2006 Dance Newsletter - Slippery Rock University

SRU DANCE NEWS
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Slippery Rock University ✢ Department of Dance ✢ 2005-2006
www.SRU.edu

Contents
A Message from the Chair 2
SRU Dances Limón 3
Bringing the World to SRU 3
Faculty Highlights 4
Student News 5
Alumni News 6-7
India in our Bodies 8
The Dance in India Initiative 9
Tiger in the Wellness Lab 9
They speak through my dance,
they dance through my voice 10
Mission accomplished
at ACDFA 11
Save These Dates 12
Credits 12
A Message from the Chair
Dear Alumni, Parents, Colleagues and Friends,
I am happy to be writing this greeting for the first annual Slippery Rock University Dance
Department newsletter. This publication will provide information on the exciting happenings
of the Dance Department and will be a way for our wonderful alumni to share their news.
I am thrilled to report that the Dance Department is healthy, strong and growing. With
ninety majors and fifty minors, there is always constant energy as well as stimulating and
creative projects occurring. It is not uncommon to have concerts performed, guest artists
in residence, and dance technology presentations (along with the daily operations of the
department), all happening at the same time. We are fortunate to
have dance faculty who selflessly give of their time in order to enable
these projects to occur.
As you will read, the students have been able to take part in a
number of important and stimulating projects, including learning
and performing repertory by modern dance pioneer José Limón and
contemporary choreographer Princess M’Hoon Cooper, and creating
dance technology in our newly refurbished dance lab. We hope that
you are able to attend the concerts and presentations so that you can
see the growth and artistry of the Slippery Rock University dance
students. The faculty in the department have also been doing some
amazing projects—from performing solo concerts, to being named
as part of the “25 To Watch” by Dance Magazine.
The University is in the process of doing a feasibility study for a new performing arts
center. We are very excited about the prospect of one day having a new home in a brand new,
state-of-the-art building! We will keep you posted regarding this project!
Please give us your comments regarding this publication. We would be happy for your
feedback. Also, pass it along to others who you know would be interested in reading it.
As the new academic year begins, we wish you good health and happiness and hope to see
you soon at SRU!
Sincerely,
Nora Ambrosio
Chairperson
Cover: Samara Bailey –SRU dance major
Photography by Bruce Davis
2 DEPARTMENT OF Dance

The Limón project
Submitted by Nora Ambrosio
In the fall of 2005, the Dance Department, in conjunction with the Limón Institute in NYC,
purchased the rights to “Suite From A Choreographic Offering.” This dance was created in
1964 by world-renowned choreographer José Limón (1908-1972), and set to classical music by
J.S. Bach. Limón, known for his dynamic interplay between weight and weightlessness, formed
his dance company in 1946. His choreographic works were quickly recognized as masterpieces
and the company became a landmark of American modern dance. Limón Company member
Pablo Francisco Ruvalcaba came to Slippery Rock for two weeks to teach and set “Suite From A
Choreographic Offering” on a cast of 24 SRU dance majors. Ruvalcaba then returned to SRU in
fall, 2005 for a week to coach the students intensively on the Limón style and the choreography.
The dance has been performed on the SRU Faculty and Guest Dance Concert, SRU Dance
Theatre Winter Concert and at Butler County Community College. In April 2006, the SRU
students traveled to New York City to perform
the work at the Kaye Playhouse as part of the
“Sharing the Legacy” Conference, sponsored
by Hunter College. This experience was
wonderful for all involved. Every cast
member valued learning a historic work
created by one of the pioneers of modern
dance, and did an excellent job at
embodying the Limón style. Costume
designer Rebecca Morrice of the SRU
Theatre Department created beautiful
costumes for the piece, using a fall color
pallet that looked brilliant on stage.
“Choreographic Offerings”
by Jose Limon
Bringing the World to SRU
Year after year, SRU dance students have had the privilege to be exposed to prestigious dance
artists who specialize in a variety of movement forms such as Hula Kahiko, Hip Hop, Butoh,
Contemporary Dance, Brazilian Orisha Dances and Bharata Natyam. Learning from these
outstanding dance specialists has enriched the students’ overall understanding of dance and
has broadened their awareness of dance as a cultural expression. SRU Dance Department is
grateful to the guest artists and lecturers who have shared their expertise with us.
