ACDFA 2004 - Overview - Central Region American College Dance Festival 2004

Welcome to an overview of the Central Region ACDF.

The University of Colorado is happy to invite you to the Central Region 2004 American College Dance Festival. Along with 2 Adjudication Concerts, the Gala Concert and an Informal Concert that will showcase the best of our students' work, we'll have an array of technique classes in a variety of styles, from the many flavors and approaches of Modern to African to Hip Hop to Flamenco, and "back" to Ballet and Jazz. There'll be panel discussions, a book signing, workshops, and lots of time to meet new friends and colleagues, and maybe even time to take a peek at some of Boulder's attractions.

We'll kick the festival off with an opening night concert that we've designed to let us celebrate the many legacies that make up our contemporary dance culture. It's not, certainly, all-inclusive or thorough, but we hope that it will set a both thoughtful and inspiring tone to the festival. The concert, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, will include:

Heretic (1929) by Martha Graham, performed by CU students under the direction of Melissa McCorkle, former member of the Graham Company
Choros (1941) by Katherine Dunham, performed by the world-renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, one of the crown jewels of Colorado's cultural heritage
Set and Reset/Reset (1983) by Trisha Brown, performed by CU students, reconstructed under the direction of guest artist and CU alum Shelley Senter, with a new set/lighting and costume designs
Rein/Bellow (2003) by guest artist and festival adjudicator Bill Young, performed by his New York-based company
Almost Together (2003) a duet by west coast choreographer Gabriel Masson
A premiere by cutting-edge multi-media artist Michelle Ellsworth
A Hip Hop finale by CU MFA alum Larry Southall.

Given the historical theme of the festival, we invite participating faculty and teachers to consider offering master classes or workshops in the "Legacies" vein, such as a class in "classic" Limon Technique or an improv-a-la-Nikolais workshop, Vaganova ballet class or a Simonson Jazz class, or even a presentation on historical research of some flavor that would be exciting to our students. Please indicate that a "Legacies" label would be appropriate on your Teacher Interest Form.

We're going to reserve lunch hours during the festival for "brown bag" events including film screenings, presentations and panel discussions. Here are the topics:

Cultural Fusion in Dance: Conflict, Communication or Connection?
Dance Reconstructions and The Physical Experience of History
Dance on Film: 2D vs 3D
Dance and Technology
Dancing Careers: Funding, Cities, Strategies

Faculty can indicate interest in serving on these panels on the Teacher Interest Form

Of course, we welcome your contribution of more hybrid/contemporary/personal classes and workshops as well. We are also looking for early risers who would like to offer 8-9 a.m. classes in yoga, Pilates or other forms to get the day started right. We'll work hard to create an interesting mix in the final schedule.

One more thing:
As a way of celebrating and sharing the historical process that has brought our programs and departments to their current state, we invite each participating institution to bring along a display (48" X 36" max, free-standing) describing important watersheds, personalities, accomplishments and orientations that reveal the heart of your program's legacy. We'll present the displays at our opening night reception, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and in the lobby of the Mainstage Theater during the Festival. We encourage all participants to arrive in time to attend the opening night reception and concert.

We would like to encourage you and your students to attend and participate in the full array of scheduled events, whether or not you plan to present choreography for adjudication. The experience of taking master classes, viewing concerts, and listening to adjudicator's comments, as well as the energy exchange among dancers and faculty from diverse schools has always proven invaluable for our students, regardless of their levels of dance experience.

To register for the festival, please read through this web site. All the forms are available to download in the Forms section. If you have questions or would like paper copies of the forms sent to you, please contact us at acdf@colorado.edu. Please note that our deadline for registration and payment is December 15 or until the festival fills.

We're looking forward to seeing all of you, and dancing our hearts out together!