Dance Workshop Showcase

Fresh on the heels of its New York City debut performance, the Wayne State University Dance Workshop presents the April Dance Showcase Concert on Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5 at 7:30PM in the Maggie Allesee Studio Theatre, Old Main Building 3rd Floor. Featuring new and award-winning dances, Dance Workshop presents two full programs of outstanding student, faculty and guest works.

The Spring Showcase features various works choreographed by members of the Dance Workshop as well as pieces from other talented dance students, faculty and guest artists. Kardia, choreographed by Rachael Harbert and Rachel Swykert, and Things Hoped For, by Martha Dobbs, were both given high honors and selected to perform at this year’s American College Dance Festival. The Showcase also features Jan Van Dyke’s seminal work, SPIKE, as performed by the Dance Workshop in New York City at Hunter College’s 2008 Sharing the Legacy festival. Idiosyncrasy, choreographed by Workshop member Natalie Soave and Best If Used By June, the latest work of Ali Woerner, Workshop faculty director, will also be performed. A fundraising raffle benefiting Dance Workshop’s artistic endeavors will be held.

Tickets: $5. Boxoffice opens at 7PM. Seating is limited.

Sharing the Legacy

Dance Workshop left today to perform Jan Van Dyke's SPIKE at Hunter College in New York. Hunter hosts the Sharing the Legacy festival to honor and maintain seminal works in modern dance. The dancers have worked hard to raise some of the money for this trip, and are seasoned travelers, having just returned from ACDFA last week.

The dancers will be accompanied by directors Ali Woerner and Doug Risner.

Best wishes for a fabulous performance!

ACDFA

Prior to our departure for Kalamazoo, MI for the ACDFA regional conference, Jeff Rebudal and I challenged the 22 dancers to extend friendship to dancers from other schools, to build networks, and take advantage of the learning opportunities. Our dancers were fantastic--in the studio, in the halls, at the hotel, wherever they went, they were exemplary representatives.

On Saturday, Martha Dobbs' piece, Things Hoped For, was performed in an informal concert. After a moving performance, a faculty member from another institution came up and said, "You guys came loaded for bear, didn't you?" His reference to the outstanding work from our students came after two adjudicated pieces, Kardia, by Rachel Swykert and Rachael Harbert; and A Woman's Window, by Lauren Cansler were both selected to be performed in the gala performance Saturday night.

The gala performance featured 12 dances of 37 adjudicated over the previous three days. Of the 12, two were chosen to represent the region at the national conference, June 4-6 in New York. A Woman's Window was chosen as one, and Lauren Cansler was selected as outstanding choreographer and outstanding performer, and will represent the region in the national Dance Magazine competition at the national event.