THE AMERICAN COLLEGE DANCE FESTIVAL

ACDFA is the only national organization dedicated to fostering artistic excellence in dance choreography and performance in higher education. Meeting in 10 regional conferences across the nation for classes, workshops, and performances, the centerpiece of each conference is a series of Adjudicated Concerts: each participating college or university may send one or two dance works for critique by nationally recognized dance professionals. The adjudication is considered ‘blind’ because the adjudicators are only told the name of the dance and the composer, if music is used. Adjudicators do not know what institution is presenting the dance, or even if the choreographer is a student or a professional. Forty to fifty works are seen at each conference, and of those works approximately a dozen are chosen, based on excellence in choreography and performance, for the Gala Concert on the Saturday evening of the conference. On alternate years, ACDFA holds a National Festival. When the National Festival is held, a select few works deemed the best from each Regional Conference are chosen for presentation at the National Festival.

MUHLENBERG DANCERS SOAR AT THE 2009 FESTIVAL

Once again, adjudicators for the American College Dance Festival Association have selected Muhlenberg Dancers as representing the best of college dance.  Forty-eight works were adjudicated at the Northeast Conference, held at Penn State (March 5-9) and only 11 were selected for the gala concert.  Two of the 11 works were from Muhlenberg College!  “(in)decision” choreographed by Dana McGowan ’10 and “Before They Fall” choreographed by guest artist Meredith Rainey.   Laura Baehr ’12, Kiera Bianchini ’10, Sam Jonson ’09, Brittani Maglio ’11, Michele Sasso ’10 and Ashley Sleeth ’11 performed in “(in)decision.   Shannen Curran ’09, Barri DeFancisci ’12, Lindsay Munz ’10, Erika Samsky ‘11, Scott Schneider ’11 and Mary Jean Stack ’11 performed in “Before They Fall”.  Congratulations on their outstanding performances and choreography. 

Three new dance works were presented by Muhlenberg at the American College Dance Festival Regional Conference.  The works presented were choreographed by guest artist and professional choreographer Meredith Rainey, as well as Junior Dana McGowan and Senior Olivia Wingerath.  Including the dancers and choreographers of these pieces, twenty four Berg students will attend the conference alongside four faculty members March 5-9 at the Penn State University.

Meredith Rainey staged his new contemporary ballet titled “Before They Fall” in the Master Choreographers concert.  His piece is aggressive and modern, with the dancers on pointe, but not bound to a style of ballet that is dated or delicate. Dancers are clothed in shades of grey and white that fade across their bodies in costumes by Constance Case.  His piece was theatrically presented in the Empie Theatre as black curtains gradually closed in and confined the dancers.  His dancers include Scott Schneider, Shannen Curran, Barri DeFrancisci, Meghan Meehan, Lindsay Munz, Erika Samsky, Mary Jean Stack. Rainey is a guest choreographer currently with Ballet X, and brings his experiences at Pennsylvania Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem among many famous international companies and choreographers to the work he did with Muhlenberg Dancers.

Olivia Wingerath’s trio entitled “Separating From Wood to Dust” is somewhat autobiographical and is set to the Radiohead song “Kid A.”  It will be presented at the conference’s informal concert. The piece was created and first performed for the Fall showcase of student choreography Moving Stories, last November.  Because of logistics, the casts of the two student pieces have been readjusted for the festival.  Wingerath’s new cast for the piece includes Ashley Sleeth and Meghan Meehan.  Samantha Jonson returns to dance in the trio. “This is the first time I’ve worked in a trio of girls, and I’ve enjoyed the different dynamic” says Jonson, “I felt included by Olivia at every step of the process.  Her movement comes from personal experience and I got to learn more about her even though we’ve been friends for years.”

Dana McGowan’s modern piece is set to music by Vitamin String Quartet.  It is called “(in)decision” and was also presented in Moving Stories.  McGowan says her piece has “an extreme music-choreo relationship.  Sounds you wouldn’t hear at first are accented with movement as they pop up.  The music corresponds to the ways small things in your life work as you make decisions.” Her cast for the conference presentation includes Laura Baehr, Kiera Bianchini, Samantha Jonson, Brittani Maglio, Michele Sasso, and Ashley Sleeth. Two of the dancers performing this piece in the conference are replacing students who went abroad. 

