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.

Dance for Reel, October 14, 2010

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

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

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

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!