2011 Dance Festival Brochure (low-res)

YOUR PERSONAL INVITATION TO
THE ALABAMA DANCE FESTIVAL!
On behalf of the Alabama Dance Council, I would like to personally invite you to a very special Alabama Dance Festival in Birmingham,
Alabama on January 27-30, 2011. The Alabama Dance Council will make dance history by presenting the Merce Cunningham Dance
Company (MCDC) as our guest company-in-residence, with performances of Mr. Cunningham’s masterpieces XOVER, Crises, and BIPED.
Co-presented with the Alabama Ballet, MCDC’s residency will be part of the company's final Legacy Tour and their first and only performance in Alabama.
Begin your Festival experience now by watching Mondays with Merce, a pioneering web-cast series that provides a never-before-seen look
at MCDC. View footage of MCDC in rehearsal and performance, exclusive interviews with Merce and artistic collaborators, and video from
the Merce Cunningham Archives. Nancy Dalva, producer and writer of Mondays with Merce, will be our MCDC Scholar-in-Residence at the
Alabama Dance Festival. Visit www.merce.org today to watch current and past episodes of Mondays with Merce.
Whether you are a beginning dancer, a seasoned professional, or an enthusiastic audience member – there are opportunities for everyone
at the Alabama Dance Festival! The Festival features public performances, pre-professional and professional level master classes and
workshops, and Dance Across Birmingham--a day of free community dance classes designed for beginners of all ages. We have a fabulous
line-up of guest artist faculty for the 2011 Festival! This brochure provides basic information about important dates, schedules, registration
fees, and special opportunities. More specific details about classes and faculty can be found on our Festival website at
www.alabamadancefestival.org.
Finally, don’t forget to join or renew your membership with the Alabama Dance Council so that you can take advantage of the member
discount for your Festival registration! Want to save even more in this tough economy? Then, check out other “Ways to Save” in this
brochure or on the website. We want everyone to be able to participate this year!
Rosemary W. Johnson
Executive Director
Alabama Dance Council
"Dance is an art in space and time. The object of the dancer
is to obliterate that."
--Merce Cunningham
ALABAMA DANCE FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Additional funding provided by the Robert R. Meyer Foundation and an Anonymous Donor
with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
THE MISSION OF THE ALABAMA DANCE FESTIVAL
The Alabama Dance Festival exists to showcase the diverse talent and excellence of dance throughout Alabama, to bring the dance community
together to promote good will and networking, and to provide high quality classes in technique, dance education, and choreography.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE
Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
The Legacy Tour
Merce Cunningham Dance Company celebrates the life of its founder and
legendary choreographer by presenting three of his greatest masterpieces
-- XOVER, Crises, and BIPED for their first and only performance in
Alabama. This project is made possible in part by the National Endowment
for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic
Genius. Co-presented with the Alabama Ballet.
January 28, 2011, 8:00 p.m., BJCC Concert Hall
Pre-Concert Talk at 7:20 p.m. & Post-Concert Discussion with
Nancy Dalva, Writer/Producer of Mondays with Merce
Admission: $67, $52, $37, $22
“I’ve always thought the theater should be an adventure. Someplace
where you go and you don’t quite know what is going on. Where you can
see and hear something that you’ve never known before. But I think, in
general, someone should come...[chuckle]...like a tourist.”
--Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
“History Matters” Lecture Demonstration
“History Matters” uses live performance as well as discussion and video to
offer a refreshing view on Merce Cunningham’s work, ideas, and
influences. Robert Swinston, MCDC Director of Choreography, and David
Vaughan, MCDC Archivist, along with the full Merce Cunningham Dance
Company, will share both their insight from working extensively with
Cunningham, as well as concrete examples of works across his incredible
six decades of artistic creation. Audience members will discover in greater
detail Cunningham’s continued search for the new and have the opportunity
to ask questions of those who worked closely with him. Co-presented with
the Alabama Ballet.
January 29, 2011, 1:30 p.m., BJCC Concert Hall
Admission: $22, $17, $10
Birmingham Dance Showcase
A FREE community performance presented as part of Dance Across
Birmingham: A Community Celebration, featuring a day of FREE dance
classes for beginners of all ages.
