Brian McGinnis and Kate Skarpetowska perform in Boone, NC

Dancers and friends of Brian McGinnis and Kate (Katarzyna) Skarpetowska traveled to Boone, NC to see them perform with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company on July 16th. Brian and Kate performed beautifully in all three of the dances, but especially in the duet, "Prelude to a Kiss" in the dance piece Nature Boy: Kurt Elling, choreographed by Lar Lubovitch.

In the talk with the artistic director and choreographer, Lar Lubovitch after the performance, several in the audience wanted to know more about the duet and the dancers (Brian and Kate) as they thought that it was one of the most beautiful duets they had ever seen! They wanted to know how the two dancers made their dancing so seamless and fluid. The duet was definitely the highlight of the performance, not only in our opinion, but obviously many in the audience as well. Brian met with us following the concert.

Brian will be back in Greenville in early October and will be the featured guest in the Greenville District Dance Festival on October 9th.

FAC Dancers from the morning class will be performing three ensemble pieces choreographed by guest choreographers on May 7th at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theatre of the Fine Arts Center. Brian McGinnis choreographed two dances Run and Bisque. Andrew Kuharsky choreographed the ballet Comings and Goings for the ensemble.

Fine Arts Center Dance students Ashley Attaway, Charlotte Brown, Lael King, Abigail Pinkerton, Jamie Taylor and Maren Trofatter were inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts on April 22nd. Receiving the distinction of the Gold Star Award were current members Allison Leisgang, Jillian Leisgang, Gianni Monteleon and Jamie Taylor. Ashley Becking received two Gold Star Awards. NHSDA President Ashley Becking and Vice-President Ashley Brown conducted the ceremony. Flowers were donated by A Arrangements Florist for each new inducted NHSDA Dance student. Students must earn 30 points through dance performances and events as well as maintain a good academic grade aversage to be eligible for membership and may earn a Gold Star Award by earning an additional 10 points.

On Thursday April 22nd several of the dancers will be performing in our Generation-to-Generation performance, which is a celebration of student created artwork. Please come and visit the visual art students' exhibit and reception at 6:00 pm at the Fine Arts Center. The performance portion begins at 7:00 in the Recital Hall with student music compositions and then moves into the Black Box Theatre for the dance and theatre portion. A selection of six student pieces of choreography will be performed followed by a student created/directed condensed play. The performance should run just over an hour.

DANCE MASTER CLASSES and CHOREOGRAPHY

Vladislav Soldatenko, Artistic Director and Ballet Master of the Dance Department of the Ukrainian National Academy of Dance taught a ballet

master class to the afternoon dancers on December 7th. Mr. Soldatenko completed graduate Master classes at the Vaganova Academy in St.

Petersburg and performed as a soloist with Kiev National Theater of

Opera and Ballet and Kiev Theater of Classical Ballet.

Wanda Ebright, Associate Professor of Dance at Johnson C. Smith

University, visited the Fine Arts Center and taught modern dance

master classes to both morning and afternoon dancers. Ms. Ebright

who received her MFA from Florida State University, is also the

director of her own dance company, The Wanda Project.

On December 8th Dr. Stephanie Milling, Assistant Professor at

Winthrop University, taught master classes to both dance classes

at the Fine Arts Center. She will set a dance on the afternoon

dancers during February, which she originally choreographed

for dancers at Winthrop University. Dr. Milling earned her Ph.D.

in Dance from Texas Women’s University.

The second week in February, Andrew Kuharsky choreographed

a new dance work for the morning dancers, which is titled

“Comings and Goings”. Mr. Kuharsky graduated from the

esteemed National Ballet School in Canada, was an apprentice

with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, a principal dancer with

The Atlanta Ballet, and a soloist with Les Grands Ballets

Canadiens in Montreal.

Marcy Yonkey, Visiting Artist-in-Residence at Columbia College,

will teach master classes to both dance classes on March 12th.

