Angela Gallo, Chair of Dance at Coker College, taught two master classes at the FAC on January 23rd. Her background is in the Limón technique, so students were able to work more deeply in that movement vocabulary in her class. The morning class explored partnering and sharing weight toward the end of the class. She spent a few minutes in both classes talking about the Dance program at Coker and answered questions about the audition process as well.

Rebecca Lee, a FAC Dance Alumna, was a guest artist at the Fine Arts Center October 17-21 and choreographed a dance titled Birr for the AM dancers. She came to the Winter Honors Showcase Performance to see the dancers perform her work on December 16th and is pictured with the dancers following the performance. Rebecca received her M.F.A. from Florida State University in Dance.

FAC Alumna, Amanda Porter, performed in both of the evening concerts of the Florida State University’s Days of Dance, which were two different programs. Amanda performed in Rick McCullough’s Cool Tunes! on Saturday evening and another dance work titled Awakening on Friday night, choreographed by an FSU student. Gerri Houlihan, who has been a guest at the FAC, and is a professor of dance at FSU, also had a lovely piece of choreography performed on the Friday concert. Photos are of Amanda Porter in Cool Tunes!, and the FAC students after the concert in the lobby of the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre.

Jan Woodward, who earned her M.F.A. in dance from FSU had time to speak with Patty Phillips, co-chair of the department and one of her professors in graduate school, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, who is the Founder and Artistic Director of Urban Bush Women and was named FSU’s 2011-2012 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, the highest award granted to FSU faculty.

The FAC students visit Annie Fox’s dorm room and ask her questions about being a dance major at FSU and what college life is really like. Blake Ulmer, an FAC graduate (2011) and current FSU dance major, helped set up the dorm visit and talked with the FAC dancers, as well. Annie, who comes from Philadelphia, is a freshman majoring in dance.

Following the tour of the Dance Department, Larry Gerber, Professor of Voice and Coordinator of the Voice Program in the College of Music, gave a tour of the Music building and facilities along with graduate student Heather Stuyverson. Larry Gerber was the first voice teacher at the Fine Arts Center and was Karen Parks’ first voice teacher. Karen Parks is the current voice instructor at the Fine Arts Center.