- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host BodyWorks 2022 April 22-24

John Hill — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:15:35 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will present a three-night spring dance concert showcasing the professional faculty and students from the . BodyWorks 2022: BARE BONES will be held April 22-24 in the University Theatre in the ��Vlog��ý 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 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Music. BodyWorks 2022 will include “Place,” 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 “A Boy and a Girl,” 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 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chamber Singers. The third and final performance is “Bare Bones,” choreographed by Stone, Thibeault, and ��Vlog��ý 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 ��Vlog��ý 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.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Dance Harvest 2021 Nov. 12-14

John Hill — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 18:18:12 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host Dance Harvest – Renaissance 2021 Nov. 12-14. The performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12-13, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, in the Haislip Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts. The annual fall dance production is presented by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. It features choreographed pieces created by dance performance students and the program’s faculty. This year’s event will feature “Man Eater” and “More Than I Could Imagine” by Lillian Berry, a senior BFA Dance Performance major; “Bow to Us” and “Who is Conspiracy?” by Savannah Davis, a senior BA Dance major; “60BPM | 5.28” and “Growing Up” by Madison Price, a senior BFA Dance Performance major; “Dynamics” and “My Escape” by Kiara Willis, a senior BFA Dance Performance major; and “3 for 5” by Professor Stephanie Thibeault. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets for seniors and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock employees and students are $5. To purchase tickets, visit ualr.edu/theatre or call 501-916-3291. Facemasks are 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.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alum creates dance troupe to inspire deaf, hard of hearing dancers

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 20:50:56 +0000

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.�� “When my parents found out I was deaf, they tried their best to make me into a normal kid,” said Mimms of Little Rock. “I 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’t know sign language. I always found myself in the middle of two worlds, feeling isolated.” Now a graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s 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. “I 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,” Mimms said. “I 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.” The dance troupe, which includes members Ronesha Butler, Alexandreia Tolbert, Shalondra Martin, and Jaime Smith, gave its first performance, “Al Courant,” at Little Rock’s Southwest Community Center on Oct. 26.�� “Our first performance had a very good turnout,” Mimms said. “The 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.” The dance troupe’s 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. “I want to give people a chance to share their stories. Everyone is welcome in my company, no matter what,” Mimms said. “If 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.”

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’t know sign language, and she didn’t go to school with students like her until junior high school. “When 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,” Mimms said. “My 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.” 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. “When I met Antoine, he showed me that it is possible to be a deaf dancer,” Mimms said. “San 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’t fully accepted my identity as a deaf person at that time. Going to San Francisco helped me to embrace my identity.”��

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. “Brandy began her formal dance study with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Dance Program in August 2013 as a displaced survivor of Hurricane Katrina,” said Stephen Stone, associate professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and Mimms’ academic advisor. “From 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.” Mimms’ professors said that her presence in the program inspired many of the students and teachers to gain an interest in sign language. “Brandy’s presence in our program has been wonderful for the departmental culture,” said Stephanie Thibeault, associate professor of dance. “The 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’ nonverbal communication, I believe our dancers may have been more interested in the field after interacting with Brandy on a daily basis.” Ever since coming to ��Vlog��ý 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.

“I 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,” she said. “I love my school.” 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 ��Vlog��ý 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 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in April. Mimms’ project, “Deaf Can Dance,” 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’ accomplishments have served as an inspiration to many and have grown as she has embraced her identity as a deaf dancer.�� “For 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,” Stone said. “As 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.” At age 40, Mimms acknowledges the fact that there’s little chance she’d ever be hired by a professional dance company. As someone who has spent her entire life overcoming challenges, she wasn’t 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. “I 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,” Mimms said. “There 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.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Ballet Arkansas to host pop-up dance event April 12

