November 2, 2007
For Immediate Release
For an interview:
Kim Strunk
(801) 863-7225
Angela Barchero-Kelleher
(801) 863-6453
Nichole Ortega
(801) 863-7197
The UVSC Department of Dance was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). The grant was awarded as part of the NEA’s American Masterpieces: Dance College Component program, and will support the efforts of dance department faculty members Angela Banchero-Kelleher, Nichole Ortega, and Kim Strunk, UVSC dance faculty and students, and Utah’s Repertory Dance Theater’s artistic executive director, Linda C. Smith, in reconstructing the important and historical modern dance piece,“Dance for Walt Whitman.”
“Dance for Walt Whitman” was originally choreographed in 1958 by legendary choreographer Helen Tamiris, and was designed to reflect the American spirit of equality and respect captured in Walt Whitman’s poem, “Leaves of Grass.”
Nichole Ortega, assistant professor of dance at UVSC, first got the idea to re-stage “Dance for Walt Whitman” when the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters announced that “Utah” would be the theme for their upcoming centennial celebration, because of the work’s historical significance and its ties to dance in Utah. In 1961, Tamiris was invited to Utah to set “Dance for Walt Whitman.” Linda C. Smith was an original cast member who worked closely with Tamiris and her husband, Daniel Nagrin, to produce a film of the piece, and in 1992, Smith received permission from Ann Mackenzie, the executor of the Tamiris estate, to reconstruct “Dance for Walt Whitman.” Kim Strunk and Angela Banchero-Kellerher, assistant professors of dance at UVSC, were also involved in the 1992 reconstruction and will work closely with Smith in the reconstruction.
In addition to the learning, re-staging and performing of “Dance for Walt Whitman,” there are a variety of panel discussions and community outreach activities planned. UVSC professors from a range of disciplines will lead panel discussions, including Sam Rushforth, Ph.D. and dean of the School of Science and Health College of Sciences who will provide insight into current environmental issues confronting Americans today, and William Cobb, Ph.D. and dean for the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences who will focus on the use of language and the shaping of an American ideology as it relates to the current Iraq war.
“An endorsement such as this, from the most prestigious national
arts organization in the country,” says UVSC Dance Department Chair
Kim Strunk, “is testimony to the compelling scope of the Tamiris/Whitman Project, to the rich history and appreciation of dance in
Utah, to UVSC’s commitment to the performing arts, and to the
vitality and expertise of dance faculty.”
The work will be performed at the Utah Regional Ballet’s spring concert, as well as Synergy Dance Company’s spring concert. The culminating performance of “Dance For Walt Whitman” will be given March 21, 2008 at the University of Utah in celebration of Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters’ Centennial Spring Conference.
“Dance for Walt Whitman” is choreographed for 23 student dancers and one child, and will be double-cast to meet the demands of the performance schedule and to assure coverage in the case of injury. Auditions will be held November 27 from 5 – 7 p.m. in PE 152 at UVSC’s Orem campus. All UVSC dance students are encouraged to audition.
For more information contact the Department of Dance at (801)863-8610 or go to their Web site at www.uvsc.edu/dnce.
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College Marketing Contact:
Megan Laurie
(801) 863-7149
Written by:
Brenda Johnson
(801) 863-7011