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Department of Theatre and Dance

UW Piece Selected for National Dance Conference

March 28, 2008 -- “The Pink Blue,” an original contemporary dance piece, has been selected for performance at the 2008 National Conference of the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA).

The piece features University of Wyoming dancers Nikki Canete (junior, Rapid City, S.D.), Brianna Figueroa (senior, Cheyenne), Alex Floyd (freshman, Bailey, Colo.), Andrew Franks-Ongoy (senior, Helena, Mont.), Cory Klements (freshman, Broomfield, Colo.), Lindsay Marquino (freshman, Indian Harbour, Fla.), Kathryn Rochelle (junior, Colorado Springs, Colo.), Brittany Roney (senior, Cody), Stuart Speckner (sophomore, Lingle), and Stephanie Thomas (junior, Gillette).

Choreographed by dance faculty member Jacob Mora to the music of Mos Def, Tricky, and Bjork, “The Pink Blue” examines relationships, self-definition and how individuals contend with their environment.

Of the 43 works presented at the ACDFA’s recent Northwest Conference at the University of Utah, “The Pink Blue” was selected to be among 11 works performed at the Gala Concert by adjudicators Zvi Gotheiner, Gabri Christa and Loretta Livingston. Three of these pieces were then invited to the ACDFA’s National Conference, June 4-6 at the Miller Theatre in New York City.

This is the second consecutive honor for UW dancers and choreographers to bring a work to the national ACDFA conference, which is held every two years. UW dance faculty member Marsha Knight's original contemporary ballet, “Of a Mind,” was invited to the last national festival in 2006.

“The adjudicators spoke publicly and privately to the quality of choreography and dancing represented in Jacob's work, with unanimous praise for his clear and individual movement signature" says Knight. "This is a great opportunity, both for Jacob and the dancers."

Born and raised in Denver, Mora is director of Moraporvida Contemporary Dance, an avant-garde, multicultural repertory company that uses traditional and progressive techniques to explore social, political, and emotional themes and ideas. Mora's teaching and choreography fuses modern, jazz, hip hop, poetry and ethnic movements.

Other pieces presented by UW at the 2008 NW ACDFA included “Reach,” choreographed by senior Stephanie Thomas and, for the Informal Concert, “Architectonics,” choreographed by Kathryn Rochelle.

The other invited works from the regional conference are from the University of Utah and Idaho State University. The ACDFA supports and promotes the wealth of talent and creativity that is prominent throughout college and university dance departments, primarily by sponsoring 11 annual regional conferences and a biennial national dance conference that showcases the best work from each region.

Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008

 

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