- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/department-of-theatre-arts-and-dance/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:15:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host BodyWorks 2022 April 22-24 /news-archive/2022/04/14/bodyworks-2022-2/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:15:35 +0000 /news/?p=81358 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host BodyWorks 2022 April 22-24]]> BodyWorks 2022: BARE BONES will be held April 22-24 in the University Theatre in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Center for Performing Arts. The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 22 and 23 as well as 2:30 p.m. April 24. The annual spring dance concert will feature two live works as well as the working draft of a new dance film which is the outcome of a collaboration with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Music. BodyWorks 2022 will include 鈥淧lace,鈥 choreographed by Stephanie Thibeault, associate professor of dance, with music by Radiohead, arranged and performed by Sybarite 5. Performers include Lillian Berry, Jali Chandler, Savannah Davis, Stephen Glass, Madison Price, Lizzie Schaefer, and Laney Smith. The second piece is a new dance film 鈥淎 Boy and a Girl,鈥 directed, filmed, and edited by Stephen Stone, associate professor of dance, with music by Eric Whitacre. Performers Stephen Glass and Bonnie Puska will be joined by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Chamber Singers. The third and final performance is 鈥淏are Bones,鈥 choreographed by Stone, Thibeault, and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock dance students with music by Pink Floyd, Man in a Shed, Shigeru Umebayashi, Ludovico Einaudi and Daniel Hope, and Haoli Lin and Hai Jin, Meredith Monk, and DeVotchka. Performers include Makayla Allman, Lillian Berry, Alexis Brooks, Jali Chandler, Savannah Davis, Stephen Glass, Madison Price, Elizabeth Schaefer, Morgan Smith, and Kiara Willis. Don Bolinger, costume shop manager, completed costume design, and Mike Stacks completed lighting design for all the performances. General admission tickets are $10, while tickets for 糖心Vlog传媒 System faculty, staff, and students are $5. Tickets go on sale April 11 and can be purchased by calling the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at 501-916-3291 or online at . For more information, contact Geneva Galloway at gegalloway@ualr.edu.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Selected to Dress Performers at Macy鈥檚 Day Thanksgiving Parade /news-archive/2021/11/22/dresser-macys-day-thanksgiving-parade/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 14:24:25 +0000 /news/?p=80450 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Selected to Dress Performers at Macy鈥檚 Day Thanksgiving Parade]]> Gage Pipkin, a senior theatre arts major from Jonesboro, is working as a dresser at this year鈥檚 Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pipkin will be working the parade with a group of his friends and colleagues. He will be assigned 20 people to dress who will be accompanying the Louisiana state float. 鈥淚 did get a good laugh when I read my description of the float costumes and it said, 鈥榡azzy suits,鈥 so I am immediately picturing jazz hands,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been a dresser before, but I am ready to learn new skills. I鈥檝e never been to the parade in person, and I鈥檓 glad that I can do it.鈥 Pipkin鈥檚 Thanksgiving will begin with breakfast at 4 a.m. followed by getting the performers ready in their costumes. The parade goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Afterwards, the group will take a nap and meet at a diner later on for Thanksgiving dinner. 鈥淚t will be my first holiday not being at home,鈥 he said. Pipkin came across the opportunity to work as a dresser at the Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade from his friend, Shirlee Idzakovich, a costumer/stylist who lives in New York City. Pipkin met Idzakovich at a workshop she put on for students at the International Thespian Festival. 鈥淚dzakovich pays it forward by going to Thespian festivals across the country, meeting students, and holding workshops,鈥 Pipkin said. Pipkin is looking forward to experiencing the Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade in person as he and his family are major fans who watch the parade every year. 鈥淢ost of the time, I wake up on Thanksgiving morning to my mom telling me the parade has started,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淢y grandmother, who passed when I was in high school, also loved the parade. It鈥檚 crazy that we watch this every year, and now I鈥檓 going to help with the parade in person.鈥漖]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host 鈥楾urn Off the Light鈥 Nov. 12-13 /news-archive/2021/11/09/turn-off-the-light/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:42:34 +0000 /news/?p=80356 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host 鈥楾urn Off the Light鈥 Nov. 12-13]]> The performances will take place at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 13, in the Haislip in the Center for Performing Arts. Gage Pipkin, a senior theatre arts major, created 鈥淭urn Off the Light鈥 as his senior capstone performance. The cast includes Pipkin, Lillian Berry, a senior dance performance major, and Lizzie Schaefer, a junior dance major. 