Photos from Arts Soiree and Friends of Dance Lecture

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.

Hip Hop Lecture Tonight, Sept. 14, 2010

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

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.

Congratulations to our Graduates!

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