Complexions

This Friday and Saturday, September 26 & 27 (Friday 8:00pm and Saturday 8:00pm.) the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts will be hosting the NYC based contemporary ballet company, Complexions. (http://www.complexionsdance.org)

Please contact the Music Hall to purchase tickets.

Nicholas Leichter Pre-residency and Audition

October 1st, 2008
Nicholas Leichter Pre-residency Auditions

• Audition Time: 4-6pm
  
• 6-7pm Dinner Break
  
• 7-9pm Rehearsal
  

"Visual and visceral, intimate and grand, insistent and intertwined, choreographer Nicholas Leichter and his passionate company engage audiences in emotional dialogues through innovative dancing that fuses traditional with contemporary styles." (http://www.nldnyc.org/)
Mr. Leichter's visit this time around will be short. But he will returning in January 26th-30th to finish his work. We are very excited to welcome Mr. Leichter to our department.

Fall Studio/Space Schedule

Click here to view PDF file for the Fall '08 classes and rehearsals scheduled in the Maggie Allesee Department of Dance.

Ray Mercer Sets New Work

 Ray Mercer, Maggie Allesee artist in residence for fall 2008 cast his new work -- Love Games -- for inclusion in the fall departmental concert. Congratulations to Marlo M., Martha D., Samm M., Bryan S., Aaron S., and Nick C., who will learn the piece this week and present an informal showing on Friday, September 19 at 12:30 PM in the  Maggie Allesee Studio Theatre.

 Mercer is currently in the Broadway cast of The Lion King.  He has danced with the Detroit City Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago and other companies Mercer which was Broadway's Gypsy of the Year in 2005. He has set works on the Dallas Black Dance Theater, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and Dancers Responding to AIDS/New York.

 We are delighted to have Mr. Mercer with us.

Master Class with June Omura

Dance majors were treated to a beautiful master class by Bessie-award winning dancer June Omura from the Mark Morris Dance Group.

The group is being presented by the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, and will present two programs--one Friday, September 19 and one Saturday, September 20 at the Power Center in Ann Arbor.

Dates for Dance Workshop and CoOne/Noel Night

Please note the change in performance dates/times for Dance Workshop and CoOne.

December 5, 7:30 PM  Dance Workshop

Decmeber 6, 7:00 & 8:00 PM CoOne premiere of Rolling on the River, A Time to Dance

December 7, 3:00 PM  Dance Workshop

Taylor Winter Intensive

December 27-January 6

Directed by Lisa Viola, this winter intensive at the Paul Taylor Studios in the New York City SoHo district is an excellent enhancement to your university studies as you build bridges to other dancers and the dance community.

Use your Christmas break to hone your skills and build your career!  Applications can be downloaded here, and dancers will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers is holding auditions for the 2008/2009 season.  This professional modern dance company is celebrating 29 years in Michigan.  There are positions for both male and female dancers with strong modern backgrounds for paid performance, teaching, and tours.

Click on the image for a full-sized version.

Will Power, award-winning actor, rapper, playwright, and educator, will be at Wayne State University for a week-long residency with the Department of Theatre, September 8-13, 2008.

All three of the events listed on the poster to the right are free--paid for by a grant from the National Performance Network and the Network of Cultural Centers of Color.

The forums listed will be in workshop format, so expect a high amount of participation in this fusion of art forms.

Click on the poster to view a larger version.

Summer Classes

Take some classes to continue your development during the summer, even if you aren't traveling! The Boll Family YMCA and the Detroit Opera House each have summer classes, as follows:

• The following are located that the Boll Family YMCA on Broadway in Downtown Detroit. All classes are $10 a piece and are taught by Aimee Cox who is a former Ailey dancer and fabulous teacher!
  Wednesday: Intermediate Jazz- Teens and Adults 7:30-9pm
  Saturday: Pre Ballet (4-6 y.o.) 12-1pm Beginning Ballet (Teens and Adults) 1:15-2:15
  Intermediate/Advanced Ballet (Teens and Adults 2:30-4
• Detroit Opera House- 1526 Broadway, on the 5th floor.
  Thursdays: Horton Technique- Taught by Michael Means $15 a class

SPIKE in Cincinnati

Jan Van Dyke invited her Wayne State University cast of SPIKE to Cincinnati for the Choreographers' Festival 2008, celebrating 35 years of modern dance in the city. This experience provided Martha Dobbs, Tiffany Janeway, Kate Vincek, and Renee Westervelt continued experience in the world of professional modern dance. Congratulations!

Get Dance NYC!

Call it an immersive experience in dance--after the junior year, select dance majors have the opportunity to participate in GetDance NYC, attending classes, rehearsals, shows, and socializing with working professionals as they plan for future careers in dance.

This year, Martha Dobbs, Jazman Flagg, Denita Gregory, Rachael Harbert, and Nicholle Noble spent nearly a week in the city.