鈥淭his capstone project is monumental and probably one of the most vulnerable pieces of work I have ever created,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淚 am taking a huge step personally and artistically by sharing this side of myself unapologetically. Throughout most of my university career, I have made it a goal to provide a theatrical event where drag art can be showcased. Personally, I want to demonstrate that drag is an art form and can be incorporated into a theatrical career. 鈥 Pipkin workshopped his capstone project while attending the National Theater Institute鈥檚 Theatermakers Summer Intensive program over the summer. It features music from 鈥淭urn Off the Light,鈥 a horror pop album by trans icon Kim Petras. 鈥淔oundationally, this project explores what happens when queer people take on the villainess role that society casts upon them,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淟ike in most of my work, I am inspired by the witch trials, horror themes, and the idea of being the 鈥榮inner.鈥 I really want the audience to think about moments where they may have judged people that are different from them and how our society is built to ostracize those that do not fit the mold.鈥 The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Reserve your seat online at or call 501-916-3291. Facemasks are required. A preshow soiree will begin at 8:30 p.m. both evenings with refreshments and a meet and greet with local drag queens. Heather O鈥橲exual, Kitty Kouture, Crystal Queer, and Holly Matriomony-Olsen will join the preshow on Nov. 12, while Heather O鈥橲exual, Klassy Jean Kouture, and Human Size Doll will join the preshow on Nov. 13.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host 鈥楤eckett鈥檚 Briefs鈥 Performance Oct. 20-24 /news-archive/2021/10/19/becketts-briefs-performance/ Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:15:23 +0000 /news/?p=80098 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host 鈥楤eckett鈥檚 Briefs鈥 Performance Oct. 20-24]]> Beckett鈥檚 Briefs: Short Works by Samuel Beckett鈥 Oct. 20-24. Presented by the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the play will take place in Haislip Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. The performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20-23. The final performance on Sunday, Oct. 24, will begin at 2:30 p.m. 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 Briefs鈥 includes the following shorts by Samuel Beckett: 鈥淨uad,鈥 鈥淎ct Without Words I,鈥 鈥淐ome and Go,鈥 鈥淩ough for Theatre I,鈥 鈥淧lay,鈥 鈥淎ct Without Words II,鈥 and 鈥淲hat Where.鈥 The production will also include an original piece, 鈥淔ortuit,鈥 by Katherine Greer and Stacy Pendergraft. Directed by Stacy Pendergraft, 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 Briefs鈥 presents seven short works by the legendary Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett. The pieces that were chosen for this production juxtapose the author’s physical and language-driven theatrical work, exploring the paths and patterns of the human experience. The production will feature unique portable structures and a blend of scenic and costume design created through shared research and brought to life by the student acting ensemble under the guidance of Technical Director Frank Mott and Costume Designer Don Bolinger. Presented with seating on all four sides, this unconventional production promises to pique your curiosity and challenge your preconceptions of theatre-making. The performers include Trystan Benson, a senior theatre major, Lexi Brooks, a sophomore dance and theatre major, Steven Dotson, a theatre major; Brayden Fitts, a senior theatre major; Margo Gifford, a theatre alum, Leonel Martinez, a freshman theatre major; Anthony Morris, a senior theatre major, and Essence Simon鈥檈, a senior theatre major. Tickets to 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 Briefs鈥 will be $5 for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students and employees and $10 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased online at or over the phone at 501-916-3291. Facemasks will be required. All ticket sales must be made in advance, and no tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket sales for each performance will end three hours before showtime. The ticketing software will automatically block out a seat on either side of you to allow for social distancing. If you’d like to sit with another attendee, please purchase your tickets together to avoid social-distancing holds between seats. 鈥淨uad鈥 by Samuel Beckett is presented through arrangement with Georges Borchardt, Inc. All rights reserved. 鈥淨uad鈥 was originally written as a teleplay. 鈥淎ct Without Words I & II,鈥 鈥淐ome and Go,鈥 鈥淩ough for Theatre I,鈥 鈥淧lay,鈥 and 鈥淲hat Where鈥 by Samuel Beckett are presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. For more information, contact the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at theatre@ualr.edu or 501-916-3291. In the upper right photo, student performers Margo Gifford, Trystan Benson, and Essence Simon’e rehearse “Come and Go” in the Center for Performing Arts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.