• Gillian Beauchamp – Contemporary Dance
• Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer –
Contemporary Dance
• Michael Cole – Dance Animation
• Princess M’hoon Cooper –
African-American Concert Dance
• Beth Corning. Dance Alloy—
Contemporary Dance
• Teena Custer – Hip Hop, Jazz and
Contemporary Dance
• Natalie Desch. Doug Varone -
Contemporary Dance
• Jeanine Durning – Contemporary Dance
• Doug Elkins - Contemporary Dance
• Dan Froot & Victoria Marks - Contemporary
Dance
• Miguel Gutierrez – Contemporary Dance
• Arturo Hernandez - Contemporary Ballet
Koresh Dance
• Nina Martin – Dance Improvisation
• Bridget Moore – African-American Concert
Dance
• Gwen Ritchie. LABCO—Contemporary
Dance & Pilates
• Michele de la Reza & Peter Kope. Attack Theater—
Contemporary Dance
• Pablo Francisco Ruvalcaba Limón Company –
Modern dance
• Robert Steele – Classical Ballet
• Nai Ni Chen – Classical Chinese Dance
• Nego Gato Music and Dance Ensemble –
Brazilian Orisha Dances and Capoeira
• Michael Pili Pang (Kumu Hula). Halau Hula Ka
No’eau.
• Revathi Ramachandran – Bharata Natyam
• Billy Sigenfeld. Jump Rhythm Jazz Dance
Company
• Wayne Smith – Contemporary Dance
• Robert Steele - Classical Ballet
• Mark Taylor - Contemporary Dance
• Troika Ranch – Dance Technology
• Lani Fand-Weissbach – Butoh
• Mary Williford-Shade – Contemporary Dance
• Helanius Wilkins. Edgeworks Dance Theater -
Contemporary Dance
Dance@SRU.EDU 3

During summer 2005, Nola Nolen
Holland worked with Jaya Mani and
Srinivasa Mani to coordinate the
trip of the three dance majors who
traveled to Chennai, India. She also
taught master classes and created
two new works for the students at
SheLor School of Dance in Butler.
For the 2005 faculty concert, Nolen
Holland presented Transmission,
restaged for eight dancers. A new
section, which includes faculty
members Thom Cobb and Wilma
Cavill is slated for the 2006 faculty
concert. Nolen Holland and Dr. Glenn
Utsch continued their music and
dance technology collaboration in
the Music for Dance class. During
summer 2006, Nolen Holland plans
to complete the ninth chapter of
the Music for Dance text and travel
for research and professional
development projects.
faculty highlights
Nora Ambrosio recently had a
sabbatical leave and completed six
chapters of a new textbook under
the working title “The Excellent
Instructor and the Teaching of
Dance Technique.” Additionally,
she choreographed a solo, “3 a.m.-
Lonely City,” on senior dance major
Nicolyn Lonzo. This solo was part
of the “Nightowl Suite” that featured
live music by the Three Rivers Jazz
Orchestra.
Thom Cobb attended the
PSAHPERD Convention in
Lancaster, PA where he received
the Dance Educator of the Year
Award. He was also selected as
the 2006 EDA Memorial Scholar
for the Eastern District Association
Conference. At this same event
Cobb presented a session titled
“Syncopation in Sneakers: Jazz
in the Gymnasium.” In October he
attended the National
Dance Education
Organization
Conference in
Buffalo, NY where
he facilitated a student member
discussion on current issues in
undergraduate dance education.
He is also currently on the NDEO
Board of Directors in charge of
bylaws and organization structure.
Cobb taught at the Dance Teacher
Magazine Conference in New
York City and went from there to a
dance workshop for public school
educators held at the University of
Wyoming in Laramie. Society and
Social Dance is a new Liberal
Studies course designed and
developed by Thom Cobb.
