised music outside the Schwartz Center, while in the dance studio Bridget Roosa of Agnes Scott College led a rehearsal of Doris Humphrey's "Shakers." Emory and Agnes Scott are teaming up to present "Shakers," using dancers from both schools, at a concert in October at Agness Scott, and at the Emory Dance Company concert in November.

Kendall Simpson and Klimchak making music outside the Schwartz Center.

Bridget Roosa leading a rehearsal of "Shakers."

Teena Marie Custer leads a master class in house dance.

Custer demonstrates during begining breaking master class.

Students demonstrated various hip hop dances styles during Custer's Friends of Dance lecture.

Staibdance/Vega String Quartet/William Ransom

2010-09-17T13:05:00.000-04:00

Get your tickets now for "Staibdance, the Vega String Quartet, and William Ransom: In Concert." Choreographer and Emory faculty member George Staib is presenting his second collaboration with the Vega String Quartet. The musicians will be performing live on stage with the dancers. And this time, Emory faculty member and renowned pianist William Ransom will also perform live.

For tickets, call the Arts at Emory box office at 404-727-5050. This concert promises to be a sellout, so get your tickets in advance! Join the performers for a reception following the Saturday, September 25 concert. For more details, please see www.dance.emory.edu/events.

Hip Hop Lecture Tonight, Sept. 14, 2010

2010-09-14T11:12:00.001-04:00

Tonight the Emory Dance Program welcomes Teena Marie Custer, who will present the Friends of Dance Lecture, "B-Girling: A Herstory of Hip Hop Dance and Culture." Custer will explore the journey of women in hip hop dance and culture in various hip hop dance styles. Emory student dancers will provide live demonstrations!

Custer battles and perofrms internationally with her crew, Venus Fly Trap, an all female street dance crew. Her solo show "The Be-Girl Diaries" performed at the Breakin' Convention in London, England in 2007. In addition to theatrical works, she has won underground freestyle dance battles and was featured on an episode of MTV's MADE. Custer holds a BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University and an MFA in Dance Performance from The Ohio State University, and has been on the faculty at both schools.

Emory students took advantage of two master classes presented yesterday by Custer, one on house dance, and the other on beginning breakdancing. Custer is a wonderful, high-energy teacher; we anticipate her lecture will be just as fabulous as the master classes were.

Lecture details:
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
7:30pm
Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
1700 N. Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322
FREE! No tickets required!

Beginning the Year

2010-08-30T11:51:00.002-04:00

Students arrived back on campus last week, and classes started last Wednesday. It's hard to believe the summer is over already! We welcome both our returning students, and new students just begining to get involved in dance at Emory.

Our faculty spent the summer in various places, and we hope to have some posts from them soon. Greg Catellier was technical director for the Bates College Dance Festival, Anna Leo journeyed to India with several Emory colleagues (highlight: audience with the Dalai Lama), George Staib taught a workshop in Italy, Sally Radell worked on a research paper for publication, and Lori Teague taught several local workshops and attended some professional development workshops/conferences.

Six of our students received funds from the Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship Fund, and studied at the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, and Boston Conservatory over the summer.

This year we welcome some new faculty members. Emily Yewell Volin will be teaching jazz for us this semester while Tara Shepard Myers is on maternity leave. In the spring, alumnae Blake Beckham and Kathleen Wessel will be filling in for George Staib while he is on leave. We also welcome back Omelika Kuumba, who is teaching West African Dance for us this year.

Our 2010-2011 season has many exciting events; check out the complete schedule on our website: www.dance.emory.edu/events.

2010-06-08T13:01:00.002-04:00

Our 2010-2011 events are now on our website: www.dance.emory.edu/events! We have a great line-up for next year, including:

Friends of Dance Lectures: hip-hop artist Teena Marie Custer speaks on women in hip hop dance styles, accompanied by a demonstration (fall) and Brenda Dixon Gottschild speaking on Africanism in modern and postmodern dance and American ballet (spring).
An evening of dance on film
Faculty concerts by George Staib (with live music by the Vega String Quartet) and Gregory Catellier featuring professional dancers
Alumni Concert featuring work by Emory Dance Program alumni
Emory Dance Company concerts (performed by Emory dance students):
- Fall, choreography by Dance Program faculty and guest artists
- Spring, choreography by Dance Program students

Alyssa Bruehlman 10C on Combining Dance with Pre-Med

2010-05-20T10:45:00.001-04:00

Alyssa Bruehlman '10C, a dance and movement studies major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, talks about studying dance at Emory while also on a pre-medicine track. This summer, Allie is attending the American Dance Festival at Duke University, thanks to a Friends of Dance Scholarship. After that, she plans to move to New York and continue working in dance, while also tutoring or working in a clinic/hospital. Eventually she plans to attend medical school and become a family physician.

Why Double-Major?

2010-05-20T10:38:00.002-04:00

In this video, students from various arts disciplines at Emory (including dance) discuss the benefits of their interdisplinary studies.

Congratulations to our Graduates!

2010-05-12T12:02:00.002-04:00

Emory's commencement was Monday and the Dance Program is saying farewell to six dance majors and one dance minor this year. In addition, we say good-bye to dozens of other students who have participated in the Emory Dance Program by performing with the Emory Dance Company and taking our classes. Post-graduation plans for our majors and minors include careers in dance performance, graduate study in dance, medical school, and jobs in business.

We had several awards and honors presented to our students during the spring semester. See below for details. Congratulations to all the graduates!

Majors: Alyssa Bruehlman, Audrey Christiansen, Tiffany Greenwood, Leigh Ann Kabatra, Kaitlyn Pados, and Lindsay Reich
Minors: Acantha Abdulla (BBA students Cara Dorfman and Tiffany Soo also completed requirements for the dance minor)

Honors and Awards:
Pioneer Award, given to a senior who is “breaking new ground,” this award recognizes creative application and creative potential in the field of dance. The 2010 award was presented to Alyssa Bruehlman and Kaitlyn Pados.

Sudler Prize in the Arts, given to seniors who have made the most significant contributions to the arts at Emory. Alyssa Bruehlman was one of the winners of the Sudler Prize for 2010.

Honors in Dance: Alyssa Bruehlman and Kaitlyn Pados both received highest honors for their honors projects in dance.

Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship, a scholarship for summer dance study, was awarded to six students this year, all of whom will spend part of their summer at prestigious dance programs:
Nicole Blumenkehl, '13 - Bates Dance Festival
Alyssa Bruehlman, '10 - American Dance Festival
Kaitlyn Pados, '10 - American Dance Festival
Lindsay Reich, '10 - American Dance Festival
Alexandra Ross, '13 - Bates Dance Festival
Kala Seidenberg, '12 - Boston Conservatory

Rally to Protest Arts Funding Cuts

2010-04-22T13:31:00.001-04:00

On Monday, April 19, artists from around the Atlanta area, including Emory dance faculty, students, and alumni gathered at the Georgia Capitol to protest the elimination of the Georgia Council for the Arts by the state legislature. This cut would make Georgia the only state in the nation without an arts funding agency and would affect hundreds of arts organizations across the state.

The photos below are of dancers at the protest. Photos are by Joeff Davis of Creative Loafing.

Links below to more photos and articles about the proposed elimination of the GCA.
Creative Loafing Photos from the Protest
Atlanta Journal Constitution Photos from the Protest
Atlanta Journal Constitution Article about the Rally
Atlanta Journal Constitution Article about the elimination of the Georgia Councils for the Arts

Flamenco Showing

2010-04-20T14:36:00.001-04:00

Today our Dances and Dance Forms class (DANC 127R) had a public demonstration of their flamenco skills, learned this semester under the tutelage of instructor Julie Baggenstoss. See the photos below for photos of students showing their skills with zapateado (footwork) and palmas (rhythmic clapping). We posted a Q&A with Julie Baggenstoss last fall; click here to read it.

