Friends of Dance Celebrates 20 Years Young Dancers Take Center Stage Faculty Focus: Tim Glenn “The Scales of Memory” Dance Students Go Behind Travels the U.S. the Camera MANCC Highlights FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF DANCE FROM THE CHAIRS “We are cups, constantly and qui- the Cedar Lake and AXIS dance com- etly being filled. The trick is knowing panies. The Cedar Lake experience how to tip ourselves over and let the included a choreographic residency beautiful stuff out.” (Ray Bradbury) for our students with Artistic Director Benoit-Swan Pouffer. This residency Please join us in looking back on our was supported not only by Seven Days 2007-2008 academic year. Even in times but by community sponsors as well. of budget turmoil, we have poured our share of beauty upon the As with the support of the world. Many thanks to our choreographic residency, Dean, Sally McRorie and the we could not reach many forward thinking FSU ad- of our goals without our ministration for seeing us community. Our support through. We could not be group, Friends of Dance, who we are without their turned twenty this year and Dancing to new heights! dedication and support. we celebrate their generos- ity and tireless efforts on Every year the Department of The foundation of this our behalf. A large portion Dance educates more than 100 year’s achievements was of the $34,000 in scholar- dance majors and 400 non- as always our community: ships awarded to our stu- majors, providing them with our students, faculty, staff, dents last year was a result of unparalleled opportunities. alumni and supporters. their efforts. They also sent With their efforts, over Photo: Tallahassee Magazine four faculty and sixteen stu- 110 dance works were created within dents to the American College Dance It is with the support of our the department. The drive and initia- Festival southeastern regional confer- generous patrons that many tive of our students continued the suc- ence this year, among other projects. of these opportunities are cess of the informal showing series and available. began the new tradition of a year-end As you finish this walk through the past banquet. Our faculty continued their year with us, please don’t go too far. We Please help us to continue to teaching, creative and research life both need you. If you are in or around Tal- here and abroad. Fabulous guest teach- provide a superior education lahassee, come see our concerts or take ers and choreographers added to our part in a MANCC entrypoint. Even bet- for our students and the offerings and broadened our horizons. ter, bring a few friends with you! Join best in performance for our Friends of Dance and reconnect with audiences by contributing to The Maggie Allesee National Center for fellow dance lovers in our community. the Department. Choreography grows more exciting each If you are a teacher, tell your students year, and continues to explore new ways about us. No matter your connection, For more information contact: to engage our students in visiting artists’ please keep in touch. We love to know research. This year saw the establishment where you are and what you are doing. of a MANCC scholarship fund to assist our Drop us a line from time to time or even Joyce Fausone dancers who want to continue work with better join our “My Family” site and re- Department of Dance former MANCC artists. Spring saw the in- connect with friends and get updates on P.O. Box 3062120 ception of a new course, “The MANCC their lives and activities. (Contact Emily Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2120 Experience”, that upper level dance ma- Keeler at [email protected] for details.) 850.645.2449 jors may elect to take to deepen their [email protected] MANCC connections. And late breaking Sincerely, news is that BFA spring graduate Aline Wachsmuth has just been invited to join Fred Salancy the company of Ben Levy, San Francisco Patty Phillips Assistant Dean, Fine Arts MANCC Fellow of 2005-2006, with whom Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1160 she worked with here in Tallahassee. 850.644.3911 [email protected] Seven Days of Opening Nights continued to enrich our lives by presenting both Co-Chairs TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 From the Chairs 4 Les écailles de la mémoire 6 2007-2008 Guest Artists 7 Picture This: Dance Students Go behind the Camera 8 Young Dancers Take Center Stage 10 Year in Photos 12 MANCC Update 14 Faculty Focus: Tim Glenn 15 Alumni Updates 18 Dance Repertory Theatre 19 A Fond Farewell 20 Faculty and Staff Updates 22 News 23 Friends of Dance Cover: Birds, Mommy! Choreographer: Andy Noble Days of Dance Dancers: Jacqueline M. Podence and Andy Noble Photo: Jon Nalon Writer / Editor Emily Keeler Celestial Navigation Art Director Emily Keeler Choreographer: Gerri Houlihan Lightness of Being - MFA Concert Photographer Jon Nalon Dancer: Kathleen Byrne Photo: Jon Nalon In This Issue This In Les écailles de la mémoire The story of Urban Bush Women and can