听]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Completes National Theatre Institute Theatermakers Summer Intensive /news-archive/2021/09/30/pipkin-national-theatre-institute/ Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:35:47 +0000 /news/?p=79734 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Completes National Theatre Institute Theatermakers Summer Intensive]]> Gage Pipkin, a senior theatre major and Donaghey Scholar from Jonesboro, finished the National Theater Institute鈥檚 Theatermakers Summer Intensive program during June and July at the Eugene O鈥橬eill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. He was one of five playwrights in the 26-student program. Over the four-week program, Pipkin helped write four new shows, participated in daily master classes and workshops, and earned eight credit hours for college. “There are no other words to describe my experience at the National Theatre Institute Theatermakers program other than one challenging, magical state of existence,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淭o be able to make art unapologetically with others during such times is something I will never forget. NTI has opened the door to a whole community that I now cannot imagine my life without and taught me that art can be made anywhere as long as you have brave, trustworthy people in your company.鈥 The National Theatre Institute led Gage to create a network of artists that he said will be valuable in his future career in the arts. 鈥淭his program opened my world vastly to other artists,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淏ecause we shared our artwork, I feel close to those people. Now I have a whole community of artists that is mainly on the East coast. My playwriting mentor for the program, we stayed in contact and we had a meeting about my work when I was in New York. Some of the other students may want to direct my work at their school. That is a possibility because of this program.鈥 Two of the four original works that Pipkin wrote and were produced during the summer program include 鈥淎LEXANDRITE鈥 and 鈥淥THERWORLD: A Queer Nightlife Musical.鈥 Set in a pseudo world reminiscent of the Salem witch trial period, 鈥淎lexandrite鈥 centers on Ruby, a young woman who is sexually assaulted by the town鈥檚 pastor and later put on trial for being a witch. 鈥淚t deals with taking power back and what happens when a person鈥檚 power has been stripped away,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥溾橭THERWORLD鈥 is the total opposite of 鈥楢LEXANDRITE.鈥 The play takes place in a fun, interactive nightclub environment. It鈥檚 like a children鈥檚 musical for adults, and it covers the journey of a fantasy club world.鈥 Pipkin also earned an $8,000 scholarship to attend the Theatermakers Summer Intensive. He鈥檚 thankful to his mentors in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program for their support. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have been able to take part in this opportunity without the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Theatre Department which so passionately supports the creation of new student work,鈥 Pipkin said. 鈥淚t was here that I realized playwriting was not a job or career but a duty that we as artists should take on in order to make sure the stages in this world reflect our current human condition. This department gave me the tools I needed to pursue such opportunities to practice my craft. I just am continuing to learn to use these very tools.” In the upper right photo, Gage Pipkin, center, is one of five playwrights who participated in the National Theater Institute鈥檚 Theatermakers Summer Intensive program this summer. Photo by Isaak Berliner, resident photographer for the O’Neill Center.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 costume shop manager creates unique line of face masks /news-archive/2020/09/16/don-bolinger-face-masks/ Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:17:52 +0000 /news/?p=77349 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 costume shop manager creates unique line of face masks]]> Don Bolinger, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 costume shop manager, put his creative license to the task to create masks for the department鈥檚 more than 60 students and seven faculty members. While his regular job of creating costumes and other props for the university鈥檚 theatrical productions has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has given Bolinger another outlet for his talents. Rather than just cranking out mask after mask as soon as possible, Bolinger has taken the time to carefully explore the types and patterns of masks that work best. 鈥淒on began researching cloth mask patterns that were used around the world,鈥 said Dr. Yslan Hicks, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. 鈥淗e discovered or drafted the mask patterns and began a process of searching for the most effective, comfortable, and wearable masks. He made the patterns into masks and began a testing process during which he and I and multiple others within our circle of friends began wearing the masks in public. Don accomplished this on his own time. He made the effort and funded the endeavor as a support to each of us during this terrible time.鈥 So far, Bolinger has made hundreds of masks, including those for the students, faculty, and his family and friends. The masks come in a wide variety of patterns, including comic book heroes, ballerinas, a nod to Arkansas tourism, Peanuts characters, an African Ankara print, and even a medieval doctor mask from the Black Plague era.

