[NEohioPAL]KSU PRESENTS DANCE 2002: REFLECTIONS; THE LATEST IN MODERN DANCE & JAZZ

[emadden]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS THE LATEST IN MODERN DANCE & JAZZ
KSU presents the annual Faculty Dance Concert: "Dance 2002: Reflections"

     Kent, OH - The Dance Division of Kent State University=92s School of 
Theatre and Dance will present Dance 2002: Reflections on November 21 =96 24 in 
Stump Theatre.  The concert presents new, modern dance choreography by Dance 
Division faculty members and guest artist Yueh-Ping Feng, and is performed by 
faculty and students.  Performances will begin at 8:00 PM Thursday =96 Saturday, 
November 21 =96 23, and at 2:30 PM on Sunday, November 24.  Stump Theatre is in 
the Music and Speech Center located off Horning Drive in Kent.  Ample free 
parking is available and the theatre is fully accessible.

    Artist-in-Residence Chung-Fu Chang has created =93Segment,=94 which 
incorporates the movements and painted masks of the Chinese Peking Opera with 
modern movements.  Chang will also perform =93Places in Between,=94 choreographed 
by Yueh-Ping Feng.  Derived from a Zen passage =93One step to the East is one 
step to the West,=94 =93Places in Between=94 examines the experience between past 
and present, the journey between two continents and the connection between 
one=92s inner and outer searches.

    Visiting Assistant Professor Wayne M. Smith will also offer a solo, =93Move 
to . . .,=94 an audience interactive improvisational work in which the dance is 
created live as part of the performance.  Members from the audience will be 
selected and coached to demonstrate movement gestures that will be 
incorporated into the piece, in addition to selecting the music to which it 
will be performed that night.  Smith has also choreographed =93Stretched.OUT (in 
5 movements),=94 a theatrical dance collage of urban club culture images 
utilizing the frenetic contemporary =93breakbeat=94 music of Roni Size/Reprazent.

    =93Dear Miss Manners,=94 a new work by School of Theatre and Dance Director 
John R. Crawford, is a humorous look at the tongue-in-cheek writing of 
syndicated newspaper columnist, Judith Martin, a.k.a., =93Miss Manners;=94 while 
Andrea Shearer=92s =93Riptide=94 presents the turbulence of events that are out of 
our control.  Choreographed to the evocative music of Juhani Nuorvala, the 
resolution finds heroism in the ability to continue on.

     Darwin Prioleau=92s =93Andy=92s Hat=94 is drawn from a soundscape created for 
this piece by musician Ron Jarvis.  Prioleau uses the modern and jazz dance 
idioms to explore a personal journey of isolation, assimilation and 
self-discovery.  =93Andy=92s Hat=94 is a work in progress that will be presented as 
a multi-media performance by the Kent Dance Ensemble on April 5=967, 2003.

     Student designers for the concert work under the supervision of Theatre 
Division faculty members Suzy Campbell (Costumes), Cynthia Stillings 
(Lighting), Raynette Smith (Props), Martin Simonsen (Technical Director) and 
Karl Erdmann (Scene Shop Supervision).

     Performances are Thursday =96 Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2:30 PM.  
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for Seniors, KSU Alumni and KSU Faculty/Staff 
and $7 for students with any valid school ID.  Groups of ten or more can 
receive discounted tickets by calling 330-672-2497.  Box-office hours are 12 
PM =96 5 PM, Mondays =96 Fridays, Saturdays during the run of the show from 3 PM =96 
7 PM and one hour before performance times.  Tickets can be purchased by 
calling 330-672-2497.  The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.  
Tickets purchased by phone must be held with a credit card.  For more 
information on the School of Theatre & Dance visit us at www.theatre.kent.edu.

Contact Information:

Elisabeth Madden
Managing Director
emadden at kent.edu
330-672-0103 (Phone)
330-672-2889 (Fax)

Elisabeth Madden
Managing Director
School of Theatre & Dance
Porthouse Theatre
330-672-0103
emadden at kent.edu