January 29, 2011, 11:45 a.m., BJCC Theatre
NSAL Choreography Competition: The Art of the Solo
The National Society of Arts and Letters presents Round II of the Chapter
Career Awards in Dance Choreography in partnership with the Alabama
Dance Festival. Interested choreographers can download the application at
www.alabamadancefestival.org. The application is due on December 1.
Cash prize awards!
January 29, 2011, 7:30 p.m., BJCC Concert Hall
Admission: $22, $17, $10
Alabama Dance Showcase
Featuring the richness and diversity of Alabama’s regional dance talent.
January 30, 2011, 2:00 p.m., BJCC Theatre
Tickets: $17 for general admission and $10 for students
To purchase tickets only:
www.ticketmaster.com (online fees apply)
800.745.3000 or at the BJCC CENTRAL TICKET OFFICE
To register for the Festival:
www.alabamadancefestival.org
Merce Cunningham Dance Company:
www.merce.org
Holley Farmer, Lisa Boudreau. Photo: Stephanie Berger.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Online Registration Opens........................................................ October 1
Festival Ambassador Applications Due..................................... October 1
Financial Need Applications Due .............................................. October 1
Festival Ambassadors Announced............................................ October 8
Financial Need Scholarships Announced.................................. October 8
Alabama Dance Showcase Application/Video Due ................... November 1
Alabama Dance Festival Showcase Performers Announced..... November 8
MCDC Technique Class Application Due .................................. December 1
NSAL Choreography Competition Application Due ................... December 1
Showcase Program Information/Ads Due ................................. December 1
Alabama Dance Festival Exhibit Reservation Due .................... December 1
MCDC Technique Class Participants Announced...................... December 8
NSAL Choreography Round II Finalists Announced.................. December 10
Early Bird Registration Deadline, 11:59 p.m. CST..................... December 21
Sheraton Hotel Discount Reservation Deadline, 5 p.m. CST..... December 27
Scholarship Audition Form/Photos Postmark Date.................... January 14
Online Registration Ends, 11:59 p.m. CST................................ January 21
PROFESSIONAL AND PRE-PROFESSIONAL
CLASS SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
“The only way to do it is to do it.”
--Merce Cunningham
Professional Track: Merce Cunningham Technique Class..................................7:00 pm-8:30 pm ........... Alabama Ballet
(Participants selected through application process)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28
Professional Track: Movement in the Classroom ................................................8:30 am-3:30 pm ........... Children’s Dance Foundation
ABT and Scholarship Audition Classes ................................................................3:00 pm-7:00 pm ........... Alabama School of Fine Arts
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29
Professional Track: Choreography Intensive Workshop .....................................9:00 am-12:30 pm ......... Alabama Ballet
Professional Track: Session 1 Master Classes....................................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Birmingham-Southern College
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Session 1 Master Classes............................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Alabama School of Fine Arts
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Merce Cunningham Technique Class..........9:00 am-10:30 am ......... BJCC Theatre Rehearsal Hall
(Participants selected through application process)
Track Green (ages 13-14): Session 1 Master Classes .......................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Alabama Ballet
Track Blue (ages 11-12): Session 1 Master Classes ..........................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Children’s Dance Foundation
Professional Track: Session 2 Master Classes....................................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Birmingham-Southern College
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Session 2 Master Classes............................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Alabama School of Fine Arts
Track Green (ages 13-14): Session 2 Master Classes .......................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Alabama Ballet
Track Blue (ages 11-12): Session 2 Master Classes ..........................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Children’s Dance Foundation
Professional/Red Tracks: MCDC Music: Approaches to Sound.........................3:00 pm-4:30 pm ........... BJCC Theatre
Professional/Red Tracks: Audition Techniques....................................................3:00 pm-4:30 pm ........... BJCC Theatre Rehearsal Hall
Professional Track: Session 3 Master Classes....................................................3:30 pm-5:00 pm ........... Birmingham-Southern College
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Session 3 Master Classes............................3:30 pm-5:00 pm ........... Alabama School of Fine Arts