Don Bolinger created hundreds of face masks of various prints and patterns for faculty and students. Photo by Ben Krain.

鈥淚 found some fun stuff and a lot of abstract fabrics,鈥 Bolinger said. 鈥淚鈥檝e found lips, mustaches, animal noses, interesting things like that. That鈥檚 the fun part for me, finding novelty prints that make people smile.鈥 He鈥檚 also enjoyed the challenge of creating masks that fit best for different people. 鈥淚 guess fit is what I was most concerned about while making the masks,鈥 Bolinger said. 鈥淚 want them to fit for different-sized faces. The very first mask I made smashed my nose, so I realized that wouldn鈥檛 be comfortable for everybody. I looked on YouTube and Google for inspiration for my masks. One of mine is a hybrid that is shaped like a Korean mask on the top but has pleating. I elongated it to adapt it for men with beards.鈥 Bolinger鈥檚 creative juices haven鈥檛 been put to rest. In the future, he is considering creating gaiter-style masks that also cover a person鈥檚 neck or face shields using two-liter pop bottles.]]>
糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to showcase plays about American life, family, and alternative experiences during 鈥楢 Seat at the Table鈥 /news-archive/2020/02/20/seat-at-the-table/ Thu, 20 Feb 2020 17:49:27 +0000 /news/?p=76279 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to showcase plays about American life, family, and alternative experiences during 鈥楢 Seat at the Table鈥]]> 鈥淎 Seat at the Table鈥 is a staged reading of three plays that present a diverse range of perspectives on contemporary life in the U.S. The plays will begin at 7:30 p.m. nightly March 3-5 in the Haislip Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淲e hope that this set of remarkable plays on family, America, and alternative experiences will serve to open up new perspectives on gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, culture, power, and life in the U.S.,鈥 said Lawrence Smith, assistant professor of theater arts and director of 鈥淎 Seat at the Table.鈥 Each performance will feature a panel discussion beginning at 6:45 p.m. and a talkback and reception with the cast and crew following each play. The plays will be performed by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students and produced by the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. The performances include: Tuesday, March 3 – 鈥淓lliot, A Soldier鈥檚 Fugue鈥 by Quiara Alegr铆a Hudes. This play presents a lyrical and poignant account of three generations of military service within a Puerto Rican family. Wednesday, March 4 鈥 鈥淗ir鈥 by Taylor Mac. 鈥淗ir鈥 is an hysterical tragicomedy of suburban life in which a stay-at-home mom and her live-at-home transgender son upend the status quo of the nuclear family. Thursday, March 5 鈥 鈥淏ootycandy鈥 by Robert O鈥橦ara. 鈥淏ootycandy鈥 is an outrageous comedy centered around the coming-of-age experiences of a gay black playwright in a dysfunctional family in a dystopic world. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock employees, college students, seniors, and members of the military are $5. Tickets can be or at the door. The plays are for mature audiences only. For more information, contact the box office at 501-569-3456.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alum creates dance troupe to inspire deaf, hard of hearing dancers /news-archive/2019/12/17/ua-little-rock-alum-creates-dance-troupe-to-inspire-deaf-hard-of-hearing-dancers/ Tue, 17 Dec 2019 20:50:56 +0000 /news/?p=75946 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alum creates dance troupe to inspire deaf, hard of hearing dancers]]> While growing up as a deaf child in an adopted family with hearing parents, Brandy Mimms felt conflicted about whether she belonged in the hearing world or the deaf world.听 鈥淲hen my parents found out I was deaf, they tried their best to make me into a normal kid,鈥 said Mimms of Little Rock. 鈥淚 grew up in the hearing world. I went to speech therapy, and I learned how to talk. In the deaf world, I had a hard time because I didn鈥檛 know sign language. I always found myself in the middle of two worlds, feeling isolated.鈥 Now a graduate of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 dance performance program, Mimms has opened a nonprofit modern dance troupe to bridge her two worlds. Mimms created the Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe to provide more opportunities for dance performers in Arkansas and to raise awareness about deaf and hard of hearing performers. 