The following column was published in the Principia College Alumni Dance newsletter, Back at the Barre (Issue #7 - October 2010).
In her "News from Stage Right" column, Hilary Harper-Wilcoxen, chair of the Principia College Department of Theatre & Dance, aims to keep Principia dance alums informed of the latest news and events from the Department of Theatre & Dance!
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Dear Dancers!
Hello and welcome to my contribution to Emily’s great newsletter, Back at the Barre. Thanks Emily and congrats on the Alumni Dance Retreat and to all who were involved with that, especially Emily and Chris!
This past week was a good snapshot of what dance at Principia College is currently experiencing. Karin Averty, recent star of The Paris Opera Ballet, spent most of the week here, teaching ballet classes at the College and Upper School and treating the community to amazing footage of her career with The Paris Opera. You can hear an interview with Karin on Prin Radio (here) and visit her website athttp://karin-averty.com/.
The dance program includes many visiting artists who come in at the top of their profession. This winter, The Tudor Trust’s Amanda Mc Kerrow and John Gardner ofAmerican Ballet Theatre fame (see http://antonytudor.org/index1.html) will set an excerpt from Antony Tudor’s famous “Jardin Aux Lilas” to be performed at the Winter Dance Production [2011], while Margaret Eginton, formerly of Merce Cunningham’s company and a Professor at the prestigious Asolo Conservatory, will set an original duet for our modern dancers this winter as well.
I’m so grateful that so many top dance professionals want to be a part of this environment and help our dancers grow. I believe a strong “Visiting Artist” component is critical to our program as it brings variety and depth, as well as contacts, to our students. However, an area we can continue to grow is our internship program. We need internships for students/dancers as teachers, performers, and in the business end of the profession. If you have any ideas, please let me know at hilaryharper@prin.edu!
Working out from proven principles and expecting to see evidence in our lives of God’s goodness and care, is where I believe dance and our practice of Christian Science continuously intersect. The past few years have been full of increased student participation (we have about 50 students in our Dance Productions yearly), a strong interest in student choreography, and a deep metaphysical basis for the work that results in our Winter Dance Production.
As for specifics on what has been happening, the list got so long that I realized I would have to cut out a lot of the details and give you an overview! Here goes:
- From Paris Study Abroad Programs at L’Academie Americaine de Danse de Paris (look that one up!) to offering free classes to incarcerated youth at nearby Pere Marquette correctional facility, Principia dancers are reaching out to the larger community.
- From talented, enthusiastic freshmen to experienced upper-class dancers, our students are still our greatest resource. (It’s why all those fancy visiting artists want to come back!)
- From exciting new FYE offerings combining music and dance (“Dancing ThroughTime” with Dr. Marie Jureit and myself), to Arts Tours that include dance, to a “mini-abroad” for dance and music being developed, students continue to have a tremendous spectrum in which to participate in dance at Principia College.
- From a new class in Composition for student choreographers, to a first ever “Tudor Workshop” highlighting the famous ballet “Jardin Aux Lilas” (of which we will perform an excerpt in the winter) and directed by Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, our program is growing in many exciting directions!
A former boss of mine once said, “No one gets anywhere without lots of help from others.” I couldn’t agree more. Principia Dance is deeply grateful to all the amazing, dedicated, selfless dancers and teachers who have danced through the program; to all the technical staff and students who have made the many performances around here possible; and to the great reservoir of former Prin dancers, many of whom come back year after year to dance the finale in the back of the audience! Which bring me to my closing invitation…
We would love to have you back this year to attend our Winter Dance Production, February 25th, for a special reception following the show in honor of both our Dance Alumni and the marvelous Antony Tudor (pretty good company!). We’ll also “comp” your ticket! You’ll hear more about this soon from our Alumni Office but I hope you can make it!
Remember, “Dance like no one’s watching” and see you in February!
Love to all,
Hilary
Hilary Harper-Wilcoxen
Chair, Principia College Department of Theatre & Dance
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