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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Emphasizing Individual Beauty and Power

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

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).