FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
SUSAN ANDERSON
Decades ago, fresh out of school and newly married, I marched into Coach Warren Giese’s office at USC to ask for a job. He offered me the only dance course, Beginning Modern Dance, for PE majors. I am glad to say I never looked back, and now USC has over 70 dance courses. I have personally taught well over 10,000 dance students and USC dance program has taught over 100,000 university students. This past year, USC Dance Program received National Accreditation from NASD, as well as recognition by Dance Magazine as “one of the top three university dance programs to consider for classical ballet training.” This year, we’re thrilled to welcome to our growing dance family awardingwinning choreographer and ballet instructor Madeline Jazz Harvey as a member of the dance faculty. Our 2015-16 season features a terrific blend of cutting edge choreography. A centerpiece of November concert will be the first act from the classical ballet Sylvia, staged by Kathryn Long from the National Ballet of Canada, as well as a new work by the gifted choreographer Shaun Boyle, who performed with the Cedar Lakes Ballet. We are additionally proud to present as part of our season several special presentations that should be especially exciting for our dance community. Thanks to the support of the College of Arts and Sciences, the internationally acclaimed Dance Theatre of Harlem will be in residence at the University of South Carolina, performing four major works from their magical repertory for one night only. This will be the hottest ticket in town for our dance community! Our thanks go to Assistant Professors Tanya Wideman-Davis and Thaddeus Davis for securing this connection. Both were dancers with DTH and recently created a choreographic work for the company entitled Past Carried Forward. Thaddeus and Tanya were awarded a MAP Fund grant from the Doris Duke Foundation in 2013 to create a new evening-length work, Ruptured Silence: Racist Symbolism and Signs, which their professional dance company, Wideman/Davis Dance, will premiere at USC in December. This major work is intended to “expose and question the history of the confederate flag, its current presence and its representation in the Southern States of America.” Our dance education students, under the leadership of Head of Dance Education, Dr. Stephanie Milling, will use Ruptured Silence, as well as various themes and concepts that arise from the creation of the work, its subtext and structure, to design curriculum suitable for middle and high school students. Columbia’s premiere dance event, Ballet Stars of New York, directed by Stacey Calvert, continues for its 11th year in April. It is exciting to see 50 USC Dance majors dancing exquisitely alongside the stars from the New York City Ballet. I would especially like to pay tribute to our incredible USC Board of Dance for their amazing work in raising scholarships funds that attract these stellar dance majors from all over the US. It gives me great pleasure to highlight the accomplishments of two of our recent graduates. Congratulations to McCree O’Kelley who has completed his MFA from UC Irvine and is now an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State. And, Carolyn Bolton, now a soloist with Rambert Dance in England, has been selected to choreograph for that company this December. You will have a chance to see the great talent of more alumni during our Student Choreography Showcase in April, as two more of our outstanding graduates will be invited to create new works displaying their artistry, as their career achievements unfold after USC Dance. With brand new creations, renowned masterpieces, and great classics, this season’s repertoire is sure to excite our audience and highlight the versatility, technical brilliance and dramatic flair of our nationallyrecognized young artists. Our 2015-2016 Season is going to be our best ever!
TICKET INFO REGULAR SEASON PERFORMANCES $12 $16 $16 $18
STUDENTS USC FACULTY/STAFF MILITARY, SENIORS (60+) GENERAL PUBLIC
BALLET STARS OF NY PERFORMANCE $15 $25 $30 $35
STUDENTS 2ND BALCONY 1ST BALCONY ORCHESTRA
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM PERFORMANCE $20 2ND BALCONY $35 GRAND TIER $40 ORCHESTRA
USC DANCE CONSERVATORY PERFORMANCES $12 ALL TICKETS
Brochure photos by Jason Ayer unless otherwise noted.
TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR KOGER CENTER PERFORMANCES, CALL
803-777-5112 OR PURCHASE ONLINE AT
CAPITOLTICKETS.COM FOR DRAYTON HALL PERFORMANCES, CALL
803-777-2551 Drayton Hall Box Office is open the Monday prior to each Drayton Hall performance. Box office hours: 1pm - 5:30pm.
