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

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/ualr-department-of-theatre-arts-and-dance/ ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Tue, 08 Mar 2016 23:16:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Arkansas students to perform at Shakespeare Scene Festival /news-archive/2016/03/08/shakespeare-scene-festival-3/ Tue, 08 Mar 2016 23:16:15 +0000 /news/?p=63653 ...]]> About 300 junior high and high school students from central Arkansas will perform at the Shakespeare Scene Festival Thursday, March 10, and Friday, March 11, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Students from Warren Dupree Elementary School, Henderson Middle School, Horace Mann Middle School, Episcopal Collegiate High School, Little Rock Central High, and Perryville High School will perform from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts. The festival provides teachers and students a venue for the performance of Shakespeare’s plays. It is sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. The festival is free and open to the public. For a performance schedule, visit the festival’s website. For more information, contact the festival’s director, Dr. Kris McAbee, at kxmcabee@ualr.edu.]]> ‘On Walking/Walking On’ tells story of life’s journey /news-archive/2015/10/02/on-walkingwalking-on-tells-story-of-lifes-journey/ Fri, 02 Oct 2015 22:00:55 +0000 /news/?p=62767 ...]]> In fact, “On Walking/Walking On,” a movement-theater production, is all about the activity, theme, and significance of walking. The ensemble-based performance was developed in rehearsals using improvisation, storytelling, music, and physical theater methods. “All life is a journey,” said L.D. Smith, ��Vlog��ýLR director and professor of theatre. “Walking is something that everyone does. It’s how we discover our world.” A recent Chicago transplant, Smith conceived the idea for this show from his own reflections on travel. He was particularly struck by the Trail of Tears on one of his campus walks. Materials from different viewpoints, such as documents on the Trail of Tears that were viewed at the ��Vlog��ýLR Sequoyah National Research Center, were considered for the production. “Through games and exercises we found ways to put together a series, almost like dance pieces, that tells a story,” Smith said. Written works by Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac, and Malcolm X also were used for inspiration. “I think it will be a lot of fun and a different way to look at things,” Smith said. “On Walking/Walking On” runs from Wednesday, Oct. 7, to Sunday, Oct. 11, in the University Theatre. Showtimes are 8 p.m. with a matinee show at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10 and $5 for ��Vlog��ýLR students, faculty, and staff. For tickets, call 501.569.3456. The cast for the production is as follows: Emily Bruner, Gabrielle Confer, Keaton Duersch, Corrie Green, Katherine Greer, Yannick Ibanez, Dustin Rhodes, Mike Vowell, Cory Watson, Priscilla Webb, and William Wofford. For more information, visit the ��Vlog��ýLR Theatre Arts and Dance website.]]> Oxford American and South on Main to host annual artists’ event /news-archive/2015/04/24/oxford-american-and-south-on-main-to-host-annual-artists-event/ Fri, 24 Apr 2015 20:54:57 +0000 /news/?p=61594 ...]]> For the third consecutive semester, visual artists will display their work for the viewing public at the event known as Co-opt. “Twenty students will have the chance to hone and share their craft with a public audience at an established location and promote the arts at ��Vlog��ýLR,” said Taimur Cleary, ��Vlog��ýLR Artist in Residence and instructor of the course that inspires the event. ��Vlog��ýLR’s Department of Art and Department of Theatre Arts and Dance are teaming up with Oxford American magazine and South on Main to host the semi annual event in order to promote these emerging artists. Cleary and his students will speak briefly at 7 p.m. during the show. Following their talk, students from the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will share a selection of four plays all written, directed, and performed by the students. This will be the first time performing artists from both music and theatre will be included in the show. In addition to the live presentations, artwork will remain on display in Oxford American’s Annex Gallery from Thursday, May 7, through Saturday, May 9. According to Cleary, the title Co-opt carries a number of meanings, namely to cause someone to become a part of your movement. It also refers to cooperative learning strategies that the class uses. In Cleary’s class, Learning Co-Op, students representing almost every department on campus create works of art through printmaking, painting, ceramics, and sculpture. Cleary is a painter and teaches full time at ��Vlog��ýLR. His artistic direction is informed and fueled by evolving interests in art history, perception, meteorology, memory, abstraction, and photography. Learn more about Co-Opt at: www.facebook.com/ualrcoopt.]]> Spring dance concert to feature original works, Broadway-bound piece /news-archive/2015/04/15/ballet-modern-jazz-and-hip-hop-to-be-displayed-at-annual-spring-dance-concert/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:36:59 +0000 /news/?p=61481 ...]]>

