DOCSLIB.ORG

A Chorus Line; Inset: Michael Bennett with the Original Cast of a Chorus Line

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Chorus Line; Inset: Michael Bennett with the Original Cast of a Chorus Line 016,18_News_DT0509.prep.qxd 3/24/09 2:52 PM Page 16 DT notes HAPPENINGS James Lane and the cast of A Chorus Line; inset: Michael Bennett with the original cast of A Chorus Line. DPMC QC WHAT THEY DID FOR LOVE This month, devoted fans of the smash Broadway hit A Chorus Line will get a group of people in this society, and that’s us, Broadway dancers. a never-before-seen glimpse into the show—this time, on the big screen. I think that we’re all pretty interesting, and I think that there’s a show Opening in theaters nationwide, Sony Pictures Classics’ Every Little in that, which would be called A Chorus Line.” Throughout the Step: The Journey of a Phenomenon, A Chorus Line, explores how this remainder of the 96-minute docudrama, viewers are treated to a groundbreaking musical arose from a midnight recording session of 13 behind-the-scenes view of the revival, from the grueling audition 100 dancers (eight who would appear in the original 1975 cast), discussing process (with “I Hope I Get It” playing in the background) to 96 their personal stories over red wine, to a show that continues to touch rehearsals and opening night. audiences four decades later. You’ll laugh, cry and root for your favorite as the number is nar- 75 The $2 million documentary, directed by James D. Stern, a sea- rowed down from 1,700 to just 19. Watch Jessica Lee Goldyn make 50 soned theater producer who won a 2003 Tony Award for Hairspray, and her Broadway debut as Val, veteran Charlotte D’Amboise battle nerves 25 Adam Del Deo, made its world premiere last September as a Special on landing the part of Cassie and current choreography superstar, Tyce 15 Presentation at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s Diorio (DT February 2009 cover subject), get cut from casting. There are subject—the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line—opened at New also exclusive interviews with some of the original cast members, 5 York City’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on October 5, 2006, and ran for including Donna McKechnie, who starred as Cassie. Even if you’ve 759 performances before closing on August 17, 2008. The filmmakers seen the show countless times, you’ll get chills when you hear successfully present the show’s timeless themes in layers, weaving Bennett’s voice on those very first recordings, and newcomers will together footage of the original production and the revival to reveal how discover why this has been called one of the most truthful shows ever life imitates art. performed on the Great White Way. Within the first few moments, Michael Bennett, the show’s late creator Info: www.sonyclassics.com/everylittlestep/ and choreographer, expresses his initial goal: “It’s really about examining —Courtney Rae Allen Classics Pictures Sony of courtesy images both ©; 1975 Swope, Martha by Photo Inset: ©; 2006 Kolnik, Paul by Photo 16 www.dance-teacher.com • May 2009 *As seen in Dance Teacher. Unauthorized Duplication is Prohibited Under Law* This proof has been quality checked Please Initial One: by DPMC. DPMC will not accept OK CHANGES DTM0905_016r1 liability for any proof approved by client. AS IS NEEDED 016,18_News_DT0509.prep.qxd 3/24/09 2:53 PM Page 18 DT notes HAPPENINGS THINKING ON HER FEET Last month, more than three years of hard work paid off for Ohio State University graduate student, Jenai Cutcher, when her feature-length documentary, Thinking on Their Feet: Women of the Tap Renaissance, premiered at The Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Jenai Cutcher and friend Lynn Schwab film Brenda Bufalino. Cutcher, who studies dance, was the only MFA candidate to receive a Presidential Fellowship, an award the university hands out to just 15 Lynn Dally, Anita Feldman, Jane Goldberg, Sarah Petronio and Linda people a year. Sohl-Ellison—helped tappers find paying work at dance festivals and Cutcher discovered tap dance in college, then moved to New York onstage during the late ’70s and early ’80s . City after graduation and was surprised at how many female tap Cutcher’s wish is for young girls studying dance—specifically dancers she encountered in the male-dominated field. In 2005, she tap