SRU’s annual Faculty and Guest Artist Dance Concert returns Oct. 19

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Dancers in a performance

The Slippery Rock University Dance Department’s annual Faculty and Guest Artist Dance Concert is Oct. 19.

Oct. 12, 2023

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University's Dance Department is hosting its annual Faculty and Guest Artist Dance Concert, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 19, at the Miller Theater in the Performing Arts Center. The Faculty and Guest Artist Dance Concert features dances created by the SRU dance faculty and internationally known guest artists that are performed by SRU students in residence.

Tickets can be purchased online at sru.edu/tickets or at the Smith Student Center information desk. Cost is $15 for general admission.

One of the performances includes "Merecumbé," presented by Palenque, SRU's Colombian Dance Ensemble. Ensemble members learned "Merecumbé" during their trip to Colombia in May 2023, under the artistic director of Melissa Teodoro, SRU professor of dance.

Performances at the Oct. 19 concert will include the following:

  • Andy Hasenpflug, SRU dance musician and instructor, will present a drum solo piece tribute to the spandex-clad stadium rock drum solos of the 1980s. Hasenpflug has suggested earplugs for those in the front row.
  • Jaya Mani, instructor of dance, has choreographed a Bharatanatyam work for Emmalee Hallinan, instructor of dance, and Autumn Bulebush-Clouse, a senior dance major from Sewickley. This duet is in praise of Lord Shiva the Cosmic Dancer, a Hindu god who creates, protects and transforms the Universe.
  • Jennifer Blankenship Mattocks, a 2005 SRU graduate, created a tap dance piece for current SRU dance students.
  • Teena Marie Custer, a 2000 SRU graduate, created a house piece, performed on two levels at the edge of the stage by current SRU dance students.
  • "La Follia," choreographed by The Jon Lehrer Dance Company while in residence with SRU, is a dynamic music visualization of the Antonio Vivaldi work by the same name, performed by first- and second-year SRU dance students.
  • Davianna Griffin, instructor of dance, will perform “Remember,” a dance that offers a time of inward reflection for the viewers and the performer to question how people view, perceive and engage with their bodies.    
  • Emmalee Hallinan, instructor of dance, will perform "We’re Still Whispering" in collaboration with the University of Iowa’s International Writers Program. The performance will feature poetry by award-winning Thai novelist Jidanun Lueangpiansamut.   
  • Erin Kouwe, assistant professor of dance, will present “Grappling,” a dance work that explores inheritance, imagination, labor, love and outer space. 
  • SRU junior and senior dance majors will perform guest artist Nathan Trice’s piece that is part of the “Recognizing Women” project, centering on women’s voices. 

For more information about dance programs at SRU, visit the Dance Department webpage.

MEDIA CONTACT: Aaliyah Thomas | 724.738.4854 | news@sru.edu

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