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Dance faculty and students perform in ShawFeb. 2, 2007 KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University's Department of Dance will present its annual Winter Concert of Dance Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 8-11, in Shaw Theatre. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. The concert will include the choreography of WMU faculty and students, who will be joined by guest artists Robert Battle and Teena Custer. Battle, a New York-based choreographer, directs Battleworks Dance Company. He is the 2006-07 Elaine Hamilton Haas Distinguished Modern Dance Scholar and WMU's King/Chavez/Parks visiting artist. Custer is a freelance dance artist from Columbus, Ohio. She recently was invited to perform at "The Surgery," a showcase of hip-hop dance theatre in London. She also performs with several Midwest dance companies. Tickets for the Winter Concert of Dance are $16 for general admission; $12 for senior citizens, WMU faculty and staff, and Partners in Dance members; and $7 for students. They can be purchased through the Gilmore Theatre Complex box office at (269) 387-6222. Great Works community dinner before Friday's show College of Fine Arts Dean Margaret Merrion invites members of the University, Kalamazoo and dance communities to come together at a Great Works dinner before Friday's performance. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m. in the WMU Fetzer Center. Tickets are $60 for Partners in Dance members, $70 for non-members, and include the cost of dinner and the show. Those who wish to attend must RSVP to the Department of Dance at (269) 387-5830. The dinner will conclude with remarks by Battle, and a presentation of the first Community Dance Advocacy Award to dance educator and advocate Jerre Locke James. The award, sponsored by WMU Partners in Dance, was created this year to highlight and recognize the extent of dance activity and leadership in Kalamazoo. It will be given annually to a leader or volunteer who has demonstrated significant accomplishments in advancing and supporting dance in the Greater Kalamazoo area. James founded the Ballet Arts School of Dance and the Ballet Arts Ensemble (formerly the Ballet Michigan Ensemble). She has been active in a number of Kalamazoo arts organizations, and was the 1997 recipient of the Community Medal of Arts. For more information about the Winter Concert of Dance, the Great Works dinner, or the Community Dance Advocacy Award, contact WMU's Department of Dance at (269) 387-5830. Media contact: Tonya Hernandez, (269) 387-8400, tonya.hernandez@wmich.edu WMU News |