Track Green (ages 13-14): Session 3 Master Classes .......................................3:30 pm-5:00 pm ........... Alabama Ballet
Track Blue (ages 11-12): Session 3 Master Classes ..........................................3:30 pm-5:00 pm ........... Children’s Dance Foundation
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30
Professional Track: Choreography Intensive Workshop .....................................9:00 am-12:30 pm ......... Alabama Ballet
Professional Track: Session 4 Master Classes....................................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Birmingham-Southern College
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Session 4 Master Classes............................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Alabama School of Fine Arts
Track Green (ages 13-14): Session 4 Master Classes .......................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Alabama Ballet
Track Blue (ages 11-12): Session 4 Master Classes ..........................................9:00 am-10:30 am ......... Children’s Dance Foundation
Professional Track: Session 5 Master Classes....................................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Birmingham-Southern College
Track Red (ages 15-high school): Session 5 Master Classes............................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Alabama School of Fine Arts
Track Green (ages 13-14): Session 5 Master Classes .......................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Alabama Ballet
Track Blue (ages 11-12): Session 5 Master Classes ..........................................11:00 am-12:30 pm ....... Children’s Dance Foundation
The complete Professional and Pre-professional class schedules, descriptions, and faculty bios are available online at
www.alabamadancefestival.org. The Dance Across Birmingham community class schedule, descriptions, and faculty bios
are also available online at www.danceacrossbirmingham.org.
Alabama Dance Festival
Class Registration and Fees
Registration Instructions
Registration for the Alabama Dance Festival is only available online.
To register for PROFESSIONAL and PRE-PROFESSIONAL master
classes and workshops, go to www.alabamadancefestival.org.
Registration fees are detailed below. To register for the Dance Across
Birmingham free COMMUNITY CLASSES for beginners of all ages, go to
www.danceacrossbirmingham.org. Online registration opens Friday,
October 1 and will close at 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, January 21. After
this date, registration will only be available on site.
Professional Artist Workshop/Master Class Fees (Ages
college-up)
Professional artists, educators, arts administrators, and college
fine/performing arts majors/minors may register for workshops and master
classes in the Professional Track Purple. Registration is available for
single classes and workshops or as a discounted artist package that
includes performance tickets. Lunch is included in the Deluxe package or
can be purchased at an additional cost.
Professional Track Registration Fees
ADC Member Non-Member
(for college-up)
Rate
Rate
Starving Artist Package:
One workshop/master class, one MCDC
$35
$45
performance ticket, one MCDC History
Matters ticket
Standard Artist Package:
Three workshops or master classes, one
MCDC performance ticket, one MCDC
$85
$95
History Matters ticket, one NSAL
Choreography ticket, and one Alabama
Dance Showcase ticket
Deluxe Artist Package:
Any combination of three or more workshops
or master classes, one MCDC performance
ticket, one MCDC History Matters ticket, one
$135
$155
NSAL Choreography ticket, one Alabama
Dance Showcase ticket, one Festival T-shirt,
and lunches
Single Workshop (no tickets)
$25
$35
Pre-Professional Master Class Fees (Ages 11-High School)
Pre-professional master classes and workshops are available for dancers
ages 11-high school with previous dance training. Classes are available in
three different tracks according to age: Track Red (ages 15-High School),
Track Green (ages 13-14), and Track Blue (ages 11-12). The
Pre-Professional Package registration includes five class sessions, lunch
on Saturday and Sunday, one MCDC performance ticket, one MCDC
History Matters ticket, one NSAL Choreography ticket, one Alabama
Dance Showcase ticket, and one Festival T-shirt. Single class
registrations are accepted on a space-available basis only and do not
include lunches or performance tickets.
“The most essential thing in dance discipline is devotion, the steadfast and
willing devotion to the labor that makes the classwork not a gymnastic hour
and a half, or at the lowest level, a daily drudgery, but a devotion that allows
the classroom discipline to become moments of dancing too...”
--Merce Cunningham
Deadlines
ADC Member Rate
Non-Member Rate
Early-Bird Deadline:
December 21
Full Registration: $165
Single Classes: $30
Full Registration: $200
Single Classes: $40
After December 21
Full Registration: $190
Single Classes: $55
Full Registration: $225
Single Classes: $65
Festival Parent Registration
Parents/Dance Directors of students attending the Alabama Dance Festival
may register at a discounted rate to observe classes (except auditions),
attend performances, and eat lunch with their student dancers.
