Dance Faculty & Students Attend American College Dance Festival

The University of Mary Washington Theater and Dance Department will be represented by two faculty members, Beverly Mendez and Roxann Morgan Rowley accompanying eight dance students at The 2014 American College Dance Festival, March 8-11 at George Mason University. The festival provides an amazing opportunity for faculty and students to participate in workshops, classes, performances and lectures all geared to compliment dance and arts education.

“The national dance festival provides the venue for students and faculty to engage in three days of performances, workshops, panels, and master classes taught by instructors from around the region and country. The conferences also provide the unique opportunity for students and faculty to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum.”

Along with dance/movement classes and workshops faculty and students will have the opportunity attend performances by the Joffery Ballet at the Center for the Arts as well as “Imagine…a life in Dance” facilitated by Robert Battle – Artistic Director for Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Charlotte d’Amboise – actress and dancer, Deborah Jowitt – dance critic, author, and choreographer, Elizabeth Streb – STREB Company COMPANY and Ashley Wheater – artistic director of The Joffrey Ballet.

UMW theater and dance student, Covenant Babatunde’s choreographic work “Grave Silence” was selected to be presented in the Informal Concert during the conference, performed by students Lauren Armstrong, Sarah Joy Calpo, Mason Prince, and Edward Yates.

Dance faculty members Beverly Mendez and Roxann Morgan Rowley will also have the opportunity to teach during the conference; Ms. Mendez explores improvisation movement techniques through “Discovering Creativity through Improvisation” and Roxann Morgan Rowley examines improvisation in partnering in “Contact Improvisation, Evaluating Touch.”

Attendance for faculty and staff to The American College Dance Festival was largely due to the generous support from University of Mary Washington’s Friends of Dance Alumni Association who granted funds for their attendance.