Emphasizing Individual Beauty and Power

2010-04-15T12:07:00.001-04:00

This is the last in our series of posts by Emory Dance Company choreographers, who have been blogging about the inspirations for their choreography for the spring concert. This week senior Sanet Steyn describes the piece she has developed for the spring Emory Dance Company concert, I Prefer to Call it a Nudge. Buy your tickets now for the concert, April 22-24 (box office: 404-727-5050).

I was not born a dancer. I always found the extension of my limbs bit baffling. In fact, even with four years of dancing at Emory I still seemed to be unable to move elegantly. I have always been described as very athletic, but never quite graceful. Instead of having my lack of lithe movements hold me back from committing to dance, I decided to explore it as a source for inspiration. In my piece for the EDC spring show I explored my strong, athletic style to create a martial arts-jazz fusion influenced piece. I investigated the balance between strength and grace in the female form; with a cast of ten girls, I have the perfect opportunity to express the unique distinctions that define every woman. No girl has the same character or style of movement and in those differences my dance is embodied. Though each girl is different they are all elegant and graceful, but also strong and confident; my piece is the expression of those two seemingly contradicting ideas unified into a singular theme. I’m hoping to draw the audience into the ebb and flow of physical and mental rhythms I experience when dancing. By representing those movements through bodies other than my own that perform it in their own personal style, I hope to emphasize the universal, individual beauty and power of each person.

Get your tickets for the Emory Dance Company Spring Concert

2010-04-09T10:44:00.006-04:00

The spring Emory Dance Company concert is coming up soon, so buy your tickets now--this concert always sells out! Call the box office at 404-727-5050 or click here to purchase your tickets.

Concert dates and times:
April 22-24, 2010 (Thursday-Saturday), 8:00 p.m.
April 24, 2010 (Saturday), 2:00 p.m.

Location: Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 North Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322

Cost:
$10 public; $8 discount categories; $5 students

This concert features choreography by Emory dance students, performed by students of the Emory Dance Company. For the last couple of months, students have posted on this blog about their choreographic process, so check them out for a preview (click here to view all of these posts).

Before you did, I hadn’t in years

2010-04-08T10:19:00.002-04:00

As part of our series of Emory Dance Company choreographer posts, this week junior dance minor Mohammad Zaidi (pictured below) describes the piece he is developing for the spring Emory Dance Company concert, I Prefer to Call it a Nudge.

The piece I am creating for the spring concert investigates the essence of performance and the undeniable connection a performer has with an audience member. My theoretical approach towards performance is grounded in the fact that two bodies that exist within the same space and the same time share an equal importance. This theory moves beyond the dancers on stage and compels the viewer to contribute as much to the experience as the performer does. My exploration of this concept to the dance stage met challenges, but after being inspired by a scene in Orhan Pamuk’s novel “Snow,” I found that rapid changes in perspective and fluid lines of interaction between the viewer and performer can make the experience equally exciting and invigorating for the dancer and those who are “viewing” the dance. In translating this to the stage, I found that reconstructing the space so that dancers and audience members are interspersed with each other would immediately destroy the artificial boundary that exists during performance. In regards to the movement vocabulary, I found that my movement is unapologetic, bullying, and demands immediate and unequivocal attention so that the viewer is pulled into performing with the dancers at once. The aggression that is present in the movement will hopefully be an undeniable experience for the audience members attending the concert that will draw out a visceral response that acknowledges the presence and importance of every individual present in the space.

Palindrome

2010-04-02T11:50:00.002-04:00

Senior dancer Nirvi Shah is choreographing a piece for the spring Emory Dance Company concert (April 22-24). The post below describes her piece and the motivation behind her choreography.

Nirvi Shah’s “Palindrome” is a dance piece blending Indian Classical styles with modern dance. Being trained in both techniques, Nirvi has had to face a battle of postures, intentions and performance qualities while learning. Indian Classical dance is very rigid, structured, anecdotal, and presentational whereas modern dance has opportunities to be internally or externally focused and contains a wide breadth of dance movement. It is a challenge to fuse the two vastly different techniques together, which also symbolizes Nirvi’s challenge of being raised in America with a strong Indian heritage.

Although she was born in Atlanta, Georgia, her first language is Gujarati, a West Indian language, and she relates more to Indian culture. Growing up in an American school system and culture has been a constant compromise of values and ideals. Stereotypically, Eastern culture is more conservative and community based while Western culture is liberal and is focused on the nuclear family and self. Nirvi knows that there are other American born Indians as well as other second generation immigrants who also deal with the same situation of being part of two separate societies and are trying to bridge the gap between them while remaining true to both cultures. “Palindrome” is a piece that presents both dance styles and attempts to fuse them, while remaining genuine to both movements just as children of immigrants have been endeavoring to do so and are slowly able to find a fair compromise.

Images from "A Question of Character"

2010-03-30T10:28:00.011-04:00

We wanted to share some images from Kaitlyn Pados' and Alyssa Bruehlman's fabulous concert "A Question of Character" (March 25-26). This was the culmination of their senior honors thesis work. See our March 25 post for a description of their work.

"Maya"

choreography by Rob Kitsos, performed by Kaitlyn Pados

"Solo for Pop Music #2"

choreography by Gregory Catellier, performed by Kaitlyn Pados

"Solo for Pop Music #3"
choreography by Gregory Catellier, performed by Kaitlyn Pados

"Here It Is"
choreography by Alyssa Bruehlman and cast

"On Falling"

choregraphed and performed by Alyssa Bruehlman (above and below)

All photos by Lori Teague

Accolades from the American College Dance Festival

2010-03-26T13:51:00.005-04:00

Twelve Emory dance students and three dance faculty members spent part of their spring break earlier this month at the American College Dance Festival Association conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Students and faculty at the ACDFA conference.

Out of 47 adjudicated works from approximately 35 colleges and universities in the southeast, two pieces from Emory (one by faculty member George Staib and one by student Kaitlyn Pados) were chosen for performance as part of the gala, which highlights the close of the conference. There were only 12 dances selected for this performance, and Kaitlyn's work was the only undergraduate work selected.

The adjudicators described Kaitlyn's piece as "fluid, flawless, a truly sensorial experience" and George's piece as "creative, dynamic, inventive--in short, it was poetry in motion."

Three dances from the gala were chosen to go to the ACDFA national performance at the Kennedy Center. George's piece was chosen as first alternate should one of the three not be available.

Here are some images from the conference:

Kaitlyn Pados performing her solo.

Students rehearsing George Staib's piece.

George Staib taught a class for conference attendees.

Photos by Lori Teague

A Question of Character

2010-03-25T12:46:00.005-04:00

Tonight (March 25) and tomorrow (March 26), senior dance majors Alyssa Bruehlman and Kaitlyn Pados will present their honors thesis work. See our events web page for details.

Alyssa's work presents a melding of three perspectives--ordinary pedestrian, dramatic dancer, vulnerable self--and considers how each persona enters and exists within a performance.

Kaitlyn will perform four solo works that investigate the use of dynamics, exploring subtleties within a wide range of movement qualities.

These performances are FREE and not to be missed!

Working with the Narrative Dance Form

2010-03-24T12:47:00.002-04:00

As part of our series of Emory Dance Company choreographer posts, this week senior dance major Lindsay Reich describes the piece she is developing for the spring Emory Dance Company concert.

