FRIENDS OF BROCKPORT dance NEWSLETTER

T HE C OLLEGE
AT
B ROCKPORT D EPARTMENT
OF
D ANCE
FRIENDS OF BROCKPORT
dance NEWSLET TER
I SSUE 11
F ACULTY A DVISOR : W ILLIAM E VANS
J ANUARY 2013
E DITOR : E LIZABETH O SBORN
A SSOCIATE E DITOR : E RIN L OWDEN
EDITOR’S NOTE BY E LIZABETH O SBORN
Once again, it has been an exciting and
eventful semester in the Department of
Dance here in Brockport! To kick off the
semester, the entire department was involved in the Opening Ceremonies of the
new SERC building on campus, the Special Events and Recreation Center. William Evans staged a spectacular movement
choir featuring dancers, athletes, drummers, tumblers, and even jugglers. We
also had the pleasure of welcoming our
new costume designer, Emma Scholl. Her
beautiful work has already been seen in
Dance/Hartwell, Dance/Strasser, and
DANSCORE in the fall, and we can’t wait
to see what she has in store for the spring.
If you are downstairs in the costume shop
or in attendance at a show, be sure to stop
by and say hi! This issue also revisits enriching experiences from the summer with
a first hand account of Mariah Maloney
Dance in her company’s performance at
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. You’ll also
read about dance throughout the semesW ELCOMING
A
ter, like our NDEO chapter’s second successful hip hop happening, the bold presence of Brockport dancers at the first annual Rochester Fringe Festival, and the
largest New Dancer’s Showcase to date!
We’re also pumped about bringing in
David Dorfman Dance as our spring Guest
Artist, with a teaser on page 3. Be sure to
check out our blog for more information
about their upcoming visit. Stay warm this
season, and keep dancing!
Visit us online at
IN THIS ISSUE