NOVEMBER 12-13 USC DANCE COMPANY
ON POINTE
The USC Dance Company will present Act 1 of the classical ballet, Sylvia, as well as showcasing the world premiere of original ballet choreography from special guest Shaun Boyle and a masterwork by George Balanchine! PERFORMANCES 7:30 PM KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
DECEMBER 1-4 STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
METEOR
Under the direction of Cindy Flach, our gifted student choreographers will showcase original works as part of their training in the completion of degree requirements. PERFORMANCES 6 PM DRAYTON HALL THEATRE
DECEMBER 1-4 WIDEMAN/DAVIS DANCE COMPANY
Photo courtesy of WDD
RUPTURED SILENCE: RACIST SYMBOLISM AND SIGNS
Conceived by Assistant Professors Tanya Wideman-Davis and Thaddeus Davis, Co-Artistic Directors of Wideman/Davis Dance, Ruptured Silence is a new media and dance performance that examines contemporary perspectives about the confederate flag, a bygone symbol, and its usage as an intimidation tool. In lieu of the recent mass murders at Emanuel A.M.E. Church, Ruptured Silence provides an opportunity for discourse on racial equality and oppression within our current cultural landscape, and seeks to illuminate and challenge the order of discriminatory practices through movement. Wideman/Davis Dance was awarded a Map Fund Grant to support the research and development of Ruptured Silence. A post-performance question and answer session will follow each performance. PERFORMANCES 8 PM DRAYTON HALL THEATRE
Tickets for Wideman/Davis Dance and the Student Choreography Showcase will be sold separately.
SPECIAL EVENT
Photo courtesy of DTH
FEBRUARY 2
Since its founding in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell, the first African-American dancer in the New York City Ballet, The Dance Theatre of Harlem has become an American treasure, inspiring audiences all over the world. The Department of Theatre and Dance and the College of Arts and Sciences are proud to host this worldrenowned company for an unforgettable one-night-only performance! PERFORMANCE 7PM KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS Special Ticket Price: Orchestra: $40 Grand Tier: $35 2nd Balcony: $20
FEBRUARY 15-18 USC DANCE COMPANY
BREAKING BOUNDARIES Directed by Assistant Professor Thaddeus Davis, The USC Dance Company presents a program that pushes the boundaries of dance, featuring original contemporary choreography by Assistant Professor Tanya WidemanDavis, Stephanie Wilkins, a brand-new work developed with Dance Education students by Dr. Stephanie Milling and a special guest artist. PERFORMANCES 7:30 PM DRAYTON HALL THEATRE
APRIL 15 11TH ANNUAL
BALLET STARS OF NEW YORK
GALA PERFORMANCE
The stars return to light up the Koger stage for their 11th year! Stacey Calvert, Associate Artistic Director of the USC Dance Company, once again will stage an evening of classical ballet featuring principal dancers from the legendary New York City Ballet performing in concert with the USC Dance Company. PERFORMANCE 7 PM KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Special Ticket Price: Orchestra: $35 Grand Tier: $30 2nd Balcony: $25 Students: $15
APRIL 14 STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
BENCHMARK OF CHOREOGRAPHY
Join us as we showcase the artistic excellence of senior choreographers, who will present new work developed for their Capstone Senior Project. Plus, with the great success of last year’s Alumni Concert, two of our outstanding graduates will return to create new works on our current dance majors. PERFORMANCE 7:30 PM KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
MAY 20-21, 2016 USC DANCE CONSERVATORY
SPRING CONCERT
Bring the whole family for our annual concert, a full-length ballet choreographed by Conservatory faculty and performed by our exceptional students! PERFORMANCES 6PM | MAY 20 DRAYTON HALL THEATRE All Tickets: $12
2PM | MAY 21
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE! Be a subscriber for our 2015-16 dance season and receive 15% off the normal ticket price! As our thank you, our subscribers receive the best seating in the house, including orchestra seats at our special events, The Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ballet Stars of NY!* Fill out and return the form below along with your payment, or print out your subscription form at our website: artsandsciences.sc.edu/dance. Then, get ready for an unforgettable season of great dance performances!
SUBSCRIPTION PRICES SUBS. RATE
LEVELS
NORM. RATE
STUDENT $125 $147 USC FACULTY/STAFF, $140 $167 MILITARY, SENIORS 60+ GENERAL PUBLIC
$150 $177
CORPORATE
$600 $708
(Includes 4 season passes* )
*Subscription packages include tickets to all USC Dance concerts, including Student Showcase, Wideman/Davis Dance and USC Dance Conservatory events, plus orchestra tickets for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ballet Stars of NY performances. Admission to the Ballet Stars of NY gala after-party is not included.
Name: ___________________________________________ Daytime Phone: ___________ Evening: ________________ Email:____________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (Write in the quantity of subscriptions you want at each level below.)
Student ____ x $125 General ____ x $150 TOTAL
Fac./Staff/Mil./Seniors ____ x $140 Corporate ____ x $600
$________
Check or money order, please. Make payable to: University of South Carolina Or Charge (check one)
MasterCard
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Card number:___________________________________ Expiration date:_________________________________ Signature:______________________________________
Cut along dotted line.
Mail completed form and check/money order (if applicable) to:
University of SC Dept. of Theatre and Dance Attn: Ray Jones 1300 Greene St. Columbia SC 29208
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U DA NIV N ER CE S PR ITY O OF G S RA C M
A RT SA N DS CI EN CE S. SC .E DU /D A N CE