The national organization meets in ten regional conferences across the nation for classes, workshops, and performance and the centerpiece of each conference is a series of Adjudicated Concerts. The adjudication is blind, with judges only told the name of the piece and music.  Judges are not even told if the piece was created by a student or professional.  Professor Dearborn, Director of the Muhlenberg Dance Program, says that the benefits of attending are great, “Our students are able to see dancers from all colleges across the region; they see different technique levels, and different approaches and styles we don’t do here.”  This exposure also pushes dancers to be more creative and innovative as they use their bodies to express themselves.  Dearborn notes, “The most intense part of the conference is watching four concerts with approximately 40 works.  Seeing them makes you question what dance is, what you like, and what you want your work to be.”
           

MUHLENBERG GOES TO THE 2008 NATIONAL FESTIVAL

Congratulations were in order for Charles O. Anderson and our male dancers Michael Biren, Erik Fiebiger, Brandon Girouard, Dany Guy, Kennedy Kanagawa, Michael Laskaris, Mike Miller, William Porter, Theodore Rutherford and Scott Schneider.   Charles' spectacular piece, "evidence of things (un)said," has been selected as one of three works from the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the American College Dance Festival Association for presentation at the National festival to be held in New York City this June.  Of the 46 works adjudicated at this conference only three are selected for presentation at the National Festival, so this indeed a high honor.   ACDFA is comprised of 10 regions and about 30 works are shown as the best of college dance at the National Festival.  This is the third time Muhlenberg College Dancers have been selected. Charles O. Anderson has been included in Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" for 2008.He is the recipient of a prestigious Pew Charitable Trusts grant in support of his professional company, dancetheatre X.

"This is an honor to our entire department - theatre and dance!  Special acknowledgments go to Constance Case for her incredible costumes and to Paul Theisen for his support and assistance with the lighting." Karen Dearborn, Director of Dance

Muhlenberg College Dancers at ACDFA – regional and national success!

• (2009) “(in)decision” choreographed by Dana McGowan ’10 and “Before They Fall” choreographed by guest artist Meredith Rainey were selected for the gala concert from 48 works adjudicated. Laura Baehr ’12, Kiera Bianchini ’10, Sam Jonson ’09, Brittani Maglio ’11, Michele Sasso ’10 and Ashley Sleeth ’11 performed in “(in)decision.   Shannen Curran ’09, Barri DeFancisci ’12, Lindsay Munz ’10, Erika Samsky ‘11, Scott Schneider ’11 and Mary Jean Stack ’11 performed in “Before They Fall”. 
• (2008) evidence of things (un)said, choreographed by Assistant Professor Charles O. Anderson was selected for the Mid-Atlantic Gala Concert and was one of only 30 works from across the nation selected for presentation at the National Festival in New York City in June.
• (2007) Chris Shepard '07 and Kate Thompson '07 earned top honors at the American College Dance Festival Northeast Conference. Only 10 of the 41 adjudicated pieces were deemed excellent by the adjudicators and performed again as part of the conference's gala concert. Shepard and Thompson were two of the 10. Muhlenberg was the only school to have both submitted works selected for the gala and both pieces were choreographed by students. (non-national year)
• (2006) Tango X Three, Choreographed by Erica Cenci, Kara Senich, and Adam Reich, all from the class of ’06, was selected for the gala concert of the Northeast Regional Conference.
• (2005) (re)Singing from the Underspace, choreography by faculty member Charles O. Anderson was selected to perform in the Gala Concert for the Mid-Atlantic region in a non-national year.
• (2004) Business or Pleasure, choreographed by student, Mary McLaughlin’04, was selected for the NE Gala concert and was one of only 37 works from across the nation selected for presentation at the National Festival at the Kennedy Center.
• (2003) Rubbish Overrunneth, choreographed by student, Julie Danton’03 was one of only eight works selected for the NE Gala Concert. (non-national year)
• (2002) Black Raspberry, a ballet choreographed by faculty and guest artist Jennifer Kayle and Megan Bonneau-McCool was presented at the NE Gala and subsequently selected for the National Festival at the Kennedy Center.