dance—to see her film and be inspired. “I always knew that began videotaping informal Q&A sessions with some of those women. these women were under-recognized, but I never knew how much. I “I just started shooting. I thought video would be the most accessible had a sense of what they had done and how their work was benefiting to the widest audience,’” says Cutcher. Upon returning to Ohio State me, but I definitely didn’t understand the scope of their work until we for graduate school, she knew that she wanted the documentary to started talking.” serve as her final project for her MFA degree. For a preview, go to www.dance-teacher.com Eventually she narrowed her theme to women of the tap renais- Info: www.jenaicutcher.com sance. These women—primarily Brenda Bufalino, Heather Cornell, —Tracy Krisanits DPMC QC Historic Dance Film Collection in the Works Dance history is an essential element of works will be made available at Ohio a dance student’s education. But with State University, the New York Public Sheriff Osni important dance films scattered in Library for the Performing Arts Jerome leads class. libraries across the country and recorded Robbins Dance Division, The Museum DARING DANCERS in unreliable analog formats, it’s often dif- of Performance and Design and Jacob’s ficult for teachers to access this media. Pillow Dance Festival. If this first phase is Sheriff Osni’s Dallas-based Saturday morning aerobics- That might soon change, thanks to an successful, the network will expand to cum-salsa class at MoveStudio is full of high spirits. But innovative new project by the Dance include other libraries—ultimately, Drazin what sets these 15 students apart is that they’re visually- Heritage Coalition and the Bay Area hopes, allowing dance educators, dance impaired. The classes are part of a nonprofit organization Video Coalition. With funding from the historians and other interested individu- called ConfiDance, founded by Hsiao-Ling Dawson. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the als access to important films that were The students, Osni was pleased to learn, are hypersen- National Endowment for the Arts, the previously obscure, including works by sitive to speech. He could see them applying his direc- two organizations plan to develop Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Eiko & tions to their bodies. Compared to nonimpaired students, “Secure Media Network,” a searchable Koma and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, he says, “The ConfiDance individuals have better posture, digital archive for historic dance films. among others. 100 which is the most difficult thing in ballroom dance.” “We know from speaking with edu- “We’ve been hoping to launch a 96 MoveStudio donates space and the teachers donate cators that access to dance films has project like this for at least 10 years,” 75 their time. Additionally, members from the community been a serious problem,” says Barbara says Drazin. “It’s exciting to see it volunteer to help the dancers navigate through the studio. Drazin, executive director of the DHC. coming to fruition. I think it will be of 50 The volunteers also participate in class, something that “This project has the potential to great use to so many people.” 25 Osni didn’t expect. tremendously increase the resources Info: www.bavc.org; 15 The students are hungry for more. “It was not me or they have to use with their students.” www.danceheritage.org Hsiao-Ling. The group has made it clear they want this on During a two-year pilot period, digital —Margaret Fuhrer 5 an ongoing basis,” says Osni. He and Dawson hope to find a permanent facility for ongoing classes. “They made it very clear from the beginning that their visual According to a recent survey by the United Arts Council of disability is only minor and demanded to be treated Raleigh and Wake County, North Carolina, 81 percent of normal,” says Osni. “And you know what?” he laughs. respondents support providing some financial assistance to fund “They can handle the Latin heat.” arts and cultural programs to enhance the quality of life, while Info: www.movestudio.com 51 percent of respondents strongly support such funding. —Kina Poon Source: www.unitedarts.org Ling-Dawson Hsiao of courtesy Cutcher; Jenai of courtesy Flores, Wallace by Photo top: From 18 www.dance-teacher.com • May 2009 *As seen in Dance Teacher. Unauthorized