鈥淚 am a deaf dancer, and I want to open opportunities for other deaf dancers out there like me who may be too scared to come out to perform,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淚 love to dance, and I want to continue to share my journey and story with the world. If you love to dance and you have a story to share, then my dance company is the perfect place for you.鈥 The dance troupe, which includes members Ronesha Butler, Alexandreia Tolbert, Shalondra Martin, and Jaime Smith, gave its first performance, 鈥淎l Courant,鈥 at Little Rock鈥檚 Southwest Community Center on Oct. 26. 鈥淥ur first performance had a very good turnout,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淭he dance company is very welcoming to everyone. People enjoyed the performance and wanted to know how they could be more involved in the deaf community.鈥 The dance troupe鈥檚 successful first performance will certainly not be its last. Any theater, school, or community organization who is interested in hosting a performance with the Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe can contact Mimms at brmimms0410@gmail.com. 鈥淚 want to give people a chance to share their stories. Everyone is welcome in my company, no matter what,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淚f you love to dance and you have a story to share, then my company is a perfect place to be. We really express ourselves with our bodies. We are trying to break the language barrier.鈥

I need a hero

While growing up in New Orleans, Mimms recalls how tough it was being the only deaf student at her elementary school. She didn鈥檛 know sign language, and she didn鈥檛 go to school with students like her until junior high school. 鈥淲hen I was in high school, I saw other deaf students, but they did not allow us to sign in class because they thought sign language was a barrier that kept us from learning English,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淢y parents died when I was a kid, so I wished there had been a deaf person when I was growing up who could inspire me.鈥 Mimms met the childhood hero she was looking for in Antoine Hunter, a black deaf dancer who founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company in San Francisco. After connecting on social media, Hunter invited Mimms to attend the Bay Area International Dance Festival in 2016, which turned out to be a life-changing trip for Mimms. 鈥淲hen I met Antoine, he showed me that it is possible to be a deaf dancer,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淪an Francisco is where I found my identity as a deaf dancer. Growing up in the hearing world was very hard for me, so I hadn鈥檛 fully accepted my identity as a deaf person at that time. Going to San Francisco helped me to embrace my identity.鈥

College provides a new opportunity in life

As a child, Mimms loved to dance, but she never imagined pursuing the art as a career. She never took dance lessons, but she taught herself how to dance from the performances she saw on television. Her favorite dancer was Shirley Temple. 鈥淏randy began her formal dance study with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Dance Program in August 2013 as a displaced survivor of Hurricane Katrina,鈥 said Stephen Stone, associate professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and Mimms鈥 academic advisor. 鈥淔rom the onset of working with her, our faculty could see that she had a passion for dance because of her attitude of appreciation. She has always been especially thankful for the opportunity to study what she instinctively loves.鈥 Mimms鈥 professors said that her presence in the program inspired many of the students and teachers to gain an interest in sign language. 鈥淏randy鈥檚 presence in our program has been wonderful for the departmental culture,鈥 said Stephanie Thibeault, associate professor of dance. 鈥淭he presence of interpreters in our classes became the norm, and they became a part of our dance family. Many of our majors have shown an interest in sign language and interpreting. While this can be a natural extension of dancers鈥 nonverbal communication, I believe our dancers may have been more interested in the field after interacting with Brandy on a daily basis.鈥 Ever since coming to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Mimms has been all about being the first. She became the first deaf member of the Little Rock Dance Team after her third tryout and became the first deaf graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performance in December 2018.
Photo of Brandy Mimms by Lonnie Timmons III.

Photo of Brandy Mimms by Lonnie Timmons III.