Ms. Yonkey received her MFA in Dance from Texas Women’s

University where she was the recipient of the 2008 Excellence

in Teaching Award. She currently performs with The Power

Company in Columbia, SC as well as teaching and

choreographing at Columbia College.

DANCE FIELD TRIP to LEAGUE ACADEMY

On January 27th the afternoon dancers traveled to League Academy

(thank you to Dirk Holleman for driving the bus for us) to dance

with the advanced 8th grade class. The dancers shared and discussed

their choreography with each other. Several of the Fine Arts Center

dancers had taken dance at League Academy with Lynne McCain

Sargent, so it was a great visit.

DANCE CLASS LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION

The afternoon dancers performed their class demonstration, which

included solos created by Dance III and Dance IV dancers (dancers

who are in their third and fourth year at the Fine Arts Center). The

lecture-demonstration for the morning dancers had to be rescheduled

due to the weather and so was performed on February 3rd. The

dancers showed what they do in class as well as their own

compositional dance “studies”.

SATURDAY DANCE FESTIVALS at the FINE ARTS CENTER

The idea of a Saturday Dance Festival was formed and implemented

by a former ARMES and FAC dance graduate, Lauren Miller (2009),

during her senior year last year. The event proved to be so successful

that the afternoon dancers helped organize and run three Saturdays

of dance this year. The intent of the all day workshops is to offer

dancers the opportunity to take class with other dancers in the

community who have a similar passion and interest in dance. Classes

included modern dance technique, improvisation, repertory,

Japanese dance, ballet and jazz.

DANCE ALUMNI NEWS

Fulton Burns (FAC Dance 1988) has been awarded two grants

from the University of South Alabama where he is an assistant

professor. They are the Summer 2010 Arts and Sciences

Professional Summer Development Award and the Spring 2010

Support & Development Award.

Kevin Boseman (FAC Dance 1990) is performing with the

National Tour of “The Color Purple.”

Students and Faculty Visit Florida State University
The afternoon dance students, theatre tech student Andrew Mulkey, Dirk Holleman and Jan Woodward traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to visit Florida State University November 12-15. The dance students observed two classes in two of the six dance studios in the spacious Dance Department building. All of the dancers watched a modern technique class with Dan Wagoner. Mr. Wagoner was a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company and the original Paul Taylor Dance Company before founding his own company Dan Wagoner and Dancers. Students were also able to observe a second class choosing from four different classes. Several of the dancers watched a class with Gerri Houlihan, who has been a guest artist at the Fine Arts Center, or a Graham technique class with Anthony Morgan, who danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Ms. Houlihan danced with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, formed her own dance company and is currently directing the international Choreographers in Residence Program at the American Dance Festival. Several dancers also had the opportunity to observe ballet classes with Anjali Austin, who danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem or Rick McCullough, who danced with Netherlands Dance Theatre. Jan Woodward also had a chance to speak with her FSU mentor, Lynda Davis, who performed with the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company.
The highlight of the visit was seeing FAC dance graduates Amanda Porter (Dance 2009) and Maggie Base (Dance 2009) perform in two different Days of Dance Concerts. Besides attending the dance matinee and evening performances, the group saw the theatre production of Waiting for Godot in the Theatre Department’s black box theatre.
Students were taken on a backstage tour with Ralph Walker, Scenic Studio Manager of the Theatre Department which was arranged by Dirk Holleman who worked with Mr. Walker as a student at FSU. The dancers were also given an hour-long tour of the Music Department by Associate Dean Dr. Leo Welch along with Larry Gerber, who has recently been named head of their Voice Program. Mr. Gerber was the Voice Teacher at the Fine Arts Center when the school first opened and helped arrange our tour of the music facilities at FSU. The students also had a chance to take a walking tour of the campus and enjoy the beautiful Tallahassee weather on Saturday morning.

