Department of Dance

Dance Gallery Festival Texas

Celebrating 10 Years
October 4-5, 2019 @ 8 PM
Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater

Astrid von Ussar and Andy Noble, Co-Artistic Directors of The Dance Gallery Festival TX, announce the lineup for this dynamic dance evening that runs October 4-5, 2019 at SHSU Performing Arts Center, 815 17th Street, Huntsville, TX, 8 PM nightly. The Dance Gallery Festival was established in NY in 2007 and came to Sam Houston in 2010 making this year the 10th anniversary of bringing emerging and established dance artists from all over the world to the Piney Woods.

Ten choreographers will present innovative work on this year’s Texas program including four NYC artists – Annalee Taylor, Rosie DeAngelo (The Nash Conspiracy), Rohan Bhargava (Rovaco Dance Company) and Nicole Caruana (UANA DANS) – as well as artists from around the nation including Brandon Whited/Santa Barbara Dance Theater from California, Colette Kerwick from New Mexico, Evelyn Toh from Texas (originally from Singapore), Jessica Miller Tomlinson from Illinois, Mark Caserta from Texas, and Trabien Pollard from Virginia.

“The festival is a wonderful opportunity to bring together artists who are making work all over the country and showcase their ideas on one program. That’s what I look forward to – seeing what everyone else is up to,” says Dionne Sparkman Noble. “The same program is presented each evening – 10 artists, one stage. The Dance Gallery Festival Texas is truly a gem and it takes place right here in Huntsville, Texas. I hope the community will come out to support this one-of-a-kind event.”

LINE UP

Annalee Taylor – NY
Brandon Whited/Santa Barbara Dance Theater – CA
Colette R Kerwick – New Mexico
Evelyn Toh – TX
Jessica Miller Tomlinson – IL
Mark Caserta – TX
Rosie DeAngelo/The Nash Conspiracy – NY
Rohan Bhargava/Rovaco Dance – NY
Trebien Pollard – VA
UANA DANS/Nicole Caruana – NY

Read more at DanceGalleryFestival.com

Details:
Dance Gallery Festival Texas
October 4-5, 2019 @ 8 PM
James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater
Tickets availablewww.shsu.universitytickets.com

General Public special advance ticket prices if purchased before September 29. Group sale tickets available. SHSU Students free if reserved between Sept 29 – October 4 (by 7:00 PM).

Photo by Julie Lemberger; Trabien Pollard

III: A Thesis Concert

Presenting Choreography by Colette Kerwick, Samantha Scioneaux, and Evelyn Toh
October 10-12, 2019 @ 8 PM
Admission is free.

This dynamic dance concert showcases the works of three Master of Fine Arts candidates – Colette Kerwick, Samantha Scioneaux, and Evelyn Toh. Each work is a cumulation of a year-long research process and the resulting choreographic creations explore the individual’s respective area of investigation. With a wide range of concepts exploring chaos theory, the relationship between body and soul at death, and movement values in Chinese philosophy , III, is sure to offer a visceral experience. Members of the public will have three opportunities to experience this evening for themselves. Each night features two of the following works:

But Then It Crumbled…, a work by Colette Kerwick, depicts two facets of the same woman as she experiences a journey. The work sheds light on how chaotic experiences can form an opportunity to open new doors and rebuild.  Through the imagery of flying paper and toppled furniture, dancers soar and flip through space​. But Then it Crumbled... ​reveals that through struggle comes strength and what is broken can be restored. Kerwick’s work will be featured on October 10 and 11.

“For dust you are and to dust you shall return” Genesis 3:19. Although we understand our time on Earth to be finite, for many of us, imagining an actual ending of our life proves terrifying. In Continuum, choreographer Samantha Scioneaux invites her audience to explore the metaphysical relationship between the body and soul at death. Inspired by Scioneaux’s late grandmother Margaret, this dynamic and sentimental dance celebrates the preciousness of life. Though the heartbreak of losing a loved one can feel all-consuming, it can also inspire an appreciation for the most impactful people in one’s life—both past and present. Ultimately, death is not to be feared but to be learned from, for it is a part of all of us on our journeys through life. See Continuum on October 10 and 12 to follow the touching and nostalgic passage to the afterlife. 

Evelyn Toh’s Thus, She is Whole…, creates a unique opportunity for audiences to witness the process dancers undertake in becoming embodied in movement. The work is inspired by Toh’s exploration of ideologies surrounding Qi, as understood in Chinese philosophy. As the piece unfolds, dancers face physical situations that lead them into a state of wholeness. By sharing in this process, audiences gain insight into the physical, emotional, and psychological transformation dancers experience when coming alive in performance. Thus, She is Whole…, will be performed on October 11 and 12. 

DETAILS

III
James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Dance Theater
815 17^thStreet, Huntsville, TX
October 10-12, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Free (First Come First Serve)

Colette Kerwick—October 10^thand 11^th
Samantha Scioneaux—October 10^thand 12^th
Evelyn Toh—October 11^thand 12^th