My current project for the Spring Emory Dance Company performance is a duet with Jaqueline Woo and Stephanie Binkow. We are developing an abstract narrative dance to George Gershwin’s most famous composition, "Rhapsody in Blue." The choreography is inspired by black and white silent films, creating a humorous exchange between the two dancers. By rapidly manipulating the dancer’s role within the relationship, the audience is challenged to develop their own understanding of the characters and the constantly shifting narrative.

We began the rehearsal process discussing the complicated dynamics between female friendships. We asked a variety of questions including: How do friendships emerge? What do girls want or need from a friendship? What kind of arguments do girlfriends get into? What causes a friendship to end? Based on this information, we outlined a simple narrative that provided a structure for the dance. Once we completed a draft of the dance, we are now in the process of editing and elaborating the movement.

Currently, my biggest challenge is to find a balance between a literal narrative and abstract movement. I want to allow the audience to draw personal meaning from a non-sequential narrative rather than causing complete confusion! This project has been a challenging yet fun approach to the narrative dance form and I am looking forward to see how the work unveils.

Exploring the Decay of a Relationship

2010-03-18T13:35:00.003-04:00

Emory Dance Company student choreographers are blogging about their choreographic process throughout the semester. This week senior dance major Leigh Ann Kabatra describes the piece she is developing for the spring Emory Dance Company concert.

My piece explores the decay of a relationship. At the beginning of the piece, the relationship is loving and healthy but quickly becomes tense and strained. The dancers’ movement alternates between elegant and sharp. Parts of the piece are very gentle and relaxed, while others are bound, athletic, and jagged.

I begin each section of the piece by creating a core phrase that all the dancers learn. After practicing the phrase with all the dancers, I manipulate the original phrase so that each dancer has a unique version. The dancers then perform their unique phrases at the same time, allowing them to move in and out of unison and indulge in parts of their phrase work without worrying about timing or cues.

My dancers have developed much of the piece’s movement themselves. We began one rehearsal with a structured improvisation in partnering, and the dancers developed such rich, natural movement that I had them continue partnering and improvising to create even more. The dancers developed more exciting movement with one another than I could create on my own, and we are still working with improvisation to develop more partnering phrases.

Aftermath from a Planetarium Performance

2010-03-17T14:04:00.002-04:00

Klimchak is a composer, percussionist, and performer who also accompanies dance classes for the Emory Dance Program. We asked him to share his thoughts about a recent performance at Agnes Scott College.

Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College

Photo by Anne Cox

I recently did my first solo show in a planetarium. It was sponsored by Agnes Scott College's Dalton Gallery and was part of the art show Limitless, which featured some of my home-built instruments. When the curator, Lisa Alembik, approached me to be a part of the show, I was a little unsure, since I don’t really consider myself a visual artist. My instruments are built to produce sound first. Appearance always plays second fiddle.

She talked me into it by promising me a performance as part of the show. When she told me I could perform in the incredible acoustics of the new chapel, or in the planetarium, I jumped up and down like a 10 year old chanting “planetarium, planetarium!” You see, I've always wanted to make music in a planetarium. There's a natural bond between electronic music and the electronic sky of a planetarium light show. I dunno, maybe it has something to do with electricity. The total darkness and the comfy lounge chairs combine to give the audience a great set of tools to relax, look at the stars, and focus on the music.

The show was performed to a full house and was incredibly fulfilling for me. I played theremin, my electronic Marimba Lumina and what I call electric water, in which metal objects are played, plucked and dipped into an amplified bowl of water. The flow of the music went hand in hand with the flow of the star-show. Naturally, this has me jonesing to do another planetarium show soon!

Playing the theremin at the planetarium

Photo by Victoria Campbell

Klimchak (center) in the planetarium lobby.

Photo by Terry Kearns

The Savage Beast within You

2010-03-10T10:11:00.002-05:00

Continuing with our series of Emory Dance Company student choreographers (see Feb. 12 for the intro), this week senior dance major Tiffany Greenwood describes her choreographic process.

I find everyday events and people fascinating. What I find the most interesting is the subtleties that define these everyday events. So much information is given and received through simple gesture like a handshake, a hug, a look, or a touch. The brush against another person as you walk to class, the placement of another’s hands as they embrace you, or the looks you receive from a friend, lover, family, or an acquaintance are exchanges I want to bring to the forefront.

Using the previous idea mentioned, I want to explore these everyday subtleties the in realm of immediate impulses and reactions. I also want to explore the basic needs and desires of the humans and to investigate how we deal with them particularly when our conscience becomes involved. I would describe the movement as raw, animalistic, indulgent, and impulsive. For my piece, the process is more important than the final production. My dancers and I will use our own experiences, the good and the bad, to derive the movement quality for the piece. My goal is to make the movement and movement quality as raw and realistic as possible because I want it to be an enhanced depiction of everyday life.

Cedar Lake article in Creative Loafing

2010-02-24T11:07:00.002-05:00

Emory dance alumna Blake Beckham, '01, wrote an article for this week's Creative Loafing about Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. Click here to read the article.

Cedar Lake begins performances tonight at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, with subsequent concerts on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 25 and 26. All performances are sold out, but the Arts at Emory Box Office is maintaining a waiting list (404-727-5050).

Also tonight there will be a pre-performance lecture at 7:00pm on American and Israeli dance. This lecture will be broadcast live from Israel in the Chace Upper Lobby in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Concert tickets are not required to attend this free lecture. Click here for the full lecture description.

Dependence/Independence

2010-02-23T10:07:00.002-05:00

Continuing with our series of Emory Dance Company student choreographers (see Feb. 12 for the intro), this week dance major Kaitlyn Pados describes her choreographic process.

At the beginning of the semester, I started to brainstorm ideas for my upcoming Emory Dance Company piece. I found, however, that entering my piece with an already established meaning was incredibly limiting for me. When I tried to choreograph, I immediately questioned every movement idea and took everything far too literally. Instead, I decided to restart my process from a different entry point. I created some movement material in the studio on which I wanted to base my work. I did not trouble myself with what this movement might “mean” to an audience, I was just attracted to the mood it generated as I performed it. Since teaching my six dancers this new phrase material and working through a month of rehearsals, we have discovered thematic elements which are allowing a potential meaning to emerge on its own.

My piece is now examining the line between dependence and independence. I am very drawn to fleeting interactions between the dancers, and finding where trust is built and tested in both physical and emotional senses. In rehearsals, I like to alter the timing and groupings of the dancers to explore how these components shape the relationships on stage. Currently, I am trying various music options to see how it affects the dancers and their performance. We are discovering that there is a fine line between feeding emotion to the audience via music and letting the movement speak for itself, the latter of which is my ultimate goal.

-Kaitlyn Pados

Staibdance Summer Intensive

2010-02-22T11:29:00.003-05:00

My dance company, Staibdance, has an exciting opportunity to present a two-week summer intensive on the luscious Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy. During the two-week program, dancers at the intermediate to advanced levels will study Pilates, Ballet, Contemporary Jazz, Modern, and will learn repertory material for a public performance in the Historic Teatro Armida in Sorrento. The project is designed to be an annual event that will feature diverse faculty every year (hopefully I can lure my colleagues!) and will bring modern dance to a hungry audience in Italy. The intensive serves to unite dancers from the US and Italy, and will be a great opportunity to experience a new culture from the inside out. Jessica Moore and Judy Raggi-Moore (Italy natives), along with the gracious staff at The Grand Hotel Hermitage, the mayor of Sorrento, cultural dignitaries, and many others have put their time and energy into making this event a reality. If you are interested, please go to http://www.staibdance.com/ for more details and information on the program!

