Tag: Dance’
Spring Performance Preview: College of Fine Arts and Production
- by beckybarber
The College of Fine Arts and Production at Grand Canyon University is busy preparing for their spring lineup of shows from the theatre, dance and music departments. Here’s a quick preview of what to look forward to in 2012:
Feb. 10-12, 17-19
Friday and Saturday: 7:30 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 p.m.
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” Never was this truer than in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Follow the hilarious angst of teen love out of Athens and into the forest as four more of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers try to find a safe place to love who and how they please. Add into the mix a fractured fairy kingdom and a group of construction workers turned artists, and you have one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays. Written soon after Romeo and Juliet, the Bard takes a shot at the blindness of love and hits a bull’s eye.
Friday, Feb. 24, 7:00 p.m.
The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix
The music department presents a program of Opera and Broadway favorites featuring The Canyon Chorale, The Canyon Singers, The New Life Singers, students and faculty soloists. This event is free and open to the public
University Dance Series: Student Spotlight
March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Sanctuary Room of the GCU Recreation Center
This event is free and open to the public
April 13-15, 20-22
Friday and Saturday: 7:30 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 p.m.
This Broadway hit brings us back to the roaring 1920’s to find love on the French Riviera. A jazzy score and smart, sassy dialogue bring us the story of Polly Browne, the only girl in Madame Dubonnet’s School for Young Ladies without, you guessed it, a boyfriend. Will she settle for one of the wealthy fellas, or will Tony, who seems to be nothing more than a lowly delivery guy, stand a chance? Rest assured, everyone finds a match in what the British Theatre Guide calls, “a…virtuous production…a ripping evening’s entertainment.”
Friday, April 27, 7:00 p.m.
The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix
The Music department presents a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s magnificent Oratorio Elijah performed by the Grand Canyon Choral Union, with students and faculty soloists. This event is free and open to the public
University Dance Series: Spring Dance Concert
April 27-28, 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $10
Awards and Commencement Concert
Wednesday, May 2, 7:00 p.m.
The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix
Enjoy this “Best of the Best” program at our awards concert. The Canyon Chorale, The New Life Singers, The Canyon Singers, and student soloists will perform a wide variety of musical selections including some of the best musical performances of the year, along with command performances by some of our most outstanding students. Join us as we honor our excellent graduates along with some of the best performance students of the year.
For additional information regarding all performances visit College of Fine Arts and Productions website.
To RSVP for a free event or to purchase tickets for events at Ethington Theatre contact us at the box office at (602)639-8880 or ethington@gcu.edu.
American Dance Tradition Continues at GCU
- by robynitule
By Krisann Valdez
When dancers in the College of Fine Arts take a class from GCU Director of Dance Susannah Keita, they are taking a class vicariously through the likes of Katherine Dunham, Lar Lubovitch, Ronald K. Brownand other greats who revolutionized the world of dance.
Keita’s resume is impressive, including her training with the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Ballet, performing for Adrenaline Dance in New York City and earning her Master’s of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona.
What is even more impressive is her ability to take these experiences and embody them in her classroom. Dancers under her guidance work with an instructor who not only has taught for 12 years but also experienced the world of dance as a performer and choreographer.
Her passion for dance is contagious, and with her clear direction the new College of Fine Arts dance program is flourishing.
Keita says her vision for the program is to “honor the American tradition of dance.”
Social dances such as jazz, hip-hop and tap are of African and European descent, and they contribute to the colorful tradition of American dance. This American tradition is close to Keita’s heart, but she does not plan on “downplaying ballet or modern, either.”
Her motto is to “relate, not negate.” She says she wants to honor what her students know and build from there.
GCU’s dancers are a diverse group of students, and Keita will use this to their advantage.
Dance is an art, and “art reflects life and should reflect our students’ lives,” she says.
Her advice for prospective students interested in Fine Arts is to stretch themselves. “It is so important to have new experiences,” she says.
After all, Keita’s own range of experiences has molded her into the artist and teacher she is today.
The dance program’s first concert, “Wealthy Street,” will take place Dec. 11 and 12.
Krisann Valdez is a senior at GCU and enjoys dancing on the dance team, writing and hanging out with her husband (she’s a newlywed). After graduation, she will pursue a career in writing and traveling with a nonprofit organization such as Food for the Hungry.
Contact Krisann at herd@gcu.edu.