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2016 Dance Newsletter.Pdf From Along the Same Train of Thought, choreography by Julie Janus Walters Photo: Alec Himwich DANCE PROGRAM 2015-2016 NEWSLETTER EDITOR: DR. PURNIMA SHAH MICHAEL KLIËN TO JOIN discourse that surrounds it. Concerned with the DANCE PROGRAM IN 2017 theoretical and practical With great pleasure, we welcome and advancement of choreog- introduce Michael Kliën as our new raphy, his processes are Duke Dance Program faculty. often extended recursive He holds a Ph.D. in Choreography experimentations meant to from the Edinburg College of Art, expand the possibilities of Edinburgh University, U.K. He is an human movement. internationally acclaimed choreogra- “The dance studio is pher, curator and producer of numer- seen as a “laboratory” for ous touring productions, installations, the exploration and naviga- festivals and events across Europe and tion of the unknown.” the U.S. He has guest-taught at six MFA He brings a very fresh programs in European universities. The approach to choreography that is founded on a deep most alluring aspect of Michael’s work is arrangements, through the histori- philosophical underpinning. Kliën has his overarching pedagogical and artistic cal development of certain techniques created an extensive body of work while philosophy – a foundation upon which and abilities to manipulate and master serving as the Artistic Director of the he has built his entire career: aspects of bodily, physical exertion and London-based performance collec- exhibition.” “My teaching offers students to expe- tive Barriedale Operahouse and for the rience and define dance and choreo- Michael’s ideas are a shift in the field Daghdha Dance Company in Ireland. graphy against the backdrop of wider of dance; he brings a new approach, Kliën has been invited for various ecological, social and political struc- merging aspects of performance art with commissions, including Ballet Frank- tures. I approach both disciplines as choreography – supported by a deep furt, Martha Graham Dance Company, distinct, nonetheless deeply entangled, intellectual exploration. His ideas on ZKM, TQW and the Vienna Volksoper. fields of perception and practice. Dance the embodiment of social change imbue He will start his term at Duke in January as an artistic discipline defines itself his creative work, and that work is most 2017. predominately through its institutional fully experienced through the scholarly graduates Congratulations to our graduating majors and minors! Stephanie Joe, T’16, completed an interdisciplinary major in Dance and Visual Studies. She graduated with distinction and performed Beyond: Moments & Process for her distinction project on April 17 in the Ark. (See photo at right). She was also one of the founders of the Duke Ballet Company during her undergraduate years. Stephanie aspired to be a professional dancer following graduation and this summer, she joined the company Ballet 5:8 in Chicago. Madeline Cetlin, T’16, graduated with a double major in Dance and Global Health. Her senior choreo- graphic piece for ChoreoLab 2016, Slipping Through Time, based on her DukeEngage service learning experi- ence in Bangalore, India, was one of four pieces that she performed for her senior project on April 15. Following graduation, she moved to Atlanta to work in Health Care Consulting at Triage. Photo by Palani Mohan graduates Maurice Dowell, T’16, is a Dance minor and major in the Literature Program in Global Cultural Studies. He also received a Certificate in Art of the Moving Image. He won the Julia Wray Dance Award in 2016 (see page 4) for his overall participation and progress in dance and the Clay Taliaferro Dance Award in 2015. Mary Skapek, T’16, a minor in Dance and Neuroscience and major in Biology made the Dean’s list in Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 and gradu- ated with distinction in Biology. Mary holds the record of performing for Duke Dance in four original modern repertory works choreographed by Andrea Woods Valdés. Since graduation, she has been working as a research assistant at the Madeline Cetlin (center) choreographed and danced in Slipping Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Chil- Through Time for ChoreoLab 2016. Photo by Alec Himwich dren’s National in Washington D.C. Marisa Epstein, T’16, graduated with a dance minor, a major in Public Policy Studies and a Certificate in Markets and Management. student activities Dance major, Eufern Pan, had the amazing op- portunity to attend the American Dance Festival (ADF) Summer program, funded by the Council for the Arts, 2015 Summer Study Arts grant. “For six incredible weeks, I danced for more than 250 hours, watched over 20 dance perfor- Mary Skapek (center) danced in In Memoria/Amazing for November Dances 2015. Photo by Alec Himwich mances, and got to experience the magic of ADF with 400 beautiful dancers and faculty from Marisa Epstein (third from left) danced in the Dance Program’s first around the world,” Eufern said. flamenco repertory for November Dances 2015. Photo by Alec Himwich “I was inspired and