Upcoming Events

Masters of Dance
Spring 2019 Concert

James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center
Dance Theater
February 7-8, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Masters of Dance —a dance concert showcasing a collection of diverse works choreographed by six M.F.A candidates.  Each individual explores thematic content that inspired creations on the talented student body of the SHSU Dance Department.  With a wide range of concepts and choreographic voices, Masters of Dance, is sure to offer something for everyone. Members of the public will have two opportunities to experience this eclectic evening for themselves.

This semester’s concert will also feature the winners of the inaugural120 Seconds (or less)dance film competition. The competition’s organizers, the Masters of Dance graduate organization, received multiple submissions from which they chose a first and second place winner. The winning films will be premiered in the concert alongside the premiers of:

Colette Miller’s, A Cruel Shrug in a Thousand Fleeting Moments, is a work inspired by the premise of interrogation tactics that lead to faulty confessions.  The work is based on research surrounding the specific experiences of individuals who confessed to a crime they did not commit. Using video, props and complex partnering, this work sets the scene of an interrogation room in an emotionally intense atmosphere.

“It is not all of life to live, nor yet all of death to die"- Edgar Cayce, a new work by Sam Scioneaux, draws inspiration from Scioneaux’s late grandmother, Margaret, and the concept of the preciousness of life. Through the heartbreak of losing a loved one, hope and remembrance emerge. Scioneaux explores the idea that as we analyze and comprehend the loss of a human life, we may better understand the consistency and continuity of our own being. 

Hiraeth, a work by Evelyn Toh, is inspired by the sensation of longing she has often experienced as a third culture kid. Hiraeth is a Welsh concept of longing for a home that no longer exists or may have never existed. Toh’s nomadic background meant uncertainty in a physical place to identify as home, yet, she often experiences homesickness.  With this piece she physically manifests an emotion her words have difficulty describing.

Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson’s, Automaton, exploresthe way dancers process set information (choreography), and the ability to perform movement without outward expression. The choreography is sharp, athletic, and rigid, with little room for breath. As the piece progresses, the dancers experience a tug of war between their humanity and a programmed mechanical hive mind. The work ends with a soloist fighting her programming in an attempt to find her individuality, ultimately succumbing to the hive mind.

Anamnesis, a piece by Rachel Meents, became infatuated with how human memory works and how dancers use memory to perform choreography. Through her research on how the brain stores memories, Meents has created a choreographic work based on how the brain acts when recalling memories. 

In Meri-Ashton Van Winkle’s abstract work,Malin en Deux, Van Winkle seeks to understand the dividing and mutation elements of a cancer cell. Through her choreography she explores the emotional aspects of experiencing the disease. She dedicates the piece to her grandmother who is a cancer survivor.

DETAILS

Masters of Dance
James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Dance Theater
815 17^thStreet, Huntsville, TX
February 7-8, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Tickets: General $15; Seniors $12; $5 Students with valid ID
Purchase online at www.shsu.edu/boxofficeor call 936.294.2339

A Cord of Three Strands
MFA Thesis Concert by Emily Davis

James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center
Dance Theater
February 28 and March 2, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

A Cord of Three Strands presents a family, their relationships, and shared experiences. The story begins with a young married couple adopting a little girl that mirrors the stories of Davis' cousins adopted from China and Guatemala. A photo of the entire family holding her baby picture presented to the child shows her that she was a loved member of the family before she even arrived. As the child is introduced to the family and celebrates her birthday, different family members' personalities and relationship dynamics emerge.

The second half focuses on three female family members and their relationships with each other. Personal, painful experiences threaten to divide this trio of women. They must learn to find balance in their relationships.  Despite the struggle, there is hope for reconciliation and growth. The story ends with the family gathered together reminiscing on their shared memories and experiences together.

The choreography was created in collaboration with the dancers, drawing from their experiences and relationships. Their stories are figuratively and literally present in the work. Emily Bailey, who plays the adopted girl in the story, shares part of her own story as she was adopted from China. The trio of women created movement phrases from their own experience with painful relationships that were incorporated into their choreography. Working collaboratively with the dancers has brought a richness to the work.

The title, A Cord of Three Strands, comes from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, which states, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken."

Admission to the Fall 2018 MFA Thesis Productions is free. For more information, please call the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Box Office at 936.294.2339.

DETAILS

A Cord of Three Strands: An MFA Thesis Concert
James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Dance Theater
815 17^thStreet, Huntsville, TX
February 28 and March 2, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Free Admission

Sociable: A World Lived For Others
MFA Thesis Concert by Kelsie Faught

James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center
Dance Theater & Lobby
March 1, 2019 @ 7:30 PM, 8:15 PM, 9:00 PM

On March 1^st, SHSU Master of Fine Arts in Dance Candidate, Kelsie Faught will present her thesis production in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center with multiple showings starting at 7:30pm, 8:15pm, and 9:00pm.

Sociable: A World Lived For Othersis an immersive dance theatre experience that creates an environment in which audience members will feel as though they are attending a conference. Throughout the interactive experience, members of the audience will attend various sessions as the performers shed light on the need to Live For Others. Through the experience, audience members and performers together will investigate What We Learn Fromone another, What We Deal Within life, What It Feels Liketo be pressured, and What It Looks Liketo be who you are.

Admission to Sociable: A World Lived For Otherswill open and close March 1^stwith three different showings. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required for each performance. Registration can be completed by signing up in person in the Department of Dance front office or by calling 936.294.1875.

DETAILS

Sociable: A World Lived For Others
James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Dance Theater
815 17^thStreet, Huntsville, TX
March 1, 2019 @ 7:30 PM, 8:15 PM, 9:00 PM
Admission: Free
Limited seating. Sign up by contacting the Department of Dance in person or by phone.