University of Missouri at Kansas City
Conservatory of Dance and Music

Dance Department's

Fall Concert 2007

2, 3 November 2006 in White Recital Hall at UMKC
Most pictures are from studio work in October and dress in November with a couple from performance.

A CD of Proofs for this concert will be available for dancers and their friends and relatives for $20 each very shortly.

Miyesha McGriff

From Studio Rehearsal

From Dress Rehearsal

Dress: "Le Petite Suite" by Mary Pat Henry

Mary Marshall and Matthew Carney in studio for "Variations with Episodes" by Paula Weber

"Variations with Episodes" by Paula Weber

Miyesha McGriff rehearsing "Dance Symphony No.7" by Paula Weber in the studio

Miyesha McGriff in "Dance Symphony No.7" by Paula Weber

Choreofest showcases faculty works, student performances

by Nicole English

UMKC dance students rehearse original ballet piece for upcoming Choreofest.
Media Credit: Mike Strong
UMKC dance students rehearse original ballet piece for upcoming Choreofest.

Each fall, the UMKC dance division presents its annual Choreofest Dance Concert to showcase original works created by the UMKC dance faculty, and to showcase the skills of the UMKC dance students performing the works. This year's concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2 and 3, in White Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

"The entire faculty is choreographing for this performance," said Paula Weber, professor and current chair of the dance division.

This year's concert will feature original works created by former chair and current Assistant Dean Mary Pat Henry, as well as faculty works by Jennifer Medina, Rodni Williams and Paula Weber. There will be eight pieces presented, including four ballets and four classical modern pieces.

Weber, who teaches ballet and pas de deux in the dance division, will be presenting two classic ballet "tutu" pieces. The "tutu" refers to the short fluffy skirt traditionally worn by ballerinas while performing classical ballet dances.

These pieces were originally choreographed for the Midwest Youth Ballet (Alecia Good, director), and were recently performed at the National Regional Dance America Festival. Weber has staged the ballets with both UMKC and Midwest Youth Ballet students.

"Alecia Good and the Midwest Youth Ballet were also kind enough to loan us their tutus for the piece," Weber said.

Weber also choreographed a contemporary ballet. This ballet will feature a "pas de deux," or duet, for each combination of couples.

"Since I teach pas de deux in the dance division, I wanted to create a piece using the skills of our men and women," Weber said. "There are seven pas de deux, with some of the duets appearing singly, and some appearing together ... with a very contemporary flare."

Williams choreographed two pieces for the concert, one titled "Shared" and the other "The Last Sunday." Both pieces are contemporary modern dance pieces that express deep feelings and profound meaning for Williams.

"'Shared' is based on how we all share the same blood, no matter the color of our skin," Williams said. "The other piece, 'The Last Sunday,' is based on the last Sunday that I spent in church with my mother ... before she died."

Medina will be presenting two works as well. One is an abstract contemporary ballet,

titled "Innerworkings," which is set to original music.

"The contemporary ballet was a collaborative work between myself and Conservatory graduate student composer Jacob Gotlib," Medina said.

The other is a contemporary modern piece titled "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III." It is a contemporary modern piece inspired by the music by GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR.

"We have such great students," Weber said. "They work very hard to put on a good performance....It will be well worth seeing."

Regular tickets are $8, or $6 for seniors. UMKC faculty, staff and students will be admitted free with UMKC or student ID.

nenglish@unews.com

---

Performance in Concert

Friday/Saturday - 2, 3 November 2007 UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance Dance Division - Fall Concert Choreofest 2007 White Recital Hall, University of Missouri Kansas City

 

	Skyler Taylor and Miyesha McGriff Dance Symphony No. 7
	Choreography	Paula Weber
	Music	Ludwig von Beethoven "Symphony No. 7, 4th movement"
	Lighting Design	Jeff Roudabush
	Costume Design	Prima Donna on loan from MYB
	Dancers	Christina Hill, Caitlin Schuler Miyesha McGriff, Skyler Taylor with Pamela Auinbauh, Marie Buser, Willa Dock, Meghann Martens, Amanda McMaster, Angela Shipman, Stephanie Shipman, Kaely Tieri

 

Caitlin Schuler in "Dance Symphony No.7" by Paula Weber

 

	Chloe Abel Welcome To Holland
	Choreography	Sabrina Madison-Cannon
	Music	Khadja Nin "Mwana wa mama"
	Lighting Design	Jeff Roudabush
	Costume Design	Sabrina Madison-Cannon
	Dancer: Understudy:	Chloe Abel Skyler Taylor
	Emily Perl Kingsley is a writer on Sesame Street since 1970. In 1974 her son Jason was born with Down's Syndrome. In 1987 she wrote "Welcome to Holland" "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley. ©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

 

Chloe Abel in "Welcome to Holland" by Sabrina Madison-Cannon

 

	The finale (dress) Le Petite Suite
	Choreography	Mary Pat Henry
	Music	Claude Debussy
	Lighting Design	Jeff Roudabush
	Costume Design	Paula Weber
	Dancers	Will Smith and Skyler Taylor, Sam Lopp and Amanda McMaster, Vance Baldwin and Caitlin Schuler Pamela Auinbauh, Marie Buser, STaci Burns, Willa Dock, Maureen Duke, Abi Engelhardt, Miyesha McGriff, Katie Metzger, Sharmaine Perea, Angela Shipman, Stephanie Shipman, Kaily Tieri
	We would like to thank Michael Schall of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre for the use of the chandelier prop for "Le Petite Suite"