Duplication is Prohibited Under Law* This proof has been quality checked Please Initial One: by DPMC. DPMC will not accept OK CHANGES DTM0905_018r1 liability for any proof approved by client. AS IS NEEDED 016,18_News_DT0509.prep.qxd 3/24/09 2:53 PM Page 18 020_Resources_DT0509.prep.qxd 3/24/09 2:55 PM Page 20 DT notes HAPPENINGS DT notes RESOURCES THINKING ON HER FEET Last month, more than three years of hard work paid off for Ohio State University graduate student, Jenai Cutcher, when her feature-length documentary, Thinking on Their Feet: Women of the Tap Renaissance, premiered at The Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Jenai Cutcher and friend Lynn Schwab film Brenda Bufalino. Teaching Aids for the Ages Cutcher, who studies dance, was the only MFA candidate to receive a Books, CDs and DVDs to help you reach specific age groups Presidential Fellowship, an award the university hands out to just 15 Lynn Dally, Anita Feldman, Jane Goldberg, Sarah Petronio and Linda people a year.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FY14 Tappin' Study Guide
    Student Matinee Series Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life Study Guide Created by Miller Grove High School Drama Class of Joyce Scott As part of the Alliance Theatre Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists’ Dramaturgy by Students Under the guidance of Teaching Artist Barry Stewart Mann Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life was produced at the Arena Theatre in Washington, DC, from Nov. 15 to Dec. 29, 2013 The Alliance Theatre Production runs from April 2 to May 4, 2014 The production will travel to Beverly Hills, California from May 9-24, 2014, and to the Cleveland Playhouse from May 30 to June 29, 2014. Reviews Keith Loria, on theatermania.com, called the show “a tender glimpse into the Hineses’ rise to fame and a touching tribute to a brother.” Benjamin Tomchik wrote in Broadway World, that the show “seems determined not only to love the audience, but to entertain them, and it succeeds at doing just that! While Tappin' Thru Life does have some flaws, it's hard to find anyone who isn't won over by Hines showmanship, humor, timing and above all else, talent.” In The Washington Post, Nelson Pressley wrote, “’Tappin’ is basically a breezy, personable concert. The show doesn’t flinch from hard-core nostalgia; the heart-on-his-sleeve Hines is too sentimental for that. It’s frankly schmaltzy, and it’s barely written — it zips through selected moments of Hines’s life, creating a mood more than telling a story. it’s a pleasure to be in the company of a shameless, ebullient vaudeville heart.” Maurice Hines Is .
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Musical Theatre Dance
    Gordon 1 Jessica Gordon 29 March 2010 Honors Thesis Everything was Beautiful at the Ballet: The Evolution of Musical Theatre Dance During the mid-1860s, a ballet troupe from Paris was brought to the Academy of Music in lower Manhattan. Before the company’s first performance, however, the theatre in which they were to dance was destroyed in a fire. Nearby, producer William Wheatley was preparing to begin performances of The Black Crook, a melodrama with music by Charles M. Barras. Seeing an opportunity, Wheatley conceived the idea to combine his play and the displaced dance company, mixing drama and spectacle on one stage. On September 12, 1866, The Black Crook opened at Niblo’s Gardens and was an immediate sensation. Wheatley had unknowingly created a new American art form that would become a tradition for years to come. Since the first performance of The Black Crook, dance has played an important role in musical theatre. From the dream ballet in Oklahoma to the “Dance at the Gym” in West Side Story to modern shows such as Movin’ Out, dance has helped tell stories and engage audiences throughout musical theatre history. Dance has not always been as integrated in musicals as it tends to be today. I plan to examine the moments in history during which the role of dance on the Broadway stage changed and how those changes affected the manner in which dance is used on stage today. Additionally, I will discuss the important choreographers who have helped develop the musical theatre dance styles and traditions. As previously mentioned, theatrical dance in America began with the integration of European classical ballet and American melodrama.