In Summer 2005, Jennifer Keller
received the SRU President’s Award
for International Travel. She traveled
to Brussels, Belgium to attend
the Kunsten Festival of the Arts
and a dance workshop at the Wim
Vandekeybus/Utlima Vez studio.
In October 2005 she presented
“Political Reflex,” an evening of solos
and duets at the Kelly-Strayhorn
Theatre in Pittsburgh. The
concert featured two collaborative
duets, a solo premiere, and two
commissioned solos. Keller plans
on touring some of these works,
along with other works from her
2003 concert repertory, during
her sabbatical in fall 2006. She
recently participated in a research
and development laboratory,
titled “March to Marfa,” with 20
experienced improvisers in Marfa,
Texas. Her students presented her
choreography at SRU in the 2005
Faculty and Guest Artist concert,
as well as in Pittsburgh at Attack
Theatre’s First Friday series last
March.
Jaya Mani, along with master
teacher from India, Revathi
Ramachandran, conducted a
workshop on Bharata Natyam in
Pittsburgh in the Summer of 2005.
Together they performed two dances
based on Indian mythology in both
Pittsburgh and Orlando, FL. In
addition, she presented a paper
titled “Dance and Therapy” at the
Fourth Annual Hawai’i International
Conference on Arts and Humanities,
held in Honolulu, HI.
Ursula Payne’s involvement as a
choreographer/performer with the
collective This Woman’s Work (TWW)
has lead to her inclusion in the Dance
Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch list. Most
recently she was awarded her fourth
Pennsylvania Council of the Arts
2006 Choreographer’s Fellowship.
This award will allow her to create
a group work that will be premiered
in a shared dance concert with
Edgeworks Dance Company at the
American Dance Institute in Rockville,
Maryland on April 29th, 2006.
Payne was named Director of the
Professional Dancer’s Workshops at
the American Dance Festival where
she has been on faculty for the past
four summers, teaching contemporary
dance technique, movement analysis
and dance notation.
Melissa Teodoro spent the Summer
of 2005 doing field research on
Cumbia in the Colombian village of
El Banco. She presented a paper
based on her research findings at
the SDHS conference in Evanston,
IL. She also presented a multidisciplinary
piece at the 2005 SRU
Faculty Concert titled “Cumbia: an
Endless Quest” that included dance,
text and projected images. In the Fall
of 2005 Teodoro presented another
paper titled “Farotas de Talaigua:
The unveiling of female sexual abuse
during the Spanish colonization in
Colombia” at the CORD conference
in Montreal. In March of 2006 she
participated as a moderator in the
2nd Undergraduate Symposium of
Latin American Studies held at the
University of Pittsburgh and mentored
senior dance major Laura Stokes
who successfully presented a paper
at this symposium.
4 DEPARTMENT OF Dance

The Lucy Isacco Sack Academic
Year Scholarship/2006 was awarded
to Rachel Renock.
The Lucy Isacco Sack Summer
Study Scholarships/2005 were
awarded to Alicia Fergusson and
Jessica Krahe. Fergusson attended
the Dance Alloy Summer Intensive
in Pittsburgh, PA where she
engaged in contact improvisation
sessions, yoga classes and a
variety of other dance forms and
movement techniques. Krahe
attended the Tisch Summer Festival
in NYC where she had the unique
opportunity to work with prestigious
choreographers such as Ronald K.
Brown, David Dorfman and Bill
Young.
The following students were
recognized by the Department
of Dance for their
outstanding
achievements
during the 2005-
2006 academic
year:
Award for
Outstanding
Major in Dance:
Danielle
Adams and Valerie
Lacy;
Award for Outstanding
Choreographer: Dawn
Bohn;
Award for Outstanding Performer:
Jessica Krahe and Nicolyn
Lonzo;
Award for Outstanding Researcher:
Laura Stokes;
Award for Outstanding Teacher:
Elizabeth Sisler.
Rachel Mess, Rachel Renock and
Nicole Russ traveled to Chennai,
India in the Summer of 2005 where
they continued their training in the
classical Indian dance form Bharata
Natyam.
