Published: February 09, 2015
UT’s Spring Dance Concert Feb. 19–21 “A Feast For Dance Lovers”
The University of Tampa will present its popular Spring Dance Concert on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19–21, at 8 p.m., with an additional Saturday matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Feb. 21. All performances will be held in UT’s Falk Theatre on Kennedy Boulevard opposite campus.
The Spring Dance Concert features choreography by UT faculty and guest artists, with performances by UT students. Dance styles include classical ballet, modern, Latin, hip hop, West African and tap.
One highlight of this year’s performances will be recreations of Yankadi and Makru dances of the Susu people of Guinea, West Africa, choreographed by Kya “Mame Diarra” Conner. Conner trained in African dance during her studies in the countries of Ghana, Senegal and South Africa, and her piece will be accompanied by live drummers.
Another notable number will be a hip hop piece choreographed by Dreama Davidson, creative director for VYB Dance Company and lead actress in the Broadway-style musical Katonga at Busch Gardens.
Also on the program is a new work choreographed by former Boston Ballet, Chicago City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Sean Musselman, and a sizzling Latin piece by Jae Phillips, who specializes in salsa, hip hop and fusion techniques.
Other choreographers include UT dance faculty Susan Taylor Lennon, Susannah LeMarquand, Corinne Colon, Ya-Ju Lin, Linda Lopez and Paul Finocchiaro. Finocchiaro, who directed and choreographed UT’s successful production of Les Mis in Fall 2014, has staged an upbeat new tap piece titled Don’t Break the Rules to music from the popular musical Catch Me if You Can.
“The diversity of the Spring Dance Concert is its great strength,” said Lennon, UT professor of dance and director of the University’s dance program. “We feature a broad range of dance styles and choreographers, and our students are from a wide range of cultural backgrounds as well. This concert is a feast for dance lovers, or even people just wanting a taste of dance.”
The UT Spring Dance Concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lennon at (813) 257-3745.
On Friday, April 17, a panel of four industry professionals will present the obstacles and challenges faced in today’s business environment related to whistleblowing.
The panel will be held at The University of Tampa Sykes College of Business, Room 234, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This “Hot Seat Event” is sponsored by UT’s Center for Ethics. The public is invited, and there is no charge for the event.University of Tampa film students will screen their work at the first annual Moon Dance Film Festival at UT’s Reeves Theater on Tuesday, April 14, at 8:30 p.m.
Aaron Walker, assistant professor of communication, said the festival is an opportunity for UT students both to screen their work and to curate the best work of their peers.“It’s fully student-run, so it shows how deeply the students care about celebrating the strong work of their peers, but also shows how much desire there is for our FMA students to create venues of success for one another,” Walker said. “It’s a terrific collaboration, and will be a terrific party for film. Plus, the movies are great.”
The Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay Inc. and The University of Tampa Center for Ethics is calling for nominations for their annual Sustainable Business Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, June 10, at The University of Tampa’s Vaughn Center.
Now in its seventh year, the Sustainable Business Awards, sponsored by the Sustany Foundation, recognize and honor for-profit businesses in the Tampa Bay area that engage in practices that increase economic opportunities and improve the environment and community.