W&M Dance Program presents Dancevent 2006
The College of William and Mary Dance Program will present DANCEVENT, a program of faculty choreography, at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 2, 3, and 4 in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall on Jamestown Road. The concert will feature dance works by faculty members Joan Gavaler, Leah Glenn, and Denise Damon Wade. For the first time, the Theatre and Dance events in the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance will be offered under a single ticket subscription. Instead of donations as in previous years, the tickets for DANCEVENT will be $8 general admission and $5 for students. The Box Office opens on Oct. 24 and the phone number is 757/221-2674.
The Dance Program is pleased to welcome Leah Glenn to the faculty. Professor Glenn was Artistic Director of Cecil Dance Theatre in Maryland for ten years where she choreographed numerous modern dance works and ballets, and for two years she was Head of Dance at Hampton University. This concert will feature a variety of new group works performed by Orchesis dance company as well as works from the Gravity Optional repertory presented in Washington, D.C. this past summer.
Inspired by the music of Paul Schoenfield, Denise Damon Wade continues to explore the intricacies of human interaction in her newest work, Café Music. A theatrical fusion of contemporary dance with popular dance styles from the 1930’s and 40’s, Café Music takes us on a journey down city streets, with live accompaniment by Gary Green (piano), Josh Garstka (violin) and Cayla Neidlinger (cello).
Hush by Leah Glenn explores emotions associated with the challenges faced by a mother and her autistic child. In addition to addressing the frustrations and triumphs that accompany the search
for community support, it also touches on behavioral issues highlighting the idea that virtually all behavior is communication of some kind. A second work by Professor Glenn, Percussively Linked, probes the use of isolations in a myriad of movement phrases enveloped in a rhythmically challenging voice/sound score by Bobby McFerrin and Crosspulse.
Inte-dis-gration, a new group work by Joan Gavaler, explores a process of the dancers uniting their energies, falling into disarray, and reuniting with stronger resolve. Grace was commissioned for TO WALK WITH GIANTS, a memorial tribute to Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, and August Wilson at the College of William and Mary. Working in collaboration, Joan Gavaler and Leah Glenn look at racism through very personal interactions that address various levels of emotional response. The Waiting Room explores a familiar experience in a playful way as performers become chairs as well as people. Grace and The Waiting Room are part of the Gravity Optional dance company repertory.