Welcoming A New Costume
Designer, page 1

Mariah Maloney Dance at
Jacob’s Pillow, page 2

Hip Hop Moves for Everyone,
page 2

Class Act: David Dorfman
Dance Company Coming
Soon, page 3

Bringing Brockport to the
Rochester Fringe Festival,
page 4

54 New Dancers Dancing,
page 4

Undergraduate and Graduate
Student Updates, page 5

Faculty Updates, page 5
friendsofbrockportdance.org
SERC Grand Opening
N EW C OSTUME D ESIGNER B Y E RIN L OWDEN
This past semester the department had the wonderful opportunity of welcoming a new costume designer to our community. Emma Scholl, former manager of the costume shop at The
Hanger Theatre in Ithaca, NY, is now our full time costumer. She received her MFA in
Costume Design from Florida State University. Originally Emma thought she wanted to
design for theater, however she started working with the dance department at Bucknell
University as an intern for a year and was, “mesmerized by the choreography and wanted to
be involved in dance.” She then had opportunities to design for graduate thesis and faculty
works at Florida State University solidifying her interest in costume design for dance. Over
this past semester Emma has designed the costumes for DANSCORE and MFA theses. She
says that she loves the Brockport community and the support she has received from the
faculty and students. We are all thrilled to have such a talented costumer in the department and are excited to see her designs come to life this upcoming semester!
I SSUE 11
PAGE 2
M ARIAH M ALONEY D ANCE AT J ACOB ’ S PILLOW BY E RIN L OWDEN
On August 22, 2012 Assistant Professor of dance
Mariah Maloney embarked on an amazing journey to the historical Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival with 15 current and
former Brockport dance students. Upon arrival on Wednesday evening the dancers wandered the grounds of The Pillow,
checked out the Inside/Out stage that they would be performing on the next day and watched the Joffrey Ballet company take class before their opening night performance in the
Ted Shawn Theatre. The dancers were also given the opportunity to see the Doug Elkins Company perform and chat
with Doug Elkins himself post show.
space at 6:15pm. The performance opened with a solo performed by Mariah Maloney to classical Irish music. This was
followed by Vensters, a piece danced by 14 women. Vensters was immediately followed by a duet danced by Mariah
and MFA graduate Hannah Seidel and another solo, performed by Seidel. The performance closed with Rock,
danced by 6 women to rock music. After the show there was
a 10-minute discussion where the audience was able to ask
questions and give their opinions on the works.
The following day Mariah and her dancers started
the day with a self guided warm up in a studio resembling a
log cabin. After warming up, the dancers were able to get on
the Inside/Out stage and walk through the works that they
would be performing. The day was spent in the beautiful outdoor space overlooking the Massachusetts Berkshires.
After a day of staging in the sun, Mariah Maloney
Dance performed as the sun began to set on the outdoor
Photo Credit: SEK Photos
HIP HOP MOVES FOR EVERYONE BY MARIELYS BURGOS-MELENDEZ
The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Brockport Student Chapter sponsored the second Hip Hop Happening
event at Hartwell Hall on Saturday, November 10th. Dancers and non dancers of all ages from the Rochester area and beyond
came together to participate in diverse workshops offered throughout the day. African Dance, Hip Hop, and Vogueing were
part of the classes taught by Brockport’s students. Also a Master Class on Break Dancing was offered by visiting artist, Eugene
“Tin Man” Cleveland, a local hip hop dancer and scholarship student of the Garth Fagan Dance School (GFDS) in Rochester.
This unique event definitely created networks among the student body of The College at Brockport, students from other universities, local artists, dance studio teachers, and the community in general.
The excitement and fun continued during a free performance presented at the Hartwell Theater. The Step Team, the Hip Hop
Club of Brockport as well as the Hip Hop Club from the University of Rochester presented original works. Eugene “Tin Man”
performed a hip hop improvisation duet with Brockport
undergraduate Sean Powell. The audience members,
which included students, performers and the college's
Open House visitors (parents and prospective students
who couldn’t resist this amazing event), enthusiastically
cheered the performances. NDEO’s goal is to continue
hosting this great educational initiative to solidify relations with the community and create a space for everyone interested in learning some hip hop moves.
ISSUE 11
PAGE 3
CLASS ACT: DAVID DORFMAN DANCE COMPANY COMING SOON B Y J EN DAYTON
Looking for something creative, captivating and contemporary to set your eyes on? The opportunity to see the David Dorfman Dance Company in action is coming to the campus at Brockport.
In the upcoming spring semester, David Dorfman Dance will be in residency at the college at
Brockport. This is very exciting news for the Department of Dance because Assistant Professor
Karl Rogers is a company member himself.
David Dorfman Dance has been around since 1985 and is one of the top modern dance companies.
The company has been honored with eight New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Awards
and has performed extensively in New York City and throughout North and South America, Great