鈥淚 was even the only deaf student who graduated during my commencement ceremony, and the school officials made sure I had a good spot to see the interpreter,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 love my school.鈥 After graduation, Mimms has used the time to establish her career as a dancer and advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing. She performed in the Bay Area International Dance Festival and participated in two panels about life as a deaf dancer at the International Black Dance Conference and Dance USA. Mimms received a $1,000 Signature Experience Grant from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2018 to give dance lessons and choreograph a dance performance with students at the Arkansas School for the Deaf. After three weeks of dance lessons, the students performed during the Research and Creative Works Expo at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in April. Mimms鈥 project, 鈥淒eaf Can Dance,鈥 received first place in the Service Work/Professional Application category. After the success of the project, the Arkansas School for the Deaf hired Mimms as a dance teacher. Her professors says that Mimms鈥 accomplishments have served as an inspiration to many and have grown as she has embraced her identity as a deaf dancer. 鈥淔or many years of her life, Brandy felt that her hearing loss was a detriment to her dreams and what she could potentially offer to others,鈥 Stone said. 鈥淎s time has moved forward, Brandy has grown to embrace this aspect of who she is…now realizing that this is the very gift that she has to offer her students, performers, peers, and also her mentors.鈥 At age 40, Mimms acknowledges the fact that there鈥檚 little chance she鈥檇 ever be hired by a professional dance company. As someone who has spent her entire life overcoming challenges, she wasn鈥檛 about to give up on her dreams of performing as a professional dancer. She also wanted to open her own dance studio to provide dance lessons and free ASL classes. 鈥淚 am at an age where there is a very small chance that I can go professional in New York or California with a professional dance company, but I love to dance so I am seizing every opportunity I can find to continue to journey,鈥 Mimms said. 鈥淭here are a lot of deaf people in this world, and not a lot of people can communicate with them. I want to break the language barrier to help all people communicate freely.鈥 ]]>
Dance Harvest to showcase 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student choreography Nov. 14-17 /news-archive/2019/11/13/dance-harvest-2/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 14:37:19 +0000 /news/?p=75714 ... Dance Harvest to showcase 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student choreography Nov. 14-17]]> The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will feature student choreography and performances in its 鈥淒ance Harvest鈥 to be held nightly at 7:30 p.m. Nov 14-16 and again 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at University Theater.听 Tickets are $5 for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock staff and students, military personnel, and seniors, and $10 for the public. Purchase tickets here or call 501-569-3456. Dance Harvest will celebrate Bachelor of Fine Arts student choreographers Victoria Fender, Carmen Gutierrez, Dominique Hubbard, Shelby Robertson, and Ryann Young. Additionally, dance performance 鈥淏rubeck Blitz!鈥 will showcase the 2019 freshman dancers in their first public performance.听 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock offers the only Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance in the state of Arkansas. The curriculum links best practices of the classroom to the laboratory of production, engaging with ideas through theory and application. Grounded in knowledge and skills, critically aware of the present, and creatively inspired, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock theatre and dance students are challenged to make meaningful contributions to their world.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to present 鈥楨urydice鈥 Oct. 16-20 /news-archive/2019/10/15/eurydice/ Tue, 15 Oct 2019 16:53:26 +0000 /news/?p=75427 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to present 鈥楨urydice鈥 Oct. 16-20]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will showcase its fall production of 鈥淓urydice鈥 Oct. 16-20 in the Haislip Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts. The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16; Thursday, Oct. 17; Friday, Oct. 18; and Saturday, Oct. 19, as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. 鈥淓urydice鈥 is a postmodern retelling of the classical myth of the legendary Greek hero, Orpheus, from the perspective of his beloved Eurydice. The young couple鈥檚 time together is cut short when Eurydice is killed on their wedding day. Her journey to the Underworld and Orpheus鈥 subsequent pursuit to reclaim her has been celebrated in art and music for centuries. Written by Sarah Ruhl in 2003, 鈥淓urydice鈥 is dedicated to her father who died when she was 20. Ruhl said the play was her way of experiencing more conversations with him.听 She describes an affinity for the way that personal stories can be articulated through the architecture of myth and that the very epicness of myth can frame stories that are smaller and more personal. Eurydice鈥檚 presence in the Underworld provides a deeply intimate and moving counterpoint to Orpheus and his quest to find Eurydice from the mortal realm. When the personal and the epic collide, Eurydice must choose between a father鈥檚 love and her beloved.听 Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock employees, students, seniors, and members of the military. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the Center for Performing Arts Room 130 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call the box office at 501-569-3456 for ticket reservations. In the upper right photo, Selena Mykenzie Gordon will star as Eurydice. The image is courtesy of Melissa Dooley Photography.]]>