American church, and they joined JANT-BI started many years ago on two panel discussions by African American separate continents. Through dance historians. These experiences were their two worlds would once again coupled with work in Senegal, again il- unite. luminating the different histories and cultures of the dancers, and through For the members of Urban Bush Wom- them all, the work took form. en, an all female troupe from New York and JANT-BI, an all male troupe from According to Zollar, “Hopefully there’s Senegal, the journey of a lifetime start- not one meaning, so whether you think ed several years ago as an idea, a seed of it as a journey across the continents, planted by their award winning artistic across water, history, culture, gender... directors. When Jawole Zollar, Urban we want people to be able to see from Bush Women founder and artistic di- their perspective.” rector, and noted choreographer and director of JANT-BI, Germaine Acogny, Early in 2008 the groups returned to met at a conference in 2004, a seed was MANCC with the aid of a prestigious planted that has resulted in an extraor- Florida State University AHPEG grant, dinary international partnership. awarded to Professor Zollar to put final touches on the work. Russell Sandifer, From this seed the two groups con- Co-Chair of the Department, was the verged both in the United States and lighting designer. “He bathes the stage Senegal to unite in dance and to un- in amber light, softly washing over the derstand histories that were both dancers like water,” according to Dance shared and separate. Their collabora- Magazine. At the end of the second tion eventually became a full evening MANCC exchange The Scales of Mem- length work entitled Les écailles de la ory was presented to an enthusiastic mémoire (The scales of memory). audience in Tallahassee before the beginning of an extensive and equally “We have the same color, but not the intensive tour. same culture, because African-Ameri- cans are American,” says Acogny, “So it The ensemble is touring the United was really important that they discover States and Canada, including extreme- who we are.” ly well reviewed performances at The Kennedy Center. The North American The two groups first met in Brooklyn tour ends in November 2008 with in March 2007, and came to Tallahas- the New York premier at the Brooklyn see in the summer of 2007 for the first Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival. of a two-part International Exchange The production will then travel to Es- through a residency with the Maggie sen, Germany for presentation at Inter- Allesee National Center for Choreogra- nationales Tanzfestival NRW 2008, as phy (MANCC). The themes of memory, curated by Pina Bausch. love, and resistance emerged as the center of their study. “The main subject is memory, and then to resist against things like this hap- During the two week stay, the two pening again,” says Acogny, “To resist groups not only danced, but also vis- the oppression of slavery and coloni- ited slavery sites including African zation. Then love is the only means to American museums in Tallahassee and fight against that, to turn it around, to Jacksonville, nineteenth century plan- change people, to change daily life.” Dancer: Bertrand Saky tations where slaves worked and lived, Photo: Jon Nalon a “hanging” tree, and a traditional Afri- DANCE.FSU.EDU MANCC establishes student scholarship fund In January 2008, the preview performance of “Les écailles de la mémoire (The scales of memory)” Catherine Denecy, Babacar Ba, company dancers. listen to music. Photo: Marc Ray was held in the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre as a benefit event for the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography Student Scholarship Fund. Scholarships will be used to enable students to continue working with former MANCC guest artists. The event was sponsored in part by ProBank, Student Housing Solutions, Parks & Crump, transplant, and Rapid Press. Preview of The Scales of Memory Photo: Jon Nalon Four students were awarded scholarships for summer study: Michelle Fletcher Spring 2008 MFA Graduate Production Internship AXIS Dance Company (CA) Ashley Denae Hannah First year MFA student Summer Institute Urban Bush Women (NY) Jane Marks, Jawole Zollar, Germaine Acogny, Kaley Warren Pruitt Mayor John Marks, Helmut Vogt Preview reception Sophomore BFA student Photo: Katie Noletto Summer Workshop Limón Dance Company (NY) Jana Tripp Second year MFA student Summer Intensive AXIS Dance Company (CA) To contribute to the MANCC scholarship fund, please contact Joyce Fausone at Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye - ‘Kaolack’’, Marjani Forte, company dancers 850-645-2449. Photo: Marc Ray DEPARTMENT OF DANCE Wallie Wolfgruber Each year the Department of Dance is honored to have many guest artists visit the Florida State University campus including legendary figures such as Alwin Nikolais, Doug Varone, Susan Marshall, Alonzo King and Barton Mumaw to name a few.