Parents/Dance Directors who volunteer for four hours during the Festival
weekend receive an additional discount. NOTE: Dance Directors who want
to take classes should register for the Professional Purple Track. Parents
who serve as Chief Ambassadors earn a free parent registration and
student registration for their child. Complete volunteer requirements and
application are available at www.alabamadancefestival.org. Application
due by October 1.
Festival Parent/Dancer Director Registration Options Registration Fee
Parent/Dance Director Observer
$90
(no volunteer hours)
Parent/Dance Director Observer Volunteer
(volunteer for four hours during
$60
the Festival weekend)
Chief Ambassador Parent
$0
(includes one child registration)
Ways to Save
Membership Discounts: Alabama Dance Council Members are eligible for
discounted registration fees. You can pay your membership dues during the
Festival registration process if you are not a current member.
Financial Need Scholarships: Participants registering for a
Pre-Professional package or Professional Deluxe Artist package may apply
for a scholarship based on financial need. The Scholarship guidelines and
application are available online at www.alabamadancefestival.org. The
deadline to submit an application is October 1, and applicants will be
notified by October 8.
Dance Studio Scholarships: Each studio/dance school or college dance
program with 10 dancers who have registered and paid for a pre-professional
or professional package (standard or deluxe) will receive one free Festival
registration. Contact the Alabama Dance Council to request a studio
scholarship.
Alabama Dance Festival Ambassadors: Earn a 30% discount on your
Festival registration fee by completing public relations and administrative
volunteer work on behalf of the Alabama Dance Festival. Ambassador
application forms are available at www.alabamadancefestival.org.
Applications must be submitted by October 1, and Ambassadors will be
selected and notified by October 8.
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit #41
Birmingham, AL
P.O. Box 2126
Birmingham, AL 35201-2126
205.919.1688
www.alabamadancecouncil.org
Special
Opportunities
"You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no
manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe
hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that
single fleeting moment when you feel alive. It is not for unsteady
souls."
--Merce Cunningham
Alabama Dance Exchange Exhibit Hall
NSAL Choreography Competition and Performance Opportunity
The Alabama Dance Festival Exhibit Hall in the BJCC
Theatre lobby provides exhibit space to dance companies,
dance studios, artists, and arts organizations. Exhibit
tables are available for $50 on a first come first served
basis. Companies performing on Festival Showcases
receive a complimentary table. Exhibit Hall Reservation
Forms must be submitted by December 1 and are
available at www.alabamadancefestival.org.
The National Society of Arts and Letters 2011 Chapter Career Awards in Dance
Choreography: The Art of the Solo is a competition designed to promote national
awareness of contemporary dance by setting the highest standards of the art form in
both performance and choreographic excellence. The Round II competition will be
held at the BJCC Concert Hall in partnership with the Alabama Dance Festival on
January 29 at 7:30 p.m. Open to choreographers ages 18-32 not under professional
management as a choreographer. 1st Place receives $700 and advances to the
national finals, 2nd Place $350, and 3rd Place $200. Application is available at
www.alabamadancefestival.org. Deadline is December 1 with Round II finalists
notified on December 10.
Audition Opportunities
The Festival offers two scholarship audition classes
(ages 12-14 and ages 15-up) for summer intensives,
workshops or festivals. Students must be registered for a
Festival package in any track at the Alabama Dance
Festival to register for the audition class.
The American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive
Auditions will take place at the Alabama School of Fine
Arts on January 15 from 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (ages 12-14)
and 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. (ages 15-college).
Festival Housing
A block of rooms is reserved at the Sheraton Birmingham
Hotel with a special room rate of $99 per night for singles
or doubles (up to 4 people) plus 14% occupancy tax.
Reservations must be made by 5:00 p.m. CST on
December 27, 2010. To make room reservations, visit
www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/ALABAMADANCE or call
800.325.3535 and provide the Reservation ID: ALA28A.
Julie Cunningham, Daniel Madoff. Photo: Kawakahi Amina