Britain, and Europe. David Dorfman Dance offers contemporary movement through space in its
own unique and brilliant style and the college at Brockport is already buzzing with excitement to
have the opportunity to work with David Dorfman and his company members.
This past summer, dance major Morgan Hasson and I took part in the David Dorfman
Summer Intensive at Connecticut College. The experience we had with the company and other dancers that attended was unbelievable. Even though the intensive was only one week long, we received more information and experienced dance at a level
beyond our imaginations. During the week, we took text, improvisation, repertoire, technique, and partnering classes with
David, Lisa Race (David’s wife and former company member), and current company members, Karl Rogers, Whitney Tucker,
Kendra Portier, and Raja Kelly. Morgan and I were truly amazed and inspired in each class we attended. On any particular day,
whoever was teaching class really helped you understand the concept of what was being taught and how it related to the company’s work. Some of the most influential ideas I took away from the intensive were how to move efficiently, trust yourself,
and the impact contact improvisation can have on dance.
At the tail end of the intensive, a global underscore took place, an annual event during which dancers around the
world simultaneously unite in dance. Nancy Stark Smith explains the underscore in her book “Caught Falling.” Nancy Stark
Smith states, “… It is a score that guides dancers through a series of 'changing states,' from solo deepening/releasing to sensitizing to gravity and support; through group circulation and interaction, Contact Improvisation engagements, opening out to full
group improvisation with compositional awareness, and back to rest and reflection. The Underscore can be seen as a vehicle for
incorporating Contact Improvisation into a broader arena of improvisational practice…”
For me personally, being part of the global underscore was awe inspiring. It brought the energy of dancers together
from all over the world, including the David Dorfman Summer Intensive participants. Together, our spirits were combined and
a magical feeling was created in the room at Connecticut College. Everyone’s passion for dance was pulsing in unison, creating
rhythmic and energetic uniqueness. As everyone improvised with dancers they did not necessarily know, we came together
through familiarity with the various movements being created in space. It was definitely a sight to see, something beautiful in
the making.
Needless to say, everyone at the college at Brockport should mark their calendars for the David Dorfman Company
residency. The company as a whole is open minded and invites everyone to take part in what they do, as they try to get to know
each dancer and help him or her grow and learn. Working with the company was a life changing experience!
Editor’s Note: David Dorfman Dance will be on campus the week of
February 25th, 2013. This residency is sponsored by the Student Dance Organization (SDO). Stay tuned for details about a performance you won’t want to
miss featuring David Dorfman Dance to take place in Strasser Studio!
I SSUE 11
PAGE 4
B RINGING B ROCKPORT TO THE R OCHESTER
FRINGE FESTIVAL
The first ever Rochester Fringe Festival kicked off on
Wednesday, September 19th. Brockport dancers,
alumni, and faculty celebrated a decidedly strong presence at this historic event in the Rochester arts scene!
With affordable ticket prices, including many free shows,
downtown was the place to see and be seen for the dance
community. Here is a look back at some of the highlights!
Thursday:
Present Tense Dance at Kilbourn Hall, featuring work by
Anne Harris-Wilcox and Eddie Murphy
Friday:
On Tap: Original Music with Dance, with work by MFA
Graduates Missy Pfohl-Smith, Courtney World, and Rebecca McArthur
Saturday:
InFlux Dance at ROCO, directed by Rose Pasquarello
Beauchamp
BIODANCE at Christ Church
Mariah Maloney Dance at the George Eastman House
Terrace Gardens
RAPA’s Day of Dance showcasing work by MFA candidates Matthew Frazier-Smith, Amanda McCullum and
Elizabeth Osborn and MFA graduates Kristi Faulkner and
Richard Haisma
Lighter Tones featuring work by MFA Graduate Mariko
Yamada and MFA candidate Matthew Frazier-Smith
MFA Graduate Heather Roffe Dance at GEVA Nextstage
Bill Evans Dance
Company on the free
stage at Gibbs Street.
Sunday:
RAPA’s Day of Dance
featuring work by
MFA candidates
Nicole Kaplan, Juliana
Utz, and Janet
Schroeder
Project Bandaloop
Bill Evans Dance Company at the Eastman School of Music
MFA Graduate Heather Roffe Dance at GEVA
54 N EW D ANCERS D ANCING
B Y ANGIE M UZZY
What do you get when
you audition 54 dancers,
create 15 dances, and
perform three shows?
The 9th Annual New
Dancers Showcase. The
number of new students
that entered the Department of Dance has grown
Anna Corvera’s New Dancers again, making this year’s
class the largest to date!
The performances were packed with family and friends to
see what our new students were up to all semester. As
the concert coordinator and a choreographer I had the
pleasure of seeing the dances from their conception to the
final project and it was a joy to be a part of the process.
This year we tried something new: not only did we have
graduate students and faculty members choreograph, we
had four eager BFA dance majors participate as well. One
of our talented seniors, Christine Benincasa created a sextet titled, Intersecting Edges. I asked her what the inspiration for the glow sticks was; she said, “My dancers! They