In March of 2006 Laura Stokes
presented a paper titled The
Plena, a Reflection of Puerto Rican
Identity in the 2nd Undergraduate
Symposium in Latin American
Studies organized by the
Department of Hispanic Cultures
and Literature and The Center
for Latin American Studies of the
University of Pittsburgh.
SRUDT dance works by senior
students Dawn Bohn and Jenna
Polak were chosen by dance
department faculty to participate
in ACDFA-2006 at Ohio State
University. Bohn’s solo piece was
titled Anonymous and Polak’s group
piece was titled Instinct.
Twenty senior
dance majors
performed a variety
of dance works in
the Senior Synthesis
Concert at the
Swope Recital Hall
on April 29. One of
the pieces featured
was choreographed
by guest artists
Michele de la Reza
and Peter Kope,
co-directors of
Pittsburgh-based
dance company
Attack Theater.
student highlights
The Lucy Isacco Sack Academic
Year Scholarship/2005 was awarded
to Valerie Lacy.
The Freshman Dance Scholarships
2005-2006 was awarded to Darcey
Karas.
The Minority Dance Scholarship
2005-2006 was awarded to Todd
Englander.
The Joanne McKeag Scholarship
2005-2006 was awarded to Amy
Slep.
The Lucy Isacco Sack Summer
Study Scholarships/2006 were
awarded to Lisa O’Brien and
Kathryn Kuczka.
Dance@SRU.EDU 5

Shannon Altman (2005)
just finished her one-year
season contract with the
Dancing Wheels Modern
Dance Company in Cleveland,
OH. She will be marrying
Justin Kleemook on June 17,
2006 and is looking forward to
married life with her husband
to be.
Julie Boulton (1998) received
an MFA degree from the
University of North Carolina in
Greensboro. She is currently
the director of Gymnastics at
The Little Gym of Greensboro
which is a motor skill
development facility for children
ages 4 months to 12 years. I
also contract with The Little
Gym International and have
had the opportunity to write
the dance curriculum for all of
the franchises. This curriculum
is currently being facilitated
in approximately 100 gyms
alumni news
throughout the U.S. and Puerto
Rico. The program will expand
to The Little Gyms in Asia
during the Fall. I will be getting
married on September 16th,
2006 to SRU alumni, Jamie
Chaltain.
CC Braun (2004) is attending
Arizona State University where
she is pursuing her MFA in
Dance. She is currently a
graduate assistant for a dance
technology course taught by
John Mitchell.
Teena Custer (2000) fnished
her MFA degree at Ohio State
University in 2004 and was
a visiting faculty at SRU in
2004-2005. She has performed
with Attack Theatre, Dance
Alloy, Shelter Repertory
Dance Theatre, Shih-Ming Li
Chang, and Ursula Payne. Her
choreographic works have been
commissioned by LabCo, SRU,
CAPA, University of Pittsburgh,
Wittenberg University and Middle
Tennessee State University.
Stephanie Marie Davis (2004)
works as a choreographer for the
Armstrong Community Theater
and the Kittanning Senior High
School. She also teaches at
Center Stage Dance Studio in
Ford City, PA. She will soon
be attaining her MS degree in
Library Science/Specialized
Information Centers.
Kiley Durst (2005) started
dancing with New York based
company ACFDance in the
Spring/06. The company
performs in the NYC and
neighboring areas. She
performed at the DUMBO
Dance Festival in Brooklyn
and at the Blackbox Showcase
at the Breathe Yoga Studio in
Pittsburgh in the Fall of 2005.
Maria Hanley (2005) is
currently attending New York
University to earn her MA in
Dance Education.
Rebecca Hillerby (2004)
has been dedicating most of
her time to teaching at the
Jane Baron’s Academy of
Dance. In the Spring of 2006,
in collaboration with Joanie
Johnson, she produced Dance
Exposure, a dance concert
that included works from SRU
alumni Francie Lloyd and Amy
Schnelle. This collaborative
concert took place at Lehigh
University on March 10, 2006.