challenged, encouraged and uplifted by my teachers and fellow students who taught me so much. It was a mind-blowing and life-changing experience, to say the least!” student awards Cindy Li received the Clay Taliaferro Award for artistic and technical growth as an undergraduate. Maurice Ivy Dowell received the Julia Wray Memorial Dance Award for outstanding achievement in dance as an under- graduate student. Photos by Alec Himwich conferences The Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD), organized a conference February 19-21, Dancing the African Diaspora: Embodying the Afrofuture. Dancing the African Diaspora is a bi-annual conference which aims to re-ignite the discourse on defining Black Dance on a global scale by bringing together scholars, practitioners, and educators, for three days of intellectual and artistic inspiration. The conference theme, Afrofuturism, is a 20th cen- tury aesthetic that combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism, used by art- ists to explore black futures that stem from Afrodiasporic experiences. Featured guests at the conference included choreo- grapher and artistic director of Abraham.In.Motion, Kyle Abraham; Dr. Nadine George-Graves, professor of The- ater and Dance at the University of California-San Diego; dancer and visual artist, Storyboard P; dancer and cho- reographer niv Acosta; and dance historian and scholar, John Perperner III. CADD founders include Duke faculty Thomas F. DeFrantz, Ava LaVonne Vinesett, Andrea E. Woods Valdés, as well as nine other outstanding interna- tional dance scholars. mainstage concerts November Dances 2015 Li and Dasha Chapman, with interface design by Libi The Dance Program introduced a new flamenco reper- Striegl. Students of the Bass Connections course Perfor- tory to the November Dances concert for the first time. mance and Technology presented their Intermission Ob- The inclusion of flamenco, part of the Dance Program’s jects during the ChoreoLab intermission. The course was Year of Flamenco project, was made possible by visiting co-taught by DeFrantz, Martin Brooke and Libi Striegl. instructor Carlota Santana, artistic director and founder Jun-Jun drumming was featured in Ava LaVonne of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Vinesett’s African dance piece, Initiation. Four dancers The piece, Alegrias, a traditional flamenco dance played the jun-jun drums and danced to live drumming from the city of Cadiz, was performed by eight dancers by Beverly Botsford, David Font-Navarrete, Richard J. from both Duke and the community. The dancers were Vinesett, and Wesley Williams. accompanied by guest guitarist Kris Hill and singer Jazz choreographer Nina Wheeler created a dystopian Laura Peralta. world for her dancers in Forced Future. The concert also included a new ballet piece, Senior Stephanie Joe presented her fourth choreo- Quartetometry, choreographed by Tyler Walters and graphed piece for the Duke Dance Program, a solo called student dancers Ariel Burde, Stephanie Joe, Julia Kemper, –at present–. Senior Madeline Cetlin also choreographed and Riana Schleicher. a piece, Slipping through Time, which was inspired by Andrea E. Woods Valdés choreographed a mod- her travels with DukeEngage in Bangalore, India. Travel ern dance piece, In Memoria/Amazing, inspired by the abroad also inspired the work of junior Sarah Atkinson, June 2015 shooting in Charleston, SC, with overlapping who was in France during the time of the Paris bombings selected sections of the recorded speeches of Dr. Martin on Nov. 14, 2015. Her piece for three dancers, 14.11.15, Luther King, Jr., and President Barack Obama in the was dedicated to anyone who has woken up to a city shat- background. tered by tragedy. Ava LaVonne Vinesett created an African dance piece Both November Dances 2015 and ChoreoLab 2016 were called Breaking of the Storm, calling on themes of nature excerpted for successful daytime performances for area and the weight of history. school students in two Outreach shows. The Dance Pro- Four dance students also choreographed pieces for gram provides these performances free of charge to local November Dances 2016. Senior Maurice Ivy Dowell public and charter elementary, middle and high schools. created a solo piece, Exit Here (An Anagnorisis). Eufern Barbara Dickinson served as master of cermonies for the Pan, a junior, choreographed a solo piece inspired by two shows. her struggles with body image, SPIRAL, and sophomore Cindy Li also chose body issues and personal struggle for her solo piece, woman study no. 2: body. Senior Stepha- nie Joe choreographed a piece for six dancers, [be]yond, about finding inspiration and beauty in the present. ChoreoLab 2016 The Dance Program’s spring concert, ChoreoLab 2016, was presented April 8-9 in Reynolds Industries Theater. It featured five dance pieces by Duke faculty and three pieces by undergraduate dance student choreographers. Dance faculty Julie Janus Walters created a ballet work using imagery from her brain wave activity while envisioning the dance and listening to the score.
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