Comprised of all original works, this fast-paced and high-energy entertainment event includes selections from Newballet, modern, jazz and hip hop. The dances are created by professional dance faculty and students whose pieces were presented earlier this year for adjudication at the American Choral Directors Association festival in Tennessee. The concert will close with a performance created by Rennie “Lorenzo” Harris, titled “WHATT?!!!” “WHATT?!!!” is part of a larger work that will premiere on Broadway later this year. The Arkansas Festival Ballet Company will be special guests. For ticket information, reservations, and show times call 501.569-3456 or email Karen Thomas at kethomas@ualr.edu.]]> Whole Foods to donate March 10 proceeds for dance festival at ��Vlog��ýLR /news-archive/2014/02/27/whole-foods-to-donate-march-3-proceeds-for-dance-festival-at-ualr/ /news-archive/2014/02/27/whole-foods-to-donate-march-3-proceeds-for-dance-festival-at-ualr/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:05:26 +0000 /news/?p=50973 ...]]>

As part of its “Community Giving Day,” Whole Foods will donate 5 percent of all net sales for the South Conference of the American College Dance Festival, hosted by the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Theatre Arts and Dance March 21-24. The conference, which is being completely funded by donations from community sponsors and registration fees, will provide more than 100 master classes, workshops and seminars taught by visiting faculty and nationally recruited guest artists. “The more folks go out and make a purchase, the bigger and better the event will be,” said Jay Raphael, chair of the theatre arts and dance department. The conference will feature four nights of public concerts with original works created by student and faculty choreographers from 30 participating colleges and universities.]]> /news-archive/2014/02/27/whole-foods-to-donate-march-3-proceeds-for-dance-festival-at-ualr/feed/ 0 Professor reveals characters through costume at The Rep /news-archive/2014/01/27/professor-reveals-characters-through-costume-at-the-rep/ /news-archive/2014/01/27/professor-reveals-characters-through-costume-at-the-rep/#respond Tue, 28 Jan 2014 01:17:08 +0000 /news/?p=49149 ...]]>

Yslan Hicks, associate professor of costume design in ��Vlog��ýLR

Working with textiles was something Hicks initially rejected in her youth, but it turns out the long-time associate professor of costume design in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance found a similar calling after all. “It just came naturally to me,” she said. “For whatever reason, it clicked.” Besides, costume design is not a big leap from the thick storytelling tradition found throughout human history, said Hicks, who majored in drama during college. “A costume projects information about the individual that helps tell their story. And it’s a common experience for every one of us,” she said. “It conveys something about who we are, our age, our geographic or cultural orientation, and our desire to conform or not to conform.”

Designing for “Clybourne Park”

Her most recent work can be seen on the actors taking the stage to perform in “Clybourne Park,” the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play being brought to life at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre through Feb. 9.

“Clybourne Park” marks the 15th time The Rep has extended an invitation to Hicks to work as costume designer. Her previous credits include designing costumes for such popular productions as “Anything Goes,” “A Chorus Line,” “Born Yesterday,” and “Into the Woods.” To create the appropriate 1950s-era costumes for the actors of “Clybourne Park,” Hicks began looking through the script last September. Soaking in the playwright’s words enable a costume designer to “know it in your bones,” according to Hicks, and a thorough script analysis should become the point of departure for building characters. Hicks said every last detail–down to such minutia as what a Rotary pin from 1959 would look like–lends integrity to the costumes, the characters, and the play. “It matters that clothing silhouette and details are the right time period, that they are true to the character’s nature, and that the outcome reflects a collaborative, collective endeavor,” she said. “The quality of my work comes from the willingness to collaborate. The solutions that are right for the combination of artists at this moment, may not be the same solution for another combination of artists at a different moment,” Hicks said. Hicks’ other design credits include productions at the Lincoln Center Institute in New York City, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Portland Center Stage in Oregon, the Old Globe in San Diego, and Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Mass. As an artistic associate at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago, she designed a number of literary adaptations including characters from Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre. Hicks has previously taught at The University of Tulsa and Tulane University.

Drawing inspiration from students

Hicks said her professional work outside the classroom has helped her stay abreast of developments and has improved her ability to impart what she knows about the art and science of costume design to her students. In addition, Hicks said staying in contact with former students who are now professionals in the field helps enrich the classroom experience for current students. For example, a former student who worked on the recent Broadway production of Spiderman was able to Skype with current students to provide real-world guidance and advice. Asked what her daily “costume” says about her, Hicks paused briefly to reflect before answering. “I always want to look as if I can be trusted to do the job,” she said. “I want to be formal but accessible; whether it is working with students or actors, I do think it matters.” Hicks said she is never more free or more herself than when she is engaged in costume designing. But she is quick to point out that it is a gift that is simply born out of great storytelling. “And I do think theater changes lives,” she said. “That’s why it is so important our students come into contact with it.”]]> /news-archive/2014/01/27/professor-reveals-characters-through-costume-at-the-rep/feed/ 0 Annual Dance Harvest takes the stage Thursday /news-archive/2013/11/17/theatre-arts-and-dance-presents-annual-ualr-dance-harvest-2013-unbound/ /news-archive/2013/11/17/theatre-arts-and-dance-presents-annual-ualr-dance-harvest-2013-unbound/#respond Sun, 17 Nov 2013 14:58:54 +0000 https://ualrprd.wpengine.com/news-archive/?p=47346 ...]]> ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will present its annual Dance Harvest featuring the choreographic work of advanced choreography students this November. The performance is titled “Unbound.”