Gretchen M. Hurd (2002)
is currently performing and
teaching with LABCO Dance
Company in Pittsburgh, PA.
She teaches Jazz and Hip Hop
at the Dance Alloy Theater
School. She also is involved in
community outreach by teaching
dance at Linden Academy
and for the Braddock community
kids.
Lori Incardona (2005) moved
to Florida after she graduated
from SRU and is teaching at the
Flex Dance Studio. She plans to
move to NYC in the near future
to join a group of SRU Dance
alumni.
Joanie Johnson (2004) is
working with a volunteer dance
company called House of the
Roses founded by Broadway
veteran Jeff Shade that offers
positive reinforcement and
creative encouragement to
underprivileged children in
Manhattan and the Bronx
through dance. She also coproduced
Dance EXposure with
fellow SRU alumni, Rebecca
Hillerby. This collaborative
concert took place at Lehigh
University on March 10, 2006.
Meredith Koloski (1999) is
currently teaching dance at La
Mesa College in Phoenix, AZ.
She also works at the 24 Hour
Fitness as a personal trainer,
a kick-box and weightlifting
instructor, and a Hip Hop,
Salsa, Yoga and Pilates
teacher. She recently obtained
a personal training and a kickboxing
certification.
Kelly Lewis (2004) is currently
pursuing her MA in Theatre
Arts at Western Washington
University in Bellingham, WA.
Her MA thesis, which is in its
final stages, is based on the
traditional Japanese dance
form called Nihon Buyo. Kelly
worked as a dramaturge and
choreographer for the WWU
Season Show Naku Tsuru and
the Samurai which incorporated
elements of Kabuki, Noh,
Bunraku and Nihon Buyo. After
obtaining her MA degree, Kelly
plans to apply to PhD programs
in Asian Dance History.
Francie Lloyd (2004) is
living in NYC and engaged
in various dance/fitness
projects. She participated as a
choreographer and performer in
the International Dance Festival
at the Dicapo Opera House in
NYC in the Summer of 2005.
She also performed with the Chi
Ying Kao and Dancers and with
SRU alumnus Rebecca Hillerby
as part of the National Dance
Week celebration. In the Fall of
2005 she was commissioned
by the University of Utah to
re-stage her work Lady of the
Lake. Francie is now a certified
Pilates Matwork instructor
and is completing a National
Strength and Conditioning
Association - Certified Personal
Trainer program.
6 DEPARTMENT OF Dance

Tara Madsen (2004) is a
second year graduate teaching
fellow at Smith College
working towards her MFA in
Performance & Choreography.
In the past two years Tara has
performed and choreographed
for various venues such as
the Monterrey Dance Festival
in California, the International
Choreographer’s Showcase in
Barcelona and Madrid, PS122’s
Avant Garde Arama in NYC,
The Durham Arts Council in
North Carolina, The Solar
Powered Dance Festival in
NYC and ACDFA 2005/2006.
Tara is working towards her
certification in Gyrotonics/
Gyrokinesis and is planning
on moving to New York City to
continue her dance career.
Jennifer Renee Magnani
Wolfe (1996) has been
employed at the T.H.E. Dance
Place for the past eight years.
She has choreographed for the
Ford City High School Chorus
and Ensemble groups, as well
as Kittanning High School
dance and drill team. Her
husband Dan and Jennifer
(in company of their children
Cole Nicholas and MacKenzie
Cora), celebrated their 10th
wedding anniversary in
November of 2005.
Amanda O’Brien (2004) is
presently dancing at the Fayette
School of Ballet and performing
with Ballet Lafayette. She
was featured in principle roles
such as Katrina Van Tassel in
SLEEPY HOLLOW and Alice in
ALICE THE BALLET. She will
be traveling to Poland for the
Ladek Zdroj Summer Dance
Festival this coming July and will
be touring with Ballet Lafayette’s
production ALICE THE BALLET
to Erie, Columbus, and other
cities this summer.