    [Show full text]
  • TAP INTO HISTORY Study Guide for Educators
    TAP INTO HISTORY Study Guide for Educators Highlights of Tap History: ​ 1600’s: English people migrate to the United States, bringing social dance, waltzes, jigs, reels and clogs. At the same time, Africans come to America (as slaves) and bring percussive, grounded and syncopated rhythms. 1880’s: Vaudeville (a variety entertainment performance circuit) establishes tap as an American art form. 1915: Metal taps are added to shoes. 1930’s-50’s: The era of dance movies starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Eleanor Powell, Bill Robinson, Buddy Ebsen, James Cagney, Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Ann Miller, and others. 1970’s: Dance studios and colleges start teaching tap. Hip hop and other social dance forms eclipse tap’s popularity. 1980’s: The first tap companies are formed, primarily by women, and the first international tap festival takes place in New York City. 1989: Congress establishes National Tap Dance Day to honor Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s birthday, May 25th. 1990’s: Tap/percussive dance shows such as Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Stomp and Tap Dogs ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ become popular worldwide. Savion Glover becomes the poster child for the genre for his appearances in shows like Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk and on Sesame Street. ​ ​ ​ ​ Present: Many veteran tap dancers pass away, giving rise to a new generation of tap dancers like Michelle Dorrance, Chloe Arnold, and Jason Samuels Smith. Contemporary tap dance pushes the boundaries of the art form beyond just tapping, exploring elements such as storytelling, technology, and fusion with other dance forms. Questions? [email protected] © 2020 Ryan P.
    [Show full text]
  • Artist Bios and Piece Descriptions
    1 PERFORMANCE MIX ARTISTS 2013:BIOGRAPHIES Renée Archibald presents Shake Shake, a duet that brings new life to the old cliché of the dancer’s body as instrument. The work investigates sound as a kinetic sense, with rhythm accumulating and dissolving into sempiternal metabolic process and tumbling into finely-tuned cacophony that animates the performance space with lush visual noise. Shake Shake is performed by Jennifer Lafferty and Renée Archibald. Archibald is currently a third year MFA candidate and Teaching Assistant in The Department of Dance at the University of Illinois. After receiving a BFA from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Archibald lived in New York City for ten years where she performed with independent artists including Christopher Williams, Ann Liv Young, and Rebecca Lazier. Her choreographic work has been presented at NY venues including The Brooklyn Museum, The Chocolate Factory, Danspace Project, Dance Theater Workshop, and The Kitchen. Archibald has taught at Barnard College and White Mountain Summer Dance Festival and has received choreographic residencies through the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Movement Research, and Yaddo. In 2012, she was awarded the U of Dance Department's Vannie L. Sheiry Memorial Scholarship for outstanding performance. vimeo.com/reneearchibald Oren Barnoy presents Angels My House I Promise. Barnoy dives into an unknown world of dance while investigating not knowing. This experience of dancing is somewhere between ritual, improvisation, score, therapy, and set choreography. It produces itself. Barnoy showed his choreography between 2000-2004 at Joyce SoHo, PS1, Dancenow, Galapagos, WAX. In 2005, Barnoy took a four year break from dance and moved to Miami.
    [Show full text]
  • An Evening with Savion Glover & Jack Dejohnette
    Co-present AN EVENING WITH SAVION GLOVER & JACK DEJOHNETTE Savion Glover Tap Dancer Jack DeJohnette Drums Featuring George Colligan Piano Jerome Harris Bass Marshall Davis, Jr. Tap Dancer Monday, June 20 & Tuesday, June 21 at 8:00pm Page Auditorium Performance: 90 minutes, including intermission and pause Savion Glover with Marshall Davis, Jr. INTERMISSION Jack DeJohnette and his Trio PAUSE Savion Glover with Jack DeJohnette and full company SAVION GLOVER Savion Glover is a Tony Award-winning choreographer and legendary hoofer whose career has spanned four decades. He began his Broadway stage career as The Tap Dance Kid, and continued with Black and Blue, Jelly's Last Jam, and his unprecedented award-winning Bring in da Noise Bring in da Funk, which garnered him a Tony Award for Best Choreography. He choreographed the multiple Tony Award nominee and Broadway sensation Shuffle Along with his longtime collaborator George C. Wolfe. In addition to his extensive Broadway career as a performer and choreographer, Savion has created many tap shows that tour worldwide including Bare Soundz, Classical Savion, OM, StepZ, Solo in Time, Sole Sanctuary, Improvography, Footnotes, and Savion Glover's Holiday Spectacular. In addition to creating his ongoing body of work, Savion has enjoyed performing worldwide with jazz legends including McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, and Jack DeJohnette. Mr. Glover's film credits include Tap, starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.; Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and George Miller's Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. He has appeared on television in commercials for Nike and is a longstanding performer on Sesame Street. As a child, Glover was privileged to dance with and be guided by the great Bunny Briggs, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney, Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jimmy Slyde and Diane Walker.
