Success at ACDFA

"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

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

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.

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.

Alyssa Bruehlman 10C on Combining Dance with Pre-Med

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?

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

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

Rally to Protest Arts Funding Cuts

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

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.

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Accolades from the American College Dance Festival

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