 

	Blaise Bailey Finnegan III
	Choreography	Jennifer Medina
	Music	Godspeed You Black Emperor "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III"
	Lighting Design	David Diaz
	Dancers	Chelsea Danner, Chloe Abel, Jayna Lucia, Kristen Loeb, Katie Metzher, Stephanie Ruch, Christina Burton, Mari Watson, Michael Tomlinson, Eri Harbin, Sam Lopp, Erik Sobbe, Jered Solace, Vance Baldwin, Christopher Page, Karen Shongar, Kristen Feldman, Jenna Rome, Erin Taylor, Ashley Davis, Natalie Wise, Ariel Swinney, Amanda Artigas, Chelsea Klima, Jessi Fouts, Elaine Kimble, Marlee Bailey, Jennifer Lowe
	Music underground group Godspeed You Black Emperor! emerged in 1998. The group is anti-interview and anti-photograph and so little is available to see. Still the group, a collective, received a lot of attention, maybe because of the deliberate low-profile stance. This piece is from their second release: "Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada." "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III" starts with a taped interview of a Rhode Island street preacher commenting on the impending doomsday of America.

"Blaise Bailey Finnegan III" - overall lighting for the piece

 

	Variation With Episodes
	Choreography	Paula Weber
	Music	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, 2nd Movement"
	Lighting Design	E. J. Reinagal
	Costume Design and Construction	Paula Weber
	Dancers	Mary Marshall and Matthew Carney Jessi Fouts and Erik Sobbe with Molly Vaeth and Christopher Page Chelsie Danner and Sam Lopp Kelanie Murphy and William Smith with Meghann Martens and Michael Tomlinson Katie Tripp and Ben Biswell

 

	(left to right) Chloe Abel, Mari Watson, Christopher Page The Last Sunday
	Choreography	Rodni Williams
	Music	Laurie Anderson with Peter Gabriel "Excellent BIrds," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow"
	Lighting Design	Jeff Roudabush
	Costume Design	Rodni Williams
	Dancers	Chloe Abel, Mari Watson, Christopher Page

Mari Watson and Christopher Page in "The Last Sunday" by Rodni Williams

Mari Watson in "The Last Sunday" by Rodni Williams

Christopher Page in "The Last Sunday" by Rodni Williams

 

	Innerworkings
	Choreography	Jennifer Medina
	Music	Jacob Gotlib
	Lighting Design	Jessica Bertine
	Costumes by	Jennifer Medina and the dancers
	Dancers	Mary Marshall (fri) Chelsie Danner (sat) Matthew Carney (fri) Benjamin Biswell, Sam Lopp, Molly Vaeth, Katie Tripp, Kaely Tieri, Amanda McMaster, Staci Burns, Jessi Fouts, Chloe Abel, Ariel Swinney, Skyler Taylor, Katie Metzger, Vance Baldwin, Christopher Page, Maureen Duke, Kelanie Murphy, William Smith
	About the music, quoted from: http://www.myspace.com/jacobgotlib "Sensed Presence (2007) is a phenomenon that often occurs in the state between waking and sleeping (“hypnagogia”), where one is still slightly conscious, but uncertain if a sensation is wakefulness disappearing or dreams beginning. In this state it is common to feel very strongly that you are not alone, that someone is there in the room, watching you or perhaps speaking to you, despite knowledge to the contrary. Sensed Presence was a collaboration with Kansas City choreographer Jennifer Medina, under the title Innerworkings. This piece is dedicated to her, and to all the dancers who performed at its premiere in November 2007."

"Innerworkings" by Jennifer Medina

 

	Shared
	Choreography	Rodni Williams
	Music	The Gwinnett Festival Singers "O Lord, In Thee Is All My Trust," "Hallelujah, Amen"
	Lighting Design	Delinda Pushetonequa
	Costumes by	Rodni Williams
	Dancers	Stephanie Ruch, Ariel Swinney, Chelsea Klima, Chelsie Danner, Elaine Kimble, McKenzie Allen, Brittany Feiten, Katie Metzger, Kelanie Murphy, Erin Taylor, Mary Marshall (Friday only), Katie Dalzell

 

---

 

Professors

Paula Weber, Division Chair
Mary Pat Henry, Interim Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs
Sabrina Madison-Cannon
Jennifer Medina
Rodni Williams

Victor Tan, Head of Lighting Design Program

Adjunct Professors

Tamara Carsen
Jennifer Owen
Michael Simms
Lindsay Rosemann

Robert Beck, audio adjunct professor
Rocco D'Santi, lighting adjunct professor

 

Production Staff
Concert Director	Jennifer Medina
Stage Managers	Brittany Feiten, Jennifer Lowe
Assistant Stage Managers	Mackensie Allen, Marlee Bailey
Master Electrician	David Diaz
Lead Lighting Designer	Jeff Roudabush
Lighting Design	Jeff Roudabush, David Diaz, E.J. Reinagal, Jessica Bertine, Delinda Pushaetonequa
Sound Design	Robert Beck, Jason Scheufler
Sound Operator	Catherine Johnson
Light Board Operator	David Diaz
Curtain	Kaylee Douglas, Christina HIll, Katie Dalzell, Jayna Lucia
Crew	Dancer of the Conservatory Dance Division

 

Unless otherwise noted photos and copyright 2024 Mike Strong KCDance.Com and Mike Strong Photo Gallery and CV Site - Email This Page

UMKC Dance Division page links on this site

Dance Division moments between studio classes