The event runs from Thursday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 24, in the University Theatre located in the ��Vlog��ýLR Center for Performing Arts. Curtain times are 8 p.m. for Thursday and Friday performances, 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors and ��Vlog��ýLR faculty, staff, and students. Contact the ��Vlog��ýLR Theatre Arts and Dance Department for tickets and more information at 501.569.3456.

Super Saturday for High School Dancers

In addition to the Dance Harvest performances, on Nov. 23, ��Vlog��ýLR will present Super Saturday, a free event for high school dancers and theatre students. Check-in begins at 12:15 p.m. and will be followed by three workshop sessions lasting until 5:30 p.m. The event will give dancers and actors from across the region the opportunity to learn through master classes taught by ��Vlog��ýLR dance faculty. Students will then enjoy a group dinner and the evening performance of the 2013 Dance Harvest. Space is limited and registrations will be filled in the order they are received. High school students may sign up as an individual or as a member of a group. Call 501.569.3456 for more information.]]> /news-archive/2013/11/17/theatre-arts-and-dance-presents-annual-ualr-dance-harvest-2013-unbound/feed/ 0 ��Vlog��ýLR student dances her way to degree & NYC /news-archive/2013/10/01/ualr-student-dances-her-way-to-degree-and-nyc/ /news-archive/2013/10/01/ualr-student-dances-her-way-to-degree-and-nyc/#respond Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:42:55 +0000 https://ualrprd.wpengine.com/news-archive/?p=45973 ...]]> The 22-year-old senior dance major has studied intensively at nearby Ballet Arkansas and has performed twice for the company’s seasonal productions of the Nutcracker.

But Perry has also found herself at home in places more distant, including the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City, the longest continuously operating school of dance in the U.S., where she has studied during the summer and was recently accepted into their professional training program. Graham, the “mother of modern dance,” taught and choreographed until her death in 1991. She is universally understood to be the 20th century’s most important dancer, even performing for President Franklin Roosevelt and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom and French Legion of Honor. Interestingly, until Perry discovered the joys of dance at ��Vlog��ýLR, the only institution in Arkansas to offer dance as a major, she freely confesses to having “no clue who Martha Graham was.” Perry became hooked shortly after an upper-level modern dance class taught by ��Vlog��ýLR’s Rhythm McCarthy. The course relies heavily on the teachings of Graham, who emphasized the dancer’s outer expression of inner feelings in each and every movement. “Modern dance is so abstract, but what I love about it is that you still have to be articulate about why you are doing what you do,” Perry said. “It’s so human. You can’t do a movement without feeling it at a visceral level.” Whereas classical dance is focused on light, airy movements, especially from the feet, modern dance movements are initiated from the pelvis, working with gravity rather than against it. Perry said it felt like a natural fit from the beginning. “It’s being a blank canvass,” said Perry. “Everything we as students have asked for, the ��Vlog��ýLR instructors have done their best to help us get what we needed to express ourselves.” Perry spent a winter intensive at the Martha Graham school three years ago for the first time and loved it so much she returned two years later for another winter intensive. She has already made plans to return again this winter, having just returned from a three-month-long summer session there. “It’s an obsession,” she said, laughing. “But it’s gotten easier and easier every time as I’ve made friends and have places where I can stay, to help make it more affordable.” Funding will not be nearly as much of a challenge for Perry next semester when she will study at the Accademia dell’Arte, in the hills overlooking Arezzo, Italy. Her trip is made possible through a generous grant sponsored by Chip and Cindy Murphy, which will pay for her tuition, while the dance department will handle the round-trip airfare. The competition is for dance majors at ��Vlog��ýLR who demonstrate academic achievement and talent, as well as active participation in the life of the dance department. A well-written essay is also required, said ��Vlog��ýLR Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance Dr. Jay Raphael. “There are usually four or five entrants who qualify, and the decision-making is always very difficult,” he said. Perry has also been a member of TeeBoDans, a troupe of ��Vlog��ýLR dancers selected for a particular project based on their talent, dedication, collaborative spirit, and shared passion for the art of dance. Perry also recently staged her first choreographic works, Shadow within Reason, Etiquette, and Atomic Age at ��Vlog��ýLR, as well as her senior capstone project. She is set to graduate less than two weeks after her return from Italy next semester. Following commencement, Perry will act on her acceptance into the professional training program at the Graham school where she hopes to follow in the footsteps of previous dancers who have gone on to teach at the school. Explaining her passion, Perry said she “just started getting addicted to it” and felt most at home in the dance studio or stage. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.” For more information, go to the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Theatre and Dance or call 501.569.3291.]]> /news-archive/2013/10/01/ualr-student-dances-her-way-to-degree-and-nyc/feed/ 0