wanted to use them and of course I said why not?” The
piece was a fun, upbeat exploration of space with dancers
swirling in and out of the floor, lifting one another and
circling in the dark as their luminous rings wrapped
around their wrists appeared to float magically in the air.
Another senior, Rebecca Puretz will be taking her piece,
Collateral Collapse, to Brooklyn in March to perform at
DanceWaves Kid’s Café Festival. This venue offers serious high school dancers an opportunity to see dance departments from esteemed schools in action and to gain
information about what it is like to be a college dance major. Not so long ago our new dancers were in these “kids”
shoes. I guarantee our students will have an abundance of
experiences to share about being a dancer in our distinguished program.
The New Dancers Showcase was a great success with generous help and support of our choreographers, faculty
advisors and most importantly the artistic director, William Evans. I would like to applaud all of our new dancers
for making this yearly tradition both exciting and memorable!
I SSUE 11
PAGE 5
U NDERGRADUATE AND
G RADUATE S TUDENT U PDATES
S ELECTED FACULTY S CHOLARLY AND
C REATIVE A CTIVITIES
Undergraduate:
Maura Keefe
Study Abroad:
Morgan Hasson–
Norway
Florianne Jalac–
London, England
Corina Miller– London, England
Photo by Christopher Duggan
Rachel Thome– London, England
Accepted to Present at National Conference of Undergraduate Research at University of Wisconsin:
Maya Gonzalez
Department of Dance
Chair, Maura Keefe,
Ph.D. moderated the
DanceTalk panel discussion “Dance and Live Music: How do Choreographers work with ComposPhoto By Rebecca Puretz
ers?” on September 30,
2012. This discussion was part of the ninth annual Fall for Dance
Festival at New York’s City Center.
James Hansen
Associate professor James Hansen was commissioned by Case
Western Reserve University to create new choreography on MFA
candidates during a one week residency.
Roberta Guido
Chloe Liebrick
Erin Lowden
Andrea Montez
William Evans
The Bill Evans Dance Company completed a residency at the
Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, which culminated in a performance on September 21.
Rebecca Puretz
Graduate:
Thesis Works Presented in the Fall Semester:
Falon Baltzell
Nicole Kaplan
Janet Schroeder
Juliana Utz
Northeast PopuPhoto By Rebecca Puretz
lar Culture Regional Conference Presenters:
Oliuyinka Akinjiola
Amanda McCullum
Elizabeth Osborn
Janet Schroeder
Karl Rogers
Assistant professor Karl Rogers performed as a member of the
Elephant Jane Dance company at the Boston Center for the Arts
series, “Movement at the Mills”.
Juanita Suarez
Associate professor Juanita Suarez performed “Slumber of Reason,” with Latina Dance Theatre Project at the BAAD Theater in
the Bronx.
Mariah Maloney
Assistant professor Mariah Maloney received a grant to participate
in the New Paths Alaska Project, where she choreographed, performed and offered workshops to the community. Mariah also did
a one week residency at Montavlo Arts Center in Saratoga, California, where she worked with visual artist, Nina Waisman, in
presenting a new work, “Body Envelope.”
ISSUE 11
PAGE 6
T HE C OLLEGE AT
B ROCKPORT
D EPARTMENT OF D ANCE
350 New Campus Drive
Brockport, NewYork 14420
585-395-2153
www.brockport.edu/dance
Over the past 40 years, The Department of Dance has grown to become one
of the leading programs in the country, and has been recognized as a
“Program of Distinction” at the College at Brockport. Our faculty, students,
and programs are recognized for artistic excellence and physical/intellectual
rigor. Many students require the financial assistance afforded by scholarship
programs like the ones offered through the Friends of Brockport Dance
(FOBD) to support their education. Scholarships and other financial awards
assist the College at Brockport dancers as the lay the foundation to become
leaders in the field of dance as choreographers, performers, educators, scholars and administrators, in the Rochester area, nationally and abroad.
The Friends of Brockport Dance functions as:
·
Engaged, informed, active members of the Greater Rochester arts
community who recognize the significance of arts and education.
·
An organization dedicated to supporting the Brockport Department
of Dance as a world-class higher education dance community.
T O M AKE A D ONATION TO THE
S CHOLARSHIP F UND OR TO F IND O UT
M ORE I NFORMATION, V ISIT US AT:
Photo by Rebecca Puretz
WWW.FRIENDSOFBROCKPORTDANCE.ORG
FRIENDS OF BROCKPORT DANCE MEMBERSHIP
(Membership roster listed as of May 2011)
Angel ($1000+)
Francis Moroney-Whited
Benefactor ($500-$999)
Jacqueline Davis
Patron ($300-$499)
Drumcliffe Parents Organization, Inc.
Sponsor ($100-$299)
Hannah Ahmed, Jeanette Baker, Sandra Cain, William Evans, Christine
Fendley, Chelsea Gavazzi, William Hauser, Kathleen Isaac, Maura Keefe and
Mark Witteveen, Stephan Koen, Clyde Morgan, Rosa Rich, Lindsey Rozzi,
Gregory Witorski, Kista Tucker Dance Company
FRIENDS OF BROCKPORT DANCE
ADVISORY BOARD
Gregory Bell
Joyce M. DeHaan
Jerry Fischer
William Hauser
Dianna Leach
William Rock
Francis Moroney-Whited
Department of Dance Liaison: William Evans
Member ($1-$99)
Pamela Callan, Debra Ellis, Matthew Haag, Margaret Hale, Dawn Jones, Becca
Markel, Jeffrey Mehr, Mark Noll, Suzanne Oliver, Marjorie Perlman, Natalie
Sarrazin, Joanne Setzer, Jacqueline Thomas, Hilary Toland, Kevin Warner,
Tamara Wilcox
Photo by: Rebecca Puretz