Anna Pishner Harsh (1995) is
the Artistic Director of Allegro
Dance Company which has
toured the US and Italy for over
ten years. She currently teaches
dance and Pilates at La Danse
Technique in St. Clairsville,
OH and choreographs for
regional pageants and theater
productions. In 2005 she
performed in the Rewind concert
held at the Kelly-Strayhorn
Theater in Pittsburgh. Anna
was appointed as the WV State
Director of National Dance
Week and continues to create
and teach outreach projects in
celebration of this event. Anna
was married to Greg Harsh from
Wheeling WV on May 1, 2004.
Anita Reda (2004) is co-owner
of Essence of Motion Dance
Studio in Coudersport, PA which
was purchased together with
Margaret Spahr, also an SRU
alumnus, in August of 2005.
They soon plan to expand the
studio and within a couple of
years start preparing students
for performance opportunities at
competitive and non-competitive
dance events.
Jennifer Roe (2004) teaches
at Dance Implosions Studio
in New Castle, PA and at the
Henry Mancini Arts Academy
in Midland, PA. She is currently
choreographing for two
musicals theater productions
at the Riverside and Mohawk
high schools and is resident
choreographer and assistant
director for the New Castle
Playhouse’s Stars of Tomorrow
and Mini Stars. Jennifer received
her BS in Elementary Education
in December of 2005.
Sally Sherman (1999). After
serving Pittsburgh-based dance
company Dance Alloy for nearly
6 years as Managing Director
and Teaching Artist, she is now
faculty at Penn State University’s
New Kensington campus where
she teaches dance in the
Department of Kinesiology. She
is also a faculty member of the
Performing Arts department at
Winchester Thurston School in
Pittsburgh. She is pursuing her
final year of graduate studies
and will be earning a Masters
degree in Education from Penn
State University. She is an active
member of the Pittsburgh Dance
Connection, performing the
works of various established and
emerging choreographers. Her
personal choreography, as well
as collaborative choreography
with fellow SRU alumnus
Heather Konopka-Gerlach, has
been shown throughout the
Pittsburgh region.
Nichelle Strzepek (1999) lives
in Waco, TX where she teaches
dance at various locations. She
is a frequent choreographer for
Waco Civic Theater and recently
opened a creative dance
program called Kids in Motion
at the Bledsoe-Miller Recreation
Center. During the summer
Nichelle directs the dance
program at Camp Danbee, an
all-girls sleep-away camp in
Western Massachusetts.
Rosie Trump (2003) is
pursuing her MFA degree at
the University of California,
Riverside where she continues
to develop her skills as a
performer, choreographer and
researcher.
Marcy Jo Yonkey (2005) is
presently a scholarship MFA
candidate at Texas Womans
University. She is a graduate
teaching assistant for Online
Dance Education. Marcy will be
participating in the Zen Monkey
Project Summer Intensive
directed by Ray Schwartz
that will focus on Mind/Body
Centering and Somatics this
Summer in Charlottsville, Va.
alumni news
Dance@SRU.EDU 7

India in our Bodies
Submitted by Rachel Mess, Rachel Renock and Nicole Russ
(SRU dance department students)
the Summer of 2005, with the
In support of the Dance Department,
the Sociology/Anthropology/SocialWork
Department and the International
Initiatives Office at Slippery Rock
University, we spent a month in the city of
Chennai, India taking part in an internship
where we continued our studies of the
classical Indian form Bharata Natyam under
master teacher Revathi Ramachandran.
Before this intensive workshop, we had
studied this classical Indian form for a
semester at SRU with Ms. Jaya Mani as a
component of out World Dance course.
Our trip to India was a life changing
experience. It expanded our views of
the world, our approach to life and our
understanding of dance.
Several hours of training a day in the
Bharata Natyam dance form with Ms.
Ramachandran was a once in a lifetime
opportunity that we will cherish forever.
Understanding the complexity of Bharata
Natyam did not happen immediately.
It took us a while to process and digest
so much information that is involved in
this dance form. A unique factor that we
discovered about Bharata Natyam is that
it is very integral to the Indian culture;
it cannot be perceived as an independent
cultural expression; it is clearly connected to
other aspects of the Indian culture such as
its food, its music, its religion.