-George Staib, Senior Lecturer

Reflections on "The Dance Project"

2010-02-19T10:23:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, February 16, we posted a reflection by Greg Catellier on his recent collaboration with George Staib. George's thoughts on the collaborative concert follow.

The journey off campus for a collaborative concert proved to be memorable, exciting, and rewarding for me. Working with my colleague Greg Catellier was just as inspirational as ever and having his expertise to ease the transition into a new space was tremendously valuable. The Dance Project brought together so many new and exciting dancers under one roof. I met gifted choreographers, danced with lovely dancers, and explored new choreographic methods in my own work which became an incredible learning experience for me.

Greg and I have produced four concerts now and the excitement never gets stale, the discoveries are always fascinating, and the motivation to continue working gets stronger. This in a sense was a debut for my dance company, Staibdance, and I have to admit that this added to the excitement. I am lucky to have an ensemble of tireless, dedicated dancers who give so much of themselves. Having them with me every “step” of the way gave me the safety net I felt I needed, to make something that felt so risky, feel so liberating.

-George Staib

Energy

2010-02-17T12:41:00.004-05:00

Continuing with our series of Emory Dance Company student choreographers (see Feb. 12 for the intro), this week we hear from senior dance major Allie Bruehlman.

I am currently working with a cast of five dancers for my piece in the Emory Dance Company concert this spring. I originally envisioned this piece as a narrative about my relationships with a group of friends from my hometown. As the rehearsal process began, however, I quickly grew tired of attempting to adhere to and to portray such deep friendships in any sort of literal way. Instead, I began to work with the cast as merely a group of people. Since then, the piece has become more about the relationship possibilities between individuals within a group, about the joyous and all-encompassing energy that can be created when people come together.

Though the work is still in its beginning stages, I am already in awe of the raw vitality my cast delivers to the studio. The cast is extremely diverse in terms of movement affinities and training, and each dancer brings a unique personality into the rehearsal process. Thus, my most powerful creative impetus stems from the energy of my talented dancers. As the semester continues, I hope to delve into the seemingly endless challenges and possibilities of creating a cohesive group dynamic from such powerful individual forces.

-Allie Bruehlman

Two Great Tastes

2010-02-16T13:41:00.004-05:00

This week we'll post some reflections from Emory Dance faculty members Gregory Catellier and George Staib. In January, they presented a collaborative concert at 7 Stages Theater in Atlanta. Greg shares his thoughts on the collaboration below; look for George's blog post later the week.

Recently my colleague and friend George Staib and I presented our fourth collaboration, I, at 7 Stages in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta. We each premiered three pieces. Simultaneously we produced I.C.E.: Independent Choreographers Exchange, a showcase of works by emerging and recently transplanted Atlanta choreographers. All in all, it was a successful endeavor.

The collaboration George and I enjoy is happily multifaceted. It does not center on our dance making processes, although we ask and give each other advice on choreographic predicaments. I also design the lighting for his work, another traditional collaboration.

I would claim that we collaborate more profoundly through the structure of our process leading to the performance. We share space (the theater), resources, and some dancers. We plan the show order, select stage settings, and choose the postcard and program design. We divide some of these tasks and trust each other to make the appropriate decisions. While they may seem mundane, it is these decisions and hundreds of others that craft the show.

I would also contend that the choosing of each other as partners constitutes a critical component of the collaboration. By sharing a performance with George, I assert that I admire his choreography and want my work to be seen with his. It is also significant that by placing our pieces next to each others, the dances change. This is the peanut butter and chocolate effect of our collaboration—two great tastes!

-Gregory Catellier

The Coconut and the Peach: Choreographic Inspiration

2010-02-12T12:34:00.004-05:00

Each week for the next couple of months, Emory dance students choreographing work for the Emory Dance Company spring concert (April 22-24) will blog about their choreographic process and inspiration. First up is Sandra Chan, a junior in the Business School, who is also completing the requirements for a dance minor.

Coming from Hong Kong, I have experienced how different two cultures can be at Emory.

I got my inspiration for my choreography during the international panel at the Goizueta Business School last semester. Dominic Wang, a current MBA student from China, has an interesting and insightful observation: Americans are like peach, while Chinese are like coconut. Americans are very friendly to you, they will say hi whenever they see you, but it is very hard to penetrate their life in a deeper level, like the middle of a peach. Chinese always seem to be in closed groups that are hard to penetrate, as it is very hard to break the shell of a coconut to get the juice. But once you are in the group, you are extremely close to everyone else in the group.

Although this observation is a generalization of the two cultures that Dominic and I are familiar with, and people act so differently within the same culture, it is astonishing to find out how accurate this observation is. At the same time, I find a lot of similarities between a peach and a coconut. They are both fruits that are round in shape and juicy. I believe that we can apply the same logic looking at these two cultures. It really depends on the perspective(s) you have when you look into cultural issues. Through my choreography, I wish that my audience could have the experience to look at cultural issues from these two extremely dissimilar perspectives, and hopefully this experience will have an impact on their life.

-Sandra Chan

Future of Arts Criticism Symposium at Emory, March 19-20

2010-02-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

Registration is now open for an arts criticism symposium to be held at Emory on March 19-20, 2010. Details follow.

The Future of Arts Criticism and the Role of the Academy

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Dates: March 19-20, 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Keynote address by A.O. Scott, national film critic.

Saturday, March 20, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Morning: Panel featuring metro-Atlanta arts administrators, artists, journalists, and representatives of the academy

Afternoon: Lunch, table discussions, reporting from the tables, and determination of next steps

Registration:
Friday - free reservations for Friday are required
Saturday - paid $15 registration required for Saturday (at door if space is available, $20)

To reserve for Friday or register for Saturday or for more information, go to:
http://creativity.emory.edu/arts-criticism.shtml

To be a part of the conversation before and after the conference, please join our Lens on Atlanta Future of Arts Criticism Group at http://www.lensonatlanta.org/grp.php?action=group&ID=84

We hope to see you in mid-March! Please write to creativity@emory.edu if you have any questions about registration.

This event is presented by the Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts in partnership with Public Broadcasting Atlanta's AtlantaPlanit and Lens on Atlanta with additional support from Emory's Hightower Fund and the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Cedar Lake Tickets Going Fast!

2010-02-05T11:04:00.002-05:00

Photo by Paul B. Goode

The world-renowned Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet will have its Atlanta debut at Emory's Schwartz Center for Performing Arts later this month. They will be performing Ohad Naharin's Decadance 2007. Tickets are going fast, so get yours now! Performance dates are February 24-26 at 8:00 p.m. For tickets, please call the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404-727-5050 or click here.

The Friends of Dance Lecture Series will present a pre-performance lecture on American and Israeli Dance February 24 at 7:00 p.m. (free; tickets to performance not necessary). For more information, click here.

The Dance Project

2010-01-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

Emory dance faculty Gregory Catellier and George Staib are showcasing their choreography this weekend with a concert called The Dance Project, presented at 7 Stages Theater in Atlanta. Here's the lowdown:

The Dance Project
7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave., Atlanta 30307
404-523-7647

January 21-23, 8:00 p.m.
January 24, 3:00 p.m.

