NewsRelease

Alumnae Dancers Showcase New Works at UNCG
 
GREENSBORO —UNCG dance alumni will premiere dynamic new works during the second annual Alumni Homecoming Concert, Saturday, Sept. 27, in the UNCG Dance Theater on Walker Avenue. The free, public concert will begin at 8 p.m.

Six talented women, who now have careers in New York, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., will present 8-to-15-minute works featuring original choreography and costume. Each alumna has distinguished herself in the dance community, with some having toured nationally and internationally.

Through movement, they will explore themes of love, poverty, psychology and more.

For more information, call Caitlin Medlock in the Department of Dance, at 334-5955.

Beth Wright – “Dusk”
"Dusk" is inspired by “Courageous Paths: Stories of Nine Appalachian Women” by Jane Stephenson, an alumna of Woman’s College (now UNCG). Choreographed by Wright, the dance features music by The Kronos Quartet, Moby, and the Monroe Brothers. Wright will perform the piece accompanied by Dena Guvetis.

Wright graduated from UNCG with an MFA in dance in 1995 and is certified as a movement analyst and Pilates teacher. She has performed and shown her work independently, as well as through The Field in New York City, at the American Dance Festival's Opening Acts, with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and at the American College Dance Festival Association. In addition, she has performed with various artists throughout the state. Her piece "Lifeforce" was chosen as one of the "Best of 2002" by The Independent Weekly. She founded Five Chick Posse Productions the same year. The director of dance at Peace College in Raleigh, she has also taught dance and Pilates at UNCG, N.C. State University, Capital Fitness and Body Balance Therapy, among others.

Christal Brown – “Until Fruition” (Solo Version)
“Until Fruition” is a work created from the question, "What does one do until their dreams come true?" Brown explores what people do while they are creating the life they dream of - wait, pray, gather, practice, and live.  Brown choreographed and will perform in the work. Music is by Oumou Sangare.

Brown received her BFA in dance from UNCG in 2001 before touring nationally with Chuck Davis' African-American Dance Ensemble and internationally with Andrea E. Woods/Souloworks. She has also performed with and managed Gesel Mason Performance Projects while apprenticing with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Currently she lives in New York City and is an apprentice with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, a member of Urban Bush Women, and the founder and artistic director of Women@Work and Dance Explorations.

Donna Goffredo – “Nina”
Choreographed by Donna Goffredo, “Nina”will feature dancers Carlota de Cárdenas, Rachel Shugarman and Maya Escueta. This suite of solos is set to the soulful vocals of Nina Simone. The temperature of the solos rises as the dance progresses: the first solo is a cool tease, performed to “Sugar in my Bowl”; the second solo is portrayed by a lonely character who dances with an imagined partner to “In the Dark”; finally, the third solo is a hot and passionate explosion of sensuality danced to the minor chords of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

Goffredo received an MFA in choreography at UNCG in 1994. Since moving to Hoboken after graduation, she has taught dance in public schools in New York City and Hoboken. She initiated and directed a community dance program at the Hoboken-North Hudson YMCA, where she still teaches, and served as the Hoboken Charter School’s arts coordinator for two years.  In 1998, Goffredo began Donna Goffredo & Dancers, a professional contemporary dance company, which has included several UNCG alumni.  DG&D has performed in various New York and New Jersey venues, such as the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, the Bridge for Dance Rising Up Series, Dancespace, Monroe Street Movement Street and SWEAT.

Justin Tornow-Westcott – “focus: think of everything: pledge nothing”
Set to music by Radiohead, Turnow’s choreography will be performed by Queen City Jazz Company: Sara Atkins, Rebekah Queen, Sonshine Allen, Andrea Maslanka, Joanne Jemsek, Laura McLeod, Lauren Rodriguez, Britni Stitt and guest artists Amy Cooke and Christine Bowen.

Justin Tornow earned a BA in dance with a concentration in choreography and a BA in political science at UNCG in 2001. She has recently begun her career as a freelance choreographer. In addition, she is associate director, choreographer and dancer for Queen City Jazz Company in Charlotte, a new company dedicated to the performance style of concert jazz and other contemporary works. Justin is a recent addition to the staff at Sullivan School of Dance where she is developing a modern dance program.

Miriana Lausic
Dancers appear courtesy of Washington Reflections Dance Company, Fabian Barnes, founder and artistic director.
Lausic is the current school director at the Dance Institute of Washington (DIW). She teaches classes for the Washington Reflections Dance Company. This summer she taught the Summer Intensive program at DIW, and gave master classes at the Wolftrap Amphitheatre as part of Colin Powell's “America's Promise” initiative. Lausic is a former student at the Ballet School and Company of Hrvatsko Narodno Kazaliste in Croatia and the Ballet School and Company of Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. Lausic danced with Ballet de Arte Moderno in Chile, Hrvatsko Narodno Kazaliste in Croatia, and Ballet de Camara de Santiago in Chile.  She received her MFA from UNCG in 2001.

Valerie Midgett – “Letters from the Unconscious”
Midgett choreographed this piece inspired by the writing of Carl Jung. The dance features music by John Corigliano, Tom Waits, Franz Shubert, and REM, and a video produced by Ed Midgett. Performers include: Julie Bottjen, Hope Brawley, Carrie Cooper, John Crutchfield (video), Amy Hadgraft, Ashley Lewis, Campbell McMillan, Teresangela Schiano, and Kathryn Ullom.

Midgett received her MFA from UNCG in 1995, and she returned to teach as guest artist in 2000. She is co-founder and director of X Factor Dance Company based in Boone, where she also teaches at Lees McRae College and Appalachian State University. X Factor has toured Guatemala, Lithuania, Vienna and throughout the U.S.

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