Janea Snyder — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 21:18:45 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock��dance program and Ballet Arkansas will host a pop-up dance event at 5 p.m. Friday, April 12, at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown site in the River Market. The event will start outdoors, weather permitting, and move indoors to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown space at 333 President Clinton Ave. Performances are free and open to the public. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s freshman dance students will kick off the event with an outdoor dance performance. The event will then move inside ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock senior Emily Shellabarger performing a solo piece followed by “Collision,” a world-premiere piece choreographed by Artistic Director Michael Fothergill for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and Ballet Arkansas company members. Fothergill, co-artistic director Catherine Fothergill, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock dance professors Stephanie Thibeault, Stephen Stone, and Robin Brown will speak briefly about the partnership between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and Ballet Arkansas. “Collision” also offers a sneak peak of the university’s annual “Collision! Body Works” concert set for April 25-28 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. This year’s concert is being co-produced with Ballet Arkansas for the first time. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock dance students rehearse a dance they will perform on April 12 at a pop-up dance event��co-hosted by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and Ballet Arkansas. Photo by Benjamin Krain

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Dance Harvest set for Nov. 16-19

Janea Snyder — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 21:22:02 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will host Dance Harvest 2017 Nov. 16-19, featuring choreography by past and present dance faculty members. Performances will be Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16-17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2:30 p.m. in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts, 5900 University Drive. Samantha Johnson and Rhythm McCarthy return as guest artists and will join new theatre arts and dance faculty member Robin Neveu Brown and associate professors Stephanie Thibeault and Stephen K. Stone for a diverse concert that spans modern, jazz, and ballet styles of dance. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for children, students, seniors, military, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased from the box office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by phone at 501-569-3456, or online at /theatre/season/ In addition, the Theatre Arts and Dance department will host a dance workshop on Saturday, Nov. 18, for dancers ages 10-24 as part of Fall Dance Festival 2017. The workshop will be 3-5:30 p.m. with dinner provided after the workshop. The cost is $20 and includes two tickets to the 7 p.m. Dance Harvest performance. More information and registration is available at /theatre/dance-workshops/

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host BODYWORKS 2017 April 20-23

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 14:13:13 +0000

strongThe University of Arkansas at Little Rock will present a four-night spring dance concert showcasing local dance companies, guest artists, and professional faculty and students from the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.�� The annual spring dance concert will feature neoclassical ballet, modern, and jazz choreography by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock dance faculty and students. BODYWORKS 2017 will be held April 20-23 in University Theatre in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Performing Arts. �� Performance times and dates are as follows:

8 p.m. Thursday, April 20
8 p.m. Friday, April 21
7 p.m. Saturday, April 22
2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23

General admission tickets are $10; tickets for seniors and members of the military are $5. Tickets for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty, staff, and students are $5. April 21 is Greek Night. All Greeks can purchase a discounted ticket for $3. April 23 is the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance Homecoming celebration. A gathering for alumni and friends will begin at 1 p.m. in University Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Box Office at 569-3456 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday,, or at the door. For more information, contact Kamika Gaines, coordinator for performing arts, at kcgaines@ualr.edu or 501.569.3456. Act I will include:

��“Trip the Light Fandango” choreographed by Stephanie Thibeault with music composed by Padre Antonio Soler
��“A Time for Space” choreographed by Stephen Stone with music by Paul Dresher
��“Ethereal Gathering” choreographed by Stephanie Thibeault with music performed by the Bulgarian State Female Choir
��“Signs of Life” choreographed by Gabrielle Confer with music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Act II will include:

��“. . .but it was a good day” choreographed by Samantha Johnson
��“Dear Orientation” choreographed by Samantha Johnson with music by Max Richter
�� “Broadway Rhythms” choreographed by Stephen Stone with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host BodyWorks 2022 April 22-24

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Dance Harvest 2021 Nov. 12-14

����Vlog��ý Little Rock alum creates dance troupe to inspire deaf, hard of hearing dancers

����Vlog��ý Little Rock, Ballet Arkansas to host pop-up dance event April 12

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Dance Harvest set for Nov. 16-19