    [Show full text]
  • Savion Glover Resume
    savion glover choreographer contact: (818) 509-0121 FILM / TELEVISION Molly (*to be released) Tap Improvography Dir. Sally Potter World of Dance Guest Mentor NBC / Season 2 So You Think You Can Dance Choreographer FOX / Season 13 Choreographer / Motion Capture Happy Feet Dir. George Miller, Warren Coleman, Judy Morris Performer Happy Feet Two Choreographer Dir. George Miller, Gary Eck, David Peers Bamboozled Choreographer Dir. Spike Lee The Jamie Foxx Show Choreographer Dir. John Bowab / Warner Bros. Television The Rat Pack Choreographer Dir. Rob Cohen / HBO Savion Glover’s Nu York Choreographer Dir. Jim Gable / ABC THEATRE BROADWAY Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Music Box Theatre / Dir. George C. Wolfe / *Tony Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Choreographer Award Nominated Followed (2016) Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk Choreographer / As da Beat (Original) Public Theater / Dir. George C. Wolfe / (1996-1999) / as Lil’ Dahlin’ (Original) *Tony Award Winner Virginia Theatre / Chor. Gregory Hines, Ted L. Levy / Jelly’s Last Jam (1992-1993) As Young Jelly (Original) Dir. George C. Wolfe Minskoff Theatre / Chor. Cholly Atkins / Dir. Hector Black and Blue (1989) As Younger Generation (Original) Orezzoli, Claudio Segovia Minskoff Theatre / Chor. Danny Daniels / Dir. Vivian The Tap Dance Kid (1984-1985) As Willie (Replacement) Matalon OFF-BROADWAY Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (2018) Director / Choreographer Encores! / New York City Center Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk Choreographer New York Shakespeare Festival / Public
    [Show full text]
  • Thomas F. Defrantz
    Thomas F. DeFrantz SLIPPAGE:Performance|Culture|Technology Duke University African and African American Studies DANCE|Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Computational Media, Arts and Culture DUKE Box 90686 2020 Campus Drive Rubenstein Arts Center Durham, NC 27708 [email protected] Education PhD, Performance Studies Department, New York University Dissertation: Revelations: The Choreographies of Alvin Ailey MA, Liberal Studies, City College of New York Thesis Topic: Towards A Political Economy of Dance BA, Music Composition and Theater Studies, Yale College, New Haven, CT Fellowships and Honors Outstanding Artist, North Carolina Governor’s Commendation 2019 Stanford Humanities Fellowship (declined) 2019 Outstanding Research in Dance Award, Dance Studies Association 2017 Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Washington University in St. Louis 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr./Cesar Chávez/Rosa Parks Visiting Professorship University of Michigan 2013 National Performance Network Creation Grant for Queer Theory! 2005 “Best of the New” for Moves Across the Water, Boston Globe Ideas 2005 National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Directing Fellowship Semifinalist 2000 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency 1999 Academic Positions 2011- Full Professor, African and African American Studies/Dance, Duke University 2010 Visiting Professor, Department of Dance, University of Nice, France 2008-2010 Visiting Professor, Theater Studies and African American Studies, Yale University 2008 Visiting Professor, Hampshire College, Dance Department
    [Show full text]
  • Dormeshia Receives the 2021 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award
    NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS | NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT: Elise Linscott, Public Relations & Communications Coordinator [email protected] DORMESHIA RECEIVES THE 2021 JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE AWARD DORMESHIA HONORED AT GLOBAL PILLOW: A VIRTUAL GALA SUPPORTING JACOB’S PILLOW, JUNE 12 AT 7 P.M. June 8, 2021 (BECKET, Mass.)—Jacob’s Pillow announces Dormeshia as the recipient of the 2021 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award. The Award, presented each year to an artist of exceptional vision and achievement, carries a cash prize of $25,000 which the artist can use in any way they wish. Dormeshia is a dynamic tap dancer, choreographer, and instructor who has been lauded as the best of her generation, both by her peers and esteemed dance critics. Her performances have appeared on the Broadway stage, in films, and in choreography for artists including Savion Glover and Gregory Hines. Dormeshia will be honored at Global Pillow: A Virtual Gala, which will be streamed free online on June 12 at 7 p.m. ET. “Dormeshia is quite simply one of the greatest tap dancers of our time,” said Jacob's Pillow Artistic & Executive Director Pamela Tatge. “She began by dancing with the greats when she was quite young and emerged with dazzling skill and artistry that is all her own. Dormeshia has made singular contributions to the tap world as performer, choreographer, collaborator, educator and mentor. She is a radiant human being whose elegance, flair and generosity of spirit draws us to new heights of what’s possible in the tap form.