Brian McGinnis was artist-in-residence at the Fine Arts Center for 11 days in October. He set 2 three minute pieces of choreography on the morning dancers titled Bisque and Run. In the afternoon class, Mr. McGinnis set a much longer work to the Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn. The students performed for students, parents and invited guests on the last day of the choreographic residency, October 23rd. The dances will be performed in the in-school Honors Showcase December 18th at the Fine Arts Center as well as in the Fine Arts Center Dance Concert on May 8th at 7:00 pm. The performances will be held in the black box theatre.

Photo: Brian McGinnis
Company: Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Photographer: Chris Callis

Dancers attended the SCDAncing Festival in Spartanburg October 16-18th. Guest artists Gerri Houlihan and Brian McGinnis, former guest artists at the Fine Arts Center, taught master classes during the festival. The South Carolina Dance Association also sponsors an audition for a scholarship awarded to a South Carolina dance student who majors in dance in a South Carolina college. Dancers who were high school juniors or seniors and college freshmen were eligible to audition. The winner of the scholarship is Ashley Brown, a junior at the Fine Arts Center. The afternoon dancers also performed "thee who holds the key" choreographed by Brian McGinnis in the gala concert on Saturday evening October 17th.

Dance student choreographers Maggie Base, Ashley Becking, Lauren Miller and Amanda Porter presented their choreographic pieces in Generation-to-Generation on April 23rd. The choreographic works, duets and small group dances created by the Dance III Honors students, will be performed in the final dance concert on May 8th at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theatre at the Fine Arts Center. Dances choreographed by guest artists Brian McGinnis and Anna Jordan will also be performed along with former guest choreographer, Lisa Wheeler.

Brian McGinnis, who has been a guest artist for three years, graduated from Juilliard and danced with the David Parsons Dance Company and currently with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, both dance companies are based in New York City. His piece "Sirens and the Undercurrent" will be performed by both dance classes with a cast of 24 dancers.

Guest artist, Anna Jordan, set an original piece of choreography "Drawn Onward" on the morning dance students. Ms. Jordan attended Idyllwild Arts Academy in high school and received her BFA in dance from New York University. Most of the funds for her dance residency were raised through bake sales by the dancers.

Lisa Wheeler, who was a guest artist for several years, choreographed the dance “Drifting” which we have reconstructed for the performance in the Black Box Theatre. Ms. Wheeler danced with Dan Wagoner and Dancers and is a distinguished alumna from Columbia College.

The FAC dancers held an NHSDA Induction ceremony for the newest members into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts: Gianni Monteleon, Brooke Poole and Katelyn Scherer. Ashley Brown earned 1 star, Lauren Miller earned 2 stars, Maggie Base earned 3 stars and Amanda Porter earned 4 stars. Students must earn 30 points in dance related events to become members and may earn a star for each additional 10 points.

Lauren Miller (Dance) has won the prestigious honor of the SCDEO (South Carolina Dance Education Organization) Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award at the state level. Her application will now go on to the national level for the NDEO Award. Amanda Porter received the state honor last year. Dancers who are members of NHSDA and are a junior or senior may apply for the award. Information is handed out to students at the beginning of the year so that they can make plans to apply for the award.

Fine Arts Center students had the pleasure of seeing the lecture/demonstration performance created and performed by Brian McGinnis and Kate Skarpetowska as part of the Big Leap 2009 underwritten by the Peace Center. They performed an excerpt from their commissioned work, “Romeo and Juliet—A Death Marked Love” in our black box theatre as well as excerpts from duets that they have performed with other dance companies. Kate taught master classes to the Fine Arts Center dancers who also had opportunities to observe open rehearsals and take master classes in technique and choreography. The culmination of the three-week residency was the premiere performance in Gunter Theatre of their original work “Romeo and Juliet-A Death Marked Love” which was enthusiastically received by the audience. There is talk of a repeat performance this summer in Greenville. Dr. Roy Fluhrer and Maggie Base were also in the performance.
Photos are of Kate and Brian with Allison Leisgang, Jill Leisgang and Anna Patrick after the performance on March 2nd in the lobby of Gunter Theatre and master classes at the FAC.