$20 general admission
$9 students

Gregory Catellier and George Staib celebrate their fourth choreographic collaboration with The Dance Project, Jan 21-24. In keeping with their collaborative history, The Dance Project is intensely physical, tenaciously musical, and potently emotional. Both choreographers will premiere three new works that purposefully break from their previous methodologies of choreography. Staib's new work is marked by sensitive theatricality, juxtaposed with a movement vocabulary that is original and riveting. Catellier has chosen to work with a predominantly male cast and has taken on the challenge of J.S. Bach's Chaconne. This concert will not be what you expect from these two choreographers. This project is sponsored in part by grants from the Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts and the University Research Committee of Emory University.

For tickets call the 7 stages Box Office 404-523-7647

Seven Little Dances for Three

2010-01-21T10:12:00.001-05:00

Dance Program Director and Associate Professor Anna Leo's piece "Seven Little Dances for Three" was recently published in the online Journal of Family Life. You can watch the piece and learn more about her motivation in creating it by clicking here.
The piece originally appeared in Professor Leo's concert ...me so much nearer home, which celebrated the nature of family and community, and was performed at Emory in September 2009.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:43:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year from the Emory Dance Program! Students will be back on campus next week, and we are looking forward to a spring semester full of exciting events. Check out our website at http://www.dance.emory.edu/, and click on "Events" for the full schedule.

We will be mailing our spring events postcard within the next week or two. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to join, fill out this form. You can choose to receive mailings via email, snail mail, or both.

If you are already on our mailing list, watch your mailbox for the spring event card (preview below). And remember, if you join the Emory Friends of Dance, you'll receive ticket discounts and other benefits.

We hope to see you at some of our upcoming events and concerts!

Q&A with Dance Program Costume Designer Cyndi Church

2009-12-21T10:34:00.001-05:00

In September 2009, Cyndi Church joined Emory as Costume Designer and Coordinator for the Dance Program and Costume Assistant for Theater Emory. She answered a few questions for us about her background and about designing for dance. (image above: costumes designed by Cyndi for the November 2009 Emory Dance Company Concert)

What did you do in the costume design field before beginning your job at Emory?
Prior to Emory I was designing for a company, LEA Sports, that outfits color guards, percussion ensembles, competition dance teams, and ice skaters.

Tell me a little about your background - how did you decide to go into costume design as a career?
When I was a young girl I envisioned that some day I would design window store fronts. Of course being a dreamer I only envisioned doing this for huge fabulous stores in major downtown areas. I am not sure when or why I saw myself designing these store fronts but it seemed to be a good fit for me because I would be able to design and control the space.

I was involved in the color guard activity since a very young age and began to give my opinion on what the designers had us wear for performances. Later I began to choreograph for high school color guards so as a part of that I was able to be the one to design the garments for my own productions. Early on I had some really grand ideas and some big flops but it was all a great experience for me. After a few years I started getting asked by other directors to design for their groups. I worked on a project along with a company called LEA Sports and by the end of that collaboration I was hired by them to design for a national clientele.

Why did you choose to design for dance rather than theater?
I enjoy the freedom that designing for dance allows because most projects are about creating a whole new design rather than re-creating. How garments fit the moving body is always a fun challenge. I also believe that where costuming for dance is going is exciting right now. There is a real wave of innovation and creativity that seems to be elevating the whole dance concert experience for the audience.

Tell me a little about your work for color guard (and explain what color guard is for those who don¹t know). (image at left: color guard costumes designed by Cyndi)
Explaining color guard is always a challenge; many have the old military style with high boots girls marching in back of a band image in their head when they hear the term color guard. The color guard activity has really grown over the years and taken a much more dance based approach. What is now called "Winter Guard" are groups, either high school age or collegiate, performing/competing in indoor arenas across the country. There is an organization called Winter Guard International that hosts contests around the world and each year in the spring hosts the World Championships. Groups from all over compete over a week long competition. Most spectators not familiar with Winter Guard are amazed at the depth of creativity and excellence that these groups are producing.

I began at the age of 9 years old with a independent color guard group and stayed with it as a participant for 13 years. At age 21 the participants "age out" so I moved on to choreographing for groups. I have been doing this ever since. Currently I am the Director of the Color Guard program at Walton High School in Marietta. I have been there for 14 years. The group is competitive on a national level and back in 2001 won the WGI World Championships. When designing a production for the group I always start with the costume and set design; everything else comes after. I have to see the look of the production in my head first.

What are the challenges in working with choreographers and designing for dance?
Challenges are fun to work through for me; I get energized when the project requires a lot out of me. Many times a choreographer may not think they know what they want but in talking with them I can usually hear what they are wanting even if they don't actually realize it.

What inspires you when you are designing costumes? What do you try to convey to audiences through your designs?
So much inspires me that it is hard to really say, but fashion, all forms of the arts, environment, and architecture all come into play. When there is a piece of work that has my costume designs as a part of it I want it to be just that, a part of the whole aesthetic. In most cases I wouldn't want it to pull focus or disrupt unless that was the objective of the project, maybe intellectually. I have had opportunities where I was able to design the costumes first and then the body of work comes to life.

Olé! Q&A with Flamenco Instructor Julie Baggenstoss

2009-12-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

Julie Baggenstoss is on our faculty this year, teaching a course called Dances and Dance Forms. This course features a different dance form each year (past forms include West African dance and Kuchipudi from India), and this year's form is Flamenco. Julie (pictured) answered a few questions for us about her experience and about Flamenco as a dance form.

How long have you been involved with flamenco dance and what drew you to it?
I have been involved with flamenco dance for 13 years. I was first drawn to flamenco by chance. After dancing all of my life, I wanted to try a different form when I was in my early 20s. I opened the Yellow Pages and saw a choice of belly dance or flamenco. I chose the latter, most likely because during my teenage years, I had been introduced to “Spanish tap,” the men's footwork portion of Mexican folkloric dance. The rhythms and use of the feet were interesting to me, initially.

Where and with whom did you study flamenco? Are you still studying?
My first teacher was Teresa Romero Torkanowsky, in New Orleans. I've also studied with Ulrika Frank in Atlanta, as well as a number of teachers in Spain. Some of my most influential teachers in Spain are Manuela Reyes, for her outstanding technique class, and Soraya Clavijo for her edgy style and instruction in improvisational dance. I currently study with teachers who offer workshops in the United States. I am studying flamenco singing now more than dance, but I am still studying dance. Most recently, I've been learning from New York-based dancer La Meira; Antonio Hidalgo, who does everything in flamenco, from dance to direct music to produce; and Marija Temo, who teaches singing, guitar, and dance as a whole flamenco package.

A few years ago, you were featured in People magazine as someone who made a career change to “follow your dream.” Tell me a little more about your life before your flamenco career and why you made the switch.
I was a television and Web writer, producer, and manager. The hours were long and often demanded my holidays. As I got older, I wanted more flexibility with my schedule. Trading full-time work for contract work gave me the opportunity to travel to Spain to develop my ability in flamenco. The more I learned, the more I realized that it would be possible to pursue a passion and make a living, albeit on a lower salary level then my previous career.

How does flamenco benefit your students—what do they gain from learning the art form?
Flamenco is beneficial on several levels, because it is deep and wide. There are the usual benefits, such as physical activity, mental exercise, and personal confidence. Much of flamenco takes place in the Spanish language, and students learn at least some Spanish vocabulary to communicate in class or understand song lyrics. Then, there is exposure to cultural differences. Flamenco is flamenco because of its influences: Spanish, Jewish, Indo-Pakistani, Moorish, and African cultures, all tied together by the gypsy lifestyle and its values, which are in opposition to many mores in the United States of America. Despite the cultural differences, many people who study flamenco realize that the emotional expression on which the art is based, transcends the gypsy experience that first gave rise to songs, dance, and music hundreds of years ago. Through this, students relate the experiences of people in another part of the world to their own lives. They learn about themselves, their own emotions, and perhaps get to express them through art.