Another highlight of the trip was sharing
with Indian students our knowledge and
perception of dance. We were given the
opportunity to teach a Modern Dance class
to Ms. Ramachandran’s regular Bharata
Natyam students who had no exposure to
any other form of dance but the classical
Indian form. We struggled to express ideas
and find images that would substitute for
our Modern Dance terminology. We found
ourselves breaking down movement to its
smallest fragment of expression in order
for them to grasp concepts so foreign to
their bodies. They were amused by moving
at a low level and allowing their various
body parts to contact the ground. We were
challenged to re-think and re-discover
Modern Dance technique through their
bodies. Their curiosity and eagerness to
learn from us, just as we were learning from
them, was inspiring and truly touching.
This overall experience opened our eyes,
allowed us to see beyond our familiar world
and made us more culturally aware and
sensitive to other
realities. It also made
us come to appreciate
the education we are
receiving at Slippery
Rock University. We
will remain forever
grateful to everyone
who has helped us get
to where we are today.
8 DEPARTMENT OF Dance

The aromas of chai
and Indian spices
filled the air
at SRU
Submitted by
Nola Nolen-
Holland
The Dance in India
Initiative began when
Dance Department Guest
Artist, Jaya Mani, invited
her fall 2003 World Dance
class to India. After an
application process, two
students were chosen to
travel half-way around the
world to continue their study of
Bharata Natyam in southern India, the
region where the art form originated.
Two students, Kiley Durst (class of
’05) and Amanda O’Brien (class of ’04)
accomplished their goal and made the
journey, thanks to the fundraising efforts
of Dr. Srinivasa Mani, anthropology,
and Ms. Mani. Durst and O’Brien also
received one internship credit through
the Sociology/Anthropology/Social
Work Department.
In November 2004, the first
Dance in India Fundraising Lecture
Demonstration was presented. Predemonstration
activities included
Indian food concessions, henna
hand painting, and a sari wrapping
demonstration. Through Dr. and Ms.
Mani and students’ efforts, West Gym’s
lobby became a beautiful and lively
Indian gathering place for the evening.
The aromas of chai and Indian spices
filled the air. Funds raised at the 2004
lecture demonstration
contributed to a second
summer of internships in India
for three students.
The three 2005 Dance in India
summer interns were Rachel Mess
(Niagara, NY), Rachel Renock
(Kittanning, PA), and Nicole Russ
(Frostburg, MD), who had just completed
their sophomore year. These students
disseminated what they learned and
experienced in India at the second annual
Dance in India Lecture Demonstration
on April 11, 2006. This year’s lecture
demonstration also featured live Indian
music. Funds raised will go toward the
summer 2006 internships for students
who studied with Ms. Mani in the fall
2005 World Dance class. Donations
from the community are welcome and
will help continue the initiative. Please
send donations to the Dance Department.
Checks should be made payable to the
SRU Foundation with “Dance in India
Initiative” noted on the memo line.
Donations are tax-deductible.
Tiger in the
Wellness
Lab!!!
Submitted by Jennifer Keller
Tiger X, Safari, and Mighty Mouse;
Airport Extreme Base Station, Superdrives and
Flashdrives, are all new technological species
that now inhabit our newly renovated computer
lab in the field house dance studio.
In spring 2005, Jennifer Keller and Nora
Ambrosio submitted and received a $65.000
grant to create an interactive, “smart” classroom.
The grant allowed the dance department to
take some innovative steps for learning and
teaching through technology. A teacher’s
consul, a projection and an archiving system
are some of the highlights in this state-of-theart
lab. We are happily incorporating these
technologies into the Music for Dance, Dance
Technology, and Senior Synthesis classes.
Five permanent Mac G5 workstations, and
five mobile (laptop) stations are equipped with
the Tiger operating system. All are connected
to wireless Internet access (the “airport”). The
mobile stations allow students to carry their
animation and video work easily and directly to
the studio or stage. A teacher’s consul features
a remote desktop control that permits the
instructor to project her, or any student’s work,
on a 50 inch wall-mounted plasma television.