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter of the Theatre Library Association Inside This Issue
    Newsletter of the Theatre Library Association L-R: The Petrified Prince costumes, Lucille Lortel dress, Shanghai Moon, and Die Mommie Die! Costumes; Lortel Awards, May 2, 2010 Inside this issue President’s Roundabout Broadside Book Book/Media Report Theatre News Awards Reviews Company Archives Network INSIDE THIS ISSUE 4 President‘s Report BROADSIDE (ISSN: 0068-2748) is published three times a year and distributed to all members in good standing. Contents ©Theatre Library Association 11 BROADSIDE News Network Access via login—Members contact [email protected] ([email protected]) 17 Book/Media Reviews Editor: Angela Weaver ([email protected]), University of Washington Book Review Editor: Catherine Ritchie ([email protected]), 23 Upcoming Events Dallas Public Library 3 TLA Board Regional News Editor: Robert W. Melton ([email protected]), University of California, San Diego 3 TLA Mission Statement BROADSIDE PUBLICATION GUIDELINES 1 Front Cover BROADSIDE is the principal medium through which the Theatre Library Association communicates news, activities, policies, and procedures. Collectively, past issues also provide historical information about the organization and the profession of performing arts librarianship. BROADSIDE has no ambition to serve as a scholarly journal. Scholarly and other articles or monographs may be considered for TLA‘s other principal publication, Performing Arts Resources. In addition, BROADSIDE serves as a means for the exchange among members of information that advances the mission of the organization. Examples of this include short news items about recent activities of both individual and institutional members; short reviews of relevant books and other resources; news of relevant exhibits, conferences, and other developments in performing arts librarianship, collections, and scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • The Circulation of Popular Dance on Youtube
    Social Texts, Social Audiences, Social Worlds: The Circulation of Popular Dance on YouTube Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Alexandra Harlig Graduate Program in Dance The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee Harmony Bench, Advisor Katherine Borland Karen Eliot Ryan Skinner Copyrighted by Alexandra Harlig 2019 2 Abstract Since its premiere, YouTube has rapidly emerged as the most important venue shaping popular dance practitioners and consumers, introducing paradigm shifts in the ways dances are learned, practiced, and shared. YouTube is a technological platform, an economic system, and a means of social affiliation and expression. In this dissertation, I contribute to ongoing debates on the social, political, and economic effects of technological change by focusing on the bodily and emotional labor performed and archived on the site in videos, comments sections, and advertisements. In particular I look at comments and fan video as social paratexts which shape dance reception and production through policing genre, citationality, and legitimacy; position studio dance class videos as an Internet screendance genre which entextualizes the pedagogical context through creative documentation; and analyze the use of dance in online advertisements to promote identity-based consumption. Taken together, these inquiries show that YouTube perpetuates and reshapes established modes and genres of production, distribution, and consumption. These phenomena require an analysis that accounts for their multivalence and the ways the texts circulating on YouTube subvert existing categories, binaries, and hierarchies. A cyclical exchange—between perpetuation and innovation, subculture and pop culture, amateur and professional, the subversive and the neoliberal—is what defines YouTube and the investigation I undertake in this dissertation.