How are you involved with flamenco in the Atlanta community (teaching, performances, etc.), and how can people interested in learning flamenco find classes or local performances?
I am involved in a number of projects and small businesses in Atlanta that produce and promote flamenco. I am a member of AIRE Flamenco, a live flamenco cuadro that performs throughout the Southeastern United States. I teach classes to the public at Several Dancers Core in downtown Decatur. And, I present national and international flamenco artists in workshops and performances in Atlanta. Information about the events that I organize and others can be found at Atlanta's flamenco website, http://www.jaleole.com/.

Are there any interesting facts/trivia about flamenco that you can share?
At its root, flamenco is an improvised art form. It began when gypsies sang out to express emotion hundreds of years ago when no one was recording history in a journal. It wasn't until the late 19th century that flamenco was presented on stage, and the public, non-gypsies that is, became introduced to this fascinating art form. Since then, flamenco has evolved and exists in two arenas: the original form of flamenco that is still improvised and takes place only at parties and private settings; and, the public presentation of flamenco on stage, with costumes, lights, and lightning-fast footwork. No matter in which setting you experience flamenco, you'll hear the performers and audience members shouting “Olé,” “Toma que toma,” “Vamos aya.” These are what we call a "jaleos," cheers of encouragement that are part of the exchange of emotional expression. So, when you're attending a flamenco performance, listen for these cheers. And, if they come from the person sitting next to you in the audience, don't worry; shouting at the performers is proper theater etiquette for flamenco.

Emory Dance Company performances start tonight!

2009-11-19T14:32:00.002-05:00

The Emory Dance Company's fall concert, "Muscle Memory," featuring choreography by faculty of the Emory Dance Program, starts tonight! All of the concert pieces involve the theme of memory and are performed by Emory students. Ticket proceeds from the Saturday night performance will benefit the Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship Fund.

Performances are:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 8:00pm
Friday, Nov. 20, 8:00pm
Sat. Nov. 21, 2:00pm and 8:00pm

For tickets, call the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404-727-5050.

Holland Dance Festival

2009-11-18T12:57:00.003-05:00

Professor of Dance Sally Radell had the opportunity to attend the Holland Dance Festival, which took place October 28-November 15 in The Hague, Netherlands. She shares some of her thoughts below.

I just returned from ten days in Holland where I attended several events at the Holland Dance Festival. This festival is the largest biennial dance festival in the Netherlands and included over 60 performances, one hundred workshops, and a dance parade with over 1200 dancers. The focus of this festival was a 50-year celebration of the Netherlands Dance Theater.

Of the several events I attended, by far the most powerful was the opening performance of the Netherlands Dance Theater performance on October 29. It was held in the Lucent Dance Theater, a stunning larger theater that was built and equipped for large dance events. As I approached the theater, I knew I was in for something special, as I viewed several dancers attached with ropes to the top of the building performing outside. They were dramatically illuminated and some were perched on stilt type walking devices that distorted their movement in a very compelling way. Their movements were somewhat agitated, yet smooth, slow and focused. It was mesmerizing.

The program consisted of three new premieres by Jiri Kylian, the English/Spanish duo of Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, and Swedish born Johan Inger. All three works had interactive sets and some degree of audiovisual effects which were seamlessly woven into the works. The dancers in all the pieces were of course superb technicians and all the choreography was some of the strongest I have seen. (Note: The Netherlands Dance Theater website currently has a video clip of Jyri Kylian's piece playing on the home page.)

Jiri Kylian has been a major artistic force in the Netherlands Dance Theater for years. His work “Memoires D’Oubliettes” was set to an original score by Dirk Haubrich, used impressionistic black and white film projections, and involved a forest- like elastic banded border around the stage. The dancers hurled, slithered and catapulted themselves in and out of this fabric with focused and sinuous energy. What was most striking about this work was the intuitive, kinetic logic that evolved seamlessly in the choreography as the piece transitioned into new sections that flowed with grace and ease. It was easy to get totally involved with this work; in fact, the choreographic intelligence totally drew me in.

The second piece by Lightfoot/Leo, “Studio 2,” was set to a score by Arvo Part. It involved a ramp where dancers seemed to rise while appearing like they were floating and a large mirror that was raised, lowered, and tilted with different relationships to the floor as the dancers moved around it. There were some particularly striking moments where the reflections in the mirror created apparitions of multiple dancers moving at odd angles. It was an in-depth look at the use of the mirror and levels of movement in dance class, but of course it took it all so much farther in abstraction than one could logically imagine.

The last work, “Dissolve in This,” by Inger involved circular lights on the stage that moved throughout the performance and a floor entirely covered in layers of torn up rubber that looked like grey snow. The bounciness and erratic qualities of the floor covering were reflected in the random and quick qualities of the movement gestures as the dancers darted around the stage with full abandon. The piece gradually accumulated throughout with larger and larger groups of dancers performing bigger phrases that covered an increasingly larger amount of space. The choreographically evolved masterfully and captured my total attention and fascination throughout the entirety of the forty minute work.

Thoughts on Collaboration

2009-11-12T15:47:00.002-05:00

Kendall Simpson, Music Coordinator for the Emory Dance Program, is working with two dance faculty members, Lori Teague, and Sally Radell, to create music for their pieces for the upcoming Emory Dance Company concert, Muscle Memory, November 19-21, 2009. For more information about the concert, please see: www.dance.emory.edu/events. Kendall's thoughts on collaboration follow.......

No two collaborations are alike; they are invariably unique. The creative destination may be known to all involved, but the method of travel can be wildly divergent. As a composer for the Emory Dance program, I have journeyed many routes in creating music for dance. Some choreographers work out the complete movement before the music is ever composed while others like to create around a set piece. Some find the middle ground by letting both music and movement set the work.

To keep my head on straight, I embrace it all, allowing the challenges in collaboration to push me as an artist. Care and trust are important, for we artists are on tender ground throughout the process. I am so fortunate to work with such thoughtful individuals as faculty members Greg Catellier, Anna Leo, Lori Teague, George Staib, Sally Radell and Tara Shepard Myers. They are all so different in their methods but so similar in the support and respect they give to me and fellow composers like Klimchak.

Now that I think about it, working with someone is my preference. I like to have a partner when I dance.

Local Atlanta Blogs of Interest

2009-11-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

Check out these two local blogs.........

Atlanta Dances, a community dance blog about the dance scene in Atlanta, started by Claire Horn of Several Dancers Core. The sidebar of the blog has a helpful list of links to Atlanta dance companies, dance classes, and university dance programs.

ArtsCriticsAtl.com covers the Atlanta arts scene with reviews and news. It features several writers, each covering an area of the arts. Several of the contributors were formerly arts critics for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The site lets you choose posts by discipline, or you can browse through all of them.

Dance Truck at Le Flash Festival

2009-10-30T12:04:00.001-04:00

Images above (l to r): Allie Bruehlman, Kaitlyn Pados, Sophie Slesinger performing in the Dance Truck during the Le Flash Festival.

This post was written by senior dance major Allie Bruehlman about a recent choreographic project.

On the evening of October 1, Atlanta's Castleberry Hill neighborhood was host to the second annual Le Flash Festival. I had the opportunity to choreograph for the festival's Dance Truck project, the brainchild of lighting designer Malina Rodriguez. Malina's idea was to bring dance into a public, urban environment by renting a twenty-six-foot Ryder box truck and presenting different choreographers' work made specifically for that space. Sophie Slesinger (class of '09), Kaitlyn Pados (senior dance major), and I performed in a piece I entitled "Primary Cares." The piece dealt with the implications of moving within the truck's spatial confines. We investigated how the space affected not only our individual movement but also our physical and emotional interactions and how such close spatial boundaries are analogous to our personal boundaries as well. Though in many ways I wish I could revisit and improve upon the material I presented, I am still very happy to have been a part of the proejct. The performance experience was unlike any other I have had before, and I am truly grateful to have participated in such a unique event.

