November 14, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Rowley Brings First Dance Performance to HCC Digital Auditorium

by

Roxann Rowley, adjunct instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UMW, will bring the first full-length dance performance to the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium next month, rounding out the venue’s arts offerings.

The show, en Route!, is a touring dance project that facilitates performances for local artists. Rowley’s company, Next Reflex Dance Collective, collaborates with local theaters and artists to produce a performance that offers accessible work targeting a new-to-dance audience. For this performance, Next Reflex has partnered with Light Switch Dance Theatre, Matrix Dance Company, Semilla Cultural, J.Dance Kollective, and Mary Washington’s own Dance Company.

Rowley will also offer a Modern Dance Technique Workshop at 10am the day of the performance, free to the UMW Community.

This event follows a number of successful arts performances in the Digital Auditorium, including Boil the Frog Slowly and Stigma, both by the Rude Mechanicals Theatre Group, the Mark Snyder Multimedia Show, featuring UMW Music faculty Mark Snyder’s solo compositions, and a student production of The Vagina Monologues last spring.

en Route! a touring dance project

March 12, 7:30 PM – UMW HCC Digital Auditorium

Tickets: $3 UMW Students, $5 Artist/Military/Child, $10 General Admission

For more information about en Route! and other events in the Digital Auditorium, visit http://convergence.umw.edu/events/

Rowley Presents at American College Dance Association’s Conference

by

UMW’s Theater & Dance Department was represented by faculty member Roxann Rowley and four UMW students at the 2015 American College Dance Association’s Conference, held March 11-14 at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. The festival provides the 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.”

Rowley taught/presented three dance classes, two modern technique and a contact improvisation class. She also presented artistic work that represented UMW’s ever growing dance culture. Her choreography “Blink,” was adjudicated and received feedback from a panel of prestigious artists. Along with presenting work, she was able to participate in classes and workshops given throughout the conference, as well as meet and connect with other faculty within the field.

The University of Mary Washington has a growing dance culture on campus, with the number of students that participate in the dance clubs and activities on campus growing in attendance each year. By attending The American College Dance Festival, Rowley represented the UMW dance culture and development. Participation in the conference is great exposure for UMW and also helps to enrich the diverse culture surrounding the art form on campus.

Attendance to The American College Dance Association’s conference was largely due to the generous support from University of Mary Washington’s Friends of Dance Alumni Association and The University of Mary Washington Faculty Development Supplemental Grant.

Dance Faculty & Students Attend American College Dance Festival

by

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.

Dance Instructor Contributes Choreography in VelocityDC Dance Festival

by

The 5th Annual VelocityDC Dance Festival will take place on October 10-12, 2013 at Sydney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C.  The festival includes performances on the main stage in Sydney Harman Hall, the RAMP series featuring artists in the downstairs studio in the theater and a Site Specific performance pre-show at the Portrait Gallery and in spaces in and around Sydney Harman Hall.

UMW’s dance faculty member Roxann Rowley will be presenting work as part of VelocityDC’s Site Specific  portion of the festival. Her company Next Reflex Dance Collective along with Dance Performance Group and Movius Contemporary Ballet will collaboratively work together producing a one night exploration of the Portrait Gallery called “Clean Sweep.”  On Friday, October 11 at 5 p.m. the dancers will move in and around the gallery’s beautiful atrium creating movement around and in the large and continuous running water panels and the large marble platforms that flank the space. The companies will perform as a group and also feature each company in this evening exploration of space.

Each group will also do an excerpt of their work at the Sydney Harman Hall. Ms. Rowley’s choreography will be featured outside Sydney Harman Hall on October 12, 2013 at 1:15 p.m. and is a slow meditative improvisation involving a long red piece of fabric that ties two dancers together. Music for the work is composed and performed by John White and Nate Masters both alumni of University of Mary Washington music department.

VelocityDC Dance Festival is October 10-12, 2013 with events centered in and around Sydney Harman Hall in downtown D.C.  “Clean Sweep” will be performed on October 11 at the National Portrait Gallery’s Atrium at 5 p.m. and excerpts will be performed in front of Sydney Harman Hall an hour before the main stage performances. October 10 at 7 p.m., October 12 at 1:15 and 7 p.m.   More information can be found at www.velocitydc.org and www.nextreflexdc.com.