Approximately 300 middle and high school dancers are headed our way from Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Teachers are coming from Florida State University, UF, University of South Florida, Orlando Ballet, Arch Dance of New York, and professional and pre-professional dance companies throughout the state.
Master Class with Arch Dance director today at 3:30 p.m.
In conjunction with the weekend workshop, Jennifer Archibald, founder and director of Arch Dance, will be on campus today teaching a master class in hip hip/modern fusion dance to Rodney Brown’s 3:30 p.m. modern class. The class is free and open for observers, but because the class is full, students can’t be accommodated to participate.
Saturday’s Showcase performance
The 8 p.m. Showcase at the Phillips Center, free for SF students with ID and $10 for everyone else, will feature Brown’s new work, “summertime,” a modern piece about AIDS in the dance world. Dance Theatre Santa Fe will submit this piece for the gala performance of the American College Dance Festival in the spring.
Other SF pieces in the Showcase are “Impressions,” a two-duet contemporary ballet by Haynes that features dancers Jermaine Lund and Ronnie Prem Das, and Ashley Adamec and Amos Oliver, dancing to music by Yo Yo Ma.
“Beauty in the Breakdown” by Jessica Mayhew, former SF scholarship student and current FSU MFA candidate, is Santa Fe’s third Showcase piece. The fourth is “Regaining Breath” by former SF scholarship student Kellie Harmon, currently a BFA candidate at USF.
“Each year, this show brings a higher level of competition from the young dancers, as all want the opportunity to perform on the big stage in Gainesville at the Phillips Center,” Haynes said. “It is also the opportunity to see and be seen by future teachers, company directors and those who may shape the careers of these young dancers.”
Arch Dance will close the Showcase on Saturday night with a new piece choreographed by Archibald.
Read more about the Showcase in today’s Scene magazine piece by Dance columnist Sarah Ingley
Hosting the Tour
The SF dancers function as hosts to the Florida Dance Festival On Tour participants, showing them around campus and taking classes with them. Many dancers have come to SF as a result of spending time on our campus and in this program.
The Florida Dance Association is a networking service organization set up over 15 years ago to support dancers, choreographers, dance schools and dance companies by providing a directory and outreach education and performances, such as this workshop and showcase, to bring all dance artists together and promote dance in the state of Florida.
“Being on the Dance Association’s board, I saw an opportunity to assist many needs with this program,” Haynes said. “Santa Fe and UF Dance programs collaborate and recruit with this event. Santa Fe and FDA share the costs of the showcase performance and provide a quality program that presents talents from ages 12 to college, with levels of pre-professional to professional in one show.”
Informal performance Friday night
This year, there will be an informal performance in the SF Gym beginning at 7 p.m. Friday. This will give those schools who were not selected for the formal showcase the chance to perform in front of a large dance audience.
FDA Workshop Coordinators
- Showcase Director – Tari Kendall
- Showcase Manager and Lighting Designer – Liz Reynolds
- Workshop Coordinators – Rodney Brown, Alora Haynes, Bill Doolin, Ric Rose, Owen Reynolds and student dance and tech theatre volunteers
For more information, please contact Alora Haynes at 395-5296.