Photos by Lori Teague

Art and Science: Evolution or Inspiration?

2009-10-27T13:01:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Emory Vice President Rosemary Magee, who moderated "Where Dance and Science Meet: A Creativity Conversation," which was held on October 15, 2009. For more information about Emory's Creativity Conversations, please click here.

Art and Science: Evolution or Inspiration? What is the role of the imagination in our work as scholars and researchers as well as artists? How can the University help to develop the imagination for individuals as well as the community?

These are some of the questions pursued in the discussion with New York-based choreographer David Neumann, Emory Chemistry Department Chair David Lynn, and myself.

What struck me were the commonalities in the process of discovery. These shared approaches included the importance of special tools, the centrality of collaboration, and the focus on process. What pleased me was how engaged the audience became--especially students who are double-majoring in art and science disciplines--in helping us think about the tensions as well as the commonalities.

If evolution is one of the dominant paradigms of our time, then both science and art are essential for discovering its meaning and implications. This conversation was an exploration of these ideas.
Photos by Lori Teague.

Q&A with Dance Alumna Ellen Lyle

2009-10-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Recent Emory dance alumna Ellen Lyle is preparing to present a new site-specific piece at a labyrinth Emory Presbyterian Church (see below for more information about the performance). We asked her a few questions about her experience at Emory, her current work, and future plans.

What have you been doing since graduating in May?
This summer I studied at the American Dance Festival, thanks to the Emory Friends of Dance. I took three classes most days in modern technique and composition (with Jesse Zaritt) and hiphop (with LaShawn Jones and HeJin Jang) as well as anusara yoga a few days a week. I also had the opportunity to create and present the beginnings of a new work in the ADF Student Concert and receive feedback from students and working professionals.

Currently I am in Atlanta working independently as a choreographer. I am collaborating with a number of Emory students and alumni as a part of a new arts collective, ellen lyle / open collision dance, which will be presenting work for the first time this weekend.

I am also working at the Atlanta Ballet and the Woodruff Arts Center and teaching ballet and young children's classes.

What are your future plans in dance?
I plan to continue creating new work; that I know for sure. Beyond that, I am letting things take me where they will. I am still figuring out what role I want dance to play in my life, but I will likely continue to choreograph and perform as long as I am able.

How did your education at Emory help prepare you for a career in dance?
My education at Emory gave me room to explore the field of dance both independently and under the guidance of its supportive faculty. The Dance Program helped me to think creatively and openly about the purpose of dance, as art, service, commentary or whatever its role may be. My education as a whole at Emory strengthened my critical mind and broadened my knowledge and awareness in a number of fields that play a vital role in the work I create.

How did you get the idea for a site specific dance at a labyrinth? Would you like to share anything else about the development of this piece?
I began attending Emory Presbyterian, where the labyrinth with which we are working is located, my freshman year at Emory. Over the past few years I've seen and visited a number of different prayer labyrinths, and I've been intrigued by their use and how people view them. Many people think of a labyrinth as being a maze—with dead ends and many different paths—something that is confusing. A prayer labyrinth, however, has only one path. There are no tricks to finding your way through. You begin at the outside, and work your way to the center, as a means of centering, meditating, or connecting with God. The path is a journey, spiritual or otherwise.

From an aesthetic point of view, the labyrinth is a very interesting space to work with—offering a circular foundation, with designs laid out in its path and with a central focus. The stones offer a unique, grounding texture. For me, working and performing in this space is a means of looking at what it means to be on a journey, to walk through life and accumulate new experiences, create memories, and leave marks along the way. To alter the journey for the future. The movement of these dancers in unison or in harmony in this space create for me a sense of travelling, sustaining community.

David Neumann Events this week!

2009-10-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

Please join us this week for two events featuring choreographer David Neumann. First up, a creativity conversation with Emory Chemistry Department Chair David Lynn. Then, the following two nights, performances by Neumann's company advanced beginner group.

Full details are on our website: http://www.dance.emory.edu/ (click on "Events").

October 15, 2009, 4:00 p.m.
Emory Friends of Dance Lecture Series: Where Dance and Science Meet: A Creativity Conversation

Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
No admission charge

October 16, 2009, 8:00 p.m. and October 17, 2009, 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
advanced beginner group
Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
$15 public; $10 discount groups; $5 students (box office 404-727-5050)

Study Abroad in Italy

2009-10-08T14:10:00.002-04:00

This post was written by current senior and dance major Allie Bruehlman.

This past spring I studied at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. The program is housed in a beautiful sixteenth-century villa amdist olive groves and wineries on the outskirts of the city. For four months I was lucky enough to eat, sleep, breathe, dance, and learn with thirty-six other students in this picturesque Tuscan locale. The Accademia's dance curriculum focused on teaching Western technical forms such as ballet and modern alongside the rich movement traditions of Italian tarantella. These classes in tarantella were especially enlightening and enjoyable because they unveiled parts of the Italian identity that I would never have seen through mere tourism. As the semester wore on, as I travelled more, as I learned to truly speak the language, I grew to love Italy not only for its food and its history but also for its culture and its people. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to travel with my love of dance into a new setting and to see the power that movement can have both on and off stage, both at home and abroad.

Bates Dance Festival: A Student Perspective

2009-09-28T11:55:00.002-04:00

Emory dance student Kaitlyn Pados attended the Bates Dance Festival this summer. This is Kaitlyn's reflection on her experience there.

This summer I attended Bates Dance Festival at Bates College in Maine with the help of the Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship. The three week experience involved four daily classes for me: Modern V with Michael Foley, Jazz IV with Cathy Young, Modern Repertory with Bebe Miller, and Yoga with Ashley Crawford. It was an amazing experience by itself, but in was even better sharing the hard work and exhaustion with fellow Emory dancers Alyssa Bruehlman and Kirsten Cooper, in addition to having Greg Catellier there as a supportive faculty member.

I have done other summer dance programs in the past, but this festival in particular challenged me on a daily basis, and pushed me out of my comfort zone which I really appreciate as an aspiring dancer/performer. The festival culminated in a finale performance in which we performed Bebe Miller's repertory work.

Crammed into those three busy weeks were challenges, exhaustion, and quite frankly, severe soreness. But the exposure to new movement and the personal growth I underwent as a dancer and performer made it an experience I will forever remember and appreciate.

...me so much nearer home

2009-09-25T09:22:00.001-04:00

Faculty member Anna Leo's concert ...me so much nearer home starts tonight, Friday, September 25, at 8:00 p.m. Other performances are Saturday, September 26 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m. For tickets ($5), call 404-727-5050.

For an interview with Anna Leo and more information about her inspiration for this concert, please click here.

Writing the Poem "Voice"

2009-09-23T09:46:00.001-04:00

Please join us for the upcoming concert "...me so much nearer home," featuring choreography by faculty member and Dance Program Director, Anna Leo. The concert has three performances from September 25-27. Please see our website and click on the Events link for more details. One of the unique features of this concert is that each dance will be introduced by a poem. The post below is written by Lynn Thompson, who composed one of these poems.