    [Show full text]
  • Program Notes
    AYODELE CASEL Thursday, May 6 @ 7 PM Tap Dancer/Choreographer Ayodele Casel Singer/Songwriter Crystal Monee Hall Composer/Pianist Annastasia Victory Director Torya Beard ABOUT THE PROGRAM For this evening’s presentation, tap dancer/choreographer Ayodele Casel teams up with singer/songwriter and Broadway alum Crystal Monee Hall and award-winning composer/pianist Annastasia Victory to share new, original compositions and a twist on classic songs in a program directed by Casel’s longtime collaborator, creative alchemist Torya Beard. From Victory’s elegant and soulful arrangement of “Ain’t Nobody” to Hall’s powerful and feel-good “The Magic,” the trio is excited for their Annenberg Center debut and first full-program collaboration. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Ayodele Casel (Tap Dancer/Choreographer) One of The New York Times' "Biggest Breakout Stars of 2019,” Ayodele Casel, “a tap dancer of fine-grained musicianship” (The New Yorker), was recently a 2019-2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University where she researched and developed her acclaimed theatrical work Diary of a Tap Dancer. Born in the Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico, Casel began her professional training at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her origins in theatre and love for storytelling and tap dance have significantly contributed to the narrative nature in her work, which is rooted in the expression of identity, culture, language and communication. Her commitment to the personal development of young people throughout her career landed her the role of Director of Graduate Programs for A BroaderWay Foundation, where she mentors young women in NYC.
    [Show full text]
  • Biography of the Artist: Michelle Dorrance Is a New York City Based
    Biography of the Artist: Michelle Dorrance is a New York City based tap dancer, performer, choreographer, teacher and director. A 2014 Alpert Award winner, 2013 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner, 2012 Princess Grace Award Winner, 2012 Field Dance Fund Recipient, and 2011 Bessie Award Winner, Michelle is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance/ New York. Mentored by Gene Medler, Michelle grew up performing with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and has since performed with: STOMP, Savion Glover’s ti dii, Manhattan Tap, Barbara Duffy & Co, JazzTap Ensemble, Rumba Tap, Ayodele Casel’s Diary of a Tap Dancer, Mable Lee’s Dancing Ladies, Harold Cromer’s original Opus One, Derick Grant’s Imagine Tap and Jason Samuels Smith’s Charlie’s Angels/Chasing the Bird. Michelle’s choreography has been featured on stages throughout the world as well as in a high-fashion short film for Tabitha Simmons’ 2011 Fall line. Michelle embodies a true passion for teaching and strives to share this passion wherever she goes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from NYU, played bass for Darwin Deez, teaches on faculty at Broadway Dance Center, is a Capezio Athlete and has been featured on the covers of Dance Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine. Michelle wishes to credit the master hoofers from whom she studied with in her youth for constant inspiration and influence. History of the Company: Vision Dorrance Dance / New York aims to honor tap dance’s uniquely beautiful history in a new and dynamically compelling context, not by stripping the form of its tradition, but by pushing it: rhythmically, aesthetically and conceptually.
    [Show full text]