Writing the Poem “Voice”
by Lynne Thompson

When Anna Leo invited me to compose a poem for a solo dance entitled Warrior Woman Pantoum, I assumed the Malayan form (originally, pantun) would provide the structure for the poem. When I received the DVD of a rehearsal of the piece, however, it struck me that Anna’s choreography and Steve Everett’s feral musical score had fractured the regularized expectations that are a necessary aspect of that form. Traditionally, the pantoum is comprised of repeated, rhyming lines that create an echo in the listener’s ear; a feeling of taking four steps forward, then two back. However, Anna’s Warrior Woman earns her status by eschewing this expectation; by exploring the previously-unexplored so as to discover and establish her own way in the world. Thus, in writing "Voice," I wanted to develop a pattern by repeating the active verb say while marrying that repetition to the dancer’s unpredictable curiosity and insistence on becoming.

Summer at the Bates Dance Festival

2009-09-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

For the faculty and students in the dance program at Emory, summer break is a chance to delve deeply into art making, dance training and to reconnect with the larger dance community. For students this often happens at summer dance festivals where they take class daily and attended dance performances. However, this summer I was lucky enough to be the lighting supervisor at the Bates Dance Festival, (BDF) in Lewiston Maine. There were five fully produced performances from established and emerging choreographers. The production manager and I worked with four interns to ensure successful performances.

I found the reward of attending a summer dance festival was the opportunity to engage with individuals who, like me, are committed to dance as an art form. At the BDF teachers, students, performers and staff come to together three times a day to refuel and exchange at the college’s commons. This creates a palpable sense of community.

At each meal I would look for the Emory students (Kirsten, Kaitlyn and Ali) attending the BDF—sometimes to say hi, and other times to discuss how classes were going. I take such pride in the fact Emory dancers are out there representing our field and bringing it the respect it deserves.

Gregory Catellier
Senior Lecturer

Image: Emory Dance Students at the Bates Dance Festival

Reflection on Dance at the Arts Soiree

2009-09-11T13:14:00.000-04:00

Last night was the second annual Arts Soiree. In the dance studio, we started off with inventive, intentional, dynamic phrases created by the Choreography I class (solo compositions). The opportunity to collaborate in the moment, with a Balinese sound score and their classmates, moved each choreographer/performer's phrase into a fully realized physical state. Later in the program, an audience member chose Mohammad Zaidi and Sandra Chan's phrase as a duet experiment in the space. The new selection of music pushed them more intensely through their material, while sensing the new musical landscape. The audience got to experience dynamic contrasts.

Lilli Ransijn, an Emory dance alumna and President of Emory Friends of Dance Board, took our next group of visitors into the dance student lounge for a special viewing of dance faculty member Gregory Catellier's "Disrepair" and Sally Radell's "Car Talk" and "Double Exposure." Both works are designed and created for the camera.

The last sessions in the dance studio had wonderfully inquisitive audiences who asked, "Is there a way to record dances?" "Could you do the dance again?" and "What does it mean when the dancers all fall to the floor?" Blake Beckham, Jade Poole, George Staib and Lori Teague performed exerpts from Dance Program Director Anna Leo's quartet, "Good Graces." This is one of four works in her concert me...so much nearer home, which will premiere September 25-27 in the Schwartz Dance Studio. The evening of dances are all inspired by Leo's family. Teague shared descriptions of Leo's choregraphic process as well as the inspiration for this work, Leo's daughter Vita. "Good Graces" also moves through ideas taken from Fran Castan's poem, "First Month's Blessing." The cast creates a community who embraces, restores, shields, adapts and connects in a metaphoric space of circles, squares and diagonals.

-Lori Teague, Associate Professor
Emory Dance Program

Creativity and Arts Soiree

2009-09-08T14:26:00.000-04:00

Please join us for the second annual Creativity and Arts Soiree on Thursday, September 10 from 4:00-9:00 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 North Decatur Road. You can see live dance in the dance studio (see below), hear music by Emory ensembles, and preview theater, film, literary, and visual arts events.

In the dance studio, Emory dancers will improvise movement ideas and share material from their recent summer study at Bates Dance Festival and the American Dance Festival. In addition, Emory alumna Blake Beckham, faculty members George Staib and Lori Teague, and Jade Poole will perform excerpts from Anna Leo's “Good Graces,” which will close the program in Leo's upcoming concert …me so much nearer home. The open rehearsal format will allow audience members to ask questions and gain some insight into Leo's choreographic process. Outside the studio, guests will be able to view dance video work by Greg Catellier and Sally Radell (collaborating with Bill Brown of Visual Arts).

We hope to see you there!

Friends of Dance Scholarship Students, Summer 2009

2009-08-31T12:41:00.001-04:00

Every year, our Friends of Dance organization awards scholarships to select dance majors and minors to help them study at prestigious summer dance programs around the country. For summer 2009, five students received scholarships.

Recent graduates Ellen Lyle and Caitlin Yuhas, and rising senior Tiffany Greenwood went to the American Dance Festival (ADF) at Duke University. Ellen wrote a wonderful blog about her experiences, complete with video (http://elylemoving.wordpress.com/). Rising senior Kaitlyn Pados and rising sophomore Kirsten Cooper attended the Bates Dance Festival in Maine. Both programs offered an intensive experience for students, with daily classes in a variety of dance genres.

The unanimous response from the students when asked about their summer dance experiences? Amazing and transforming!

You can support our Friends of Dance scholarship program by becoming a Friend of Dance. Your contribution will also support our biannual Friends of Dance lecture and other programmatic initiatives. In return, you receive ticket discounts for Arts at Emory events and other discounts. For complete details, and information about how to join, please see: http://dance.emory.edu/audience/friends/

-Anne Walker
Office Manager
Emory Dance Program

What we did this summer

2009-08-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

As the summer nears its end, and we start a new school year next week, we humbly submit our report on "What We Did This Summer."

Our full-time faculty were busy with a variety of things, from choreographing new works to working with local teenagers, to performing and writing a research paper. For a full report on faculty activities, please see "Where the Arts Go in Summer" at http://www.arts.emory.edu/about/artist/arts%20in%20summer.htm (scroll down to find the dance faculty section).

Kendall Simpson, our music coordinator, composed new music for choreography for Anna Leo, which you will be able to experience at her faculty concert, "...me so much nearer home" to be performed September 25-27 (see http://www.dance.emory.edu/ for more details).

Kendall and I completed a project over a year in the making, the redesign of our website. We have a completely new look, updated and revised content, and we added a photo gallery. This coming year we plan to add video clips as well. Check out the website for our schedule of 2009-2010 dance events! And feel free to send us feedback on the website to: dance@emory.edu. And obviously we’ve also started a blog!

This week we are gearing up for the arrival of first year students, the return of other students, and for the start of classes on August 27. Stay tuned for our next post, about what our students did this summer!

-Anne Walker
Office Manager
Emory Dance Program

Welcome!

2009-08-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Emory Dance Program’s blog. Our blog will give you an ongoing, ever-changing, up-close look at the program’s activities and growth. You can read, see, and hear about student, faculty, staff, and alumni activities. Postings will include profiles, event listings, first person anecdotes, as well as articles, and links to other blogs and sites.

Our 2009-2010 season will start in September and includes a variety of concerts by faculty, students, and guest dance companies. Please visit our website at www.dance.emory.edu for a full list of events for the upcoming year! To receive mailings or emails about our events, send your contact information to dance@emory.edu with a request to be added to our snail mail and/or email list.

We look forward to keeping in touch with you via our blog, and hope you will check back regularly for new posts! If there is anything you would like to see in our blog, please send us an email at: dance@emory.edu.

-Anna Leo
Director, Emory Dance Program