All workstations include DVD burners for
archiving work. A scanner and Photosmart
printer are making it possible for the senior
students to create and print their concert poster
designs right in the lab.
Last fall, Music for Dance students used
Garageband software and two new midi
keyboards to create their compositions. In
the spring, Dance Technology students tested
the video editing program, Final Cut Pro, for
their video dance projects. Additional but
essential renovations include new wall lighting,
a Bose sound system, workstation headphones,
a cooling system, and a partition to insure
separate work areas for students working on
the computers and those working on the Pilates
equipment.
For those newsletter readers whom I
affectionately refer to as the “Dance Technology
Pioneers,” I thank you for your ground-breaking
work and officially assign you to the generation
who can captivate youthful audiences by
claiming, “Back in my day, we had to wait for
videos to render!” Please come pay us a visit; we
look forward to giving you a tour!
Dance@SRU.EDU 9

They speak
through my dance,
they dance
through my voice
Submitted by Ursula Payne
Moving beyond or transcending the
trauma of slavery is a journey that requires
patience, perseverance and faith. The effects
of forced cultural displacement are a reality
of people of African descent living in today’s
world. African-American artists continue to
deal with the legacy of institutional racism,
historical distortions and the negative
stereotypes embedded in American history
within their creative work. Not knowing
one’s ancestral roots was troubling to my
spirit and a mystery worth examining.
As a result of my ongoing research
of African dance forms within the
Diaspora and past associations with
choreographers of African descent
such as Dr. Pearl Primus, Ronald
K. Brown, Donald McKayle, Eva
Gholson and Dianne McIntyre, I
began to question the presence and the
function of the African aesthetic in my
work as a choreographer and performer.
After reflecting back on my past solos
and group works, I confirmed that my
choreographic and performative practices
were deeply rooted in the Africanaesthetic.
It was challenging though,
to decipher what specific aspects of
my dance were a reflection of my
ethnic and cultural heritage. I
was able to identify certain
properties of physicality,
dynamic phrasing
and rhythm
inherent
in the
Brazilian
Samba,
Capoeira
and Orisha dances
in my movements and in my choreography,
but it was still unsettling to ignore my exact
genealogical lineage.
I used DNA testing to determine my
ancestral lineage through the African
Ancestry non-profit organization located
in Washington, D.C. Their Matriclan TM
service analyzed the genetic sequence of
my mitochondrial DNA. The PatriClan
TM service analyzed the nine markers of
the Y-Chromosome, which determined my
paternal connection to African Ancestors.
The scientists compared both of
my genetic sequences against a
database of African
DNA sequences. They were
able to determine the
present-day African
population with which
I shared maternal
and paternal ancestry.
Interestingly 30%
of African-American
paternal lineages match
a European database and
not an African database. I
discovered
that I
was connected to the Akan
people which account for 44% of the
population of Ghana, and to the Mbundo
people of Angola dispelling the belief that I
am a minority.
Through the research I developed during
my sabbatical leave, I came to learn about
my own African heritage with as much
certainty as scientific technology could
guarantee. I traveled to Brazil, Egypt and
Ethiopia where I was able to take risks and
explore original ways of conceptualizing the
construction of solo choreography through
ancestral, historical
and movement research. As a
mid-career artist, it was necessary for me to
dissolve insecurities inherited from slavery
and European colonization, that considered
all things African to be inferior. In spite
overcoming artistic insecurities due to
past racial injustices, it is still a struggle
for independent African-American artists
to voice their own unique and complex
aesthetics when confronted with the
dominating Europeanist aesthetic deeply
molded into American art
forms.
As I continue to dance and
my body continues to evolve and reveal
the shape of my Ghanaian, Angolan, and
Cherokee Indian feminine ancestors, the
external pressure placed upon me to adhere
to an Europeanist aesthetic intensifies. The
sabbatical period enabled me to reinforce
and deepen my own artistic vision towards
the development of artistic choreography
which focuses on projecting representations
of black womanhood that seek to reveal the
depth of their humanity and examine the
shifting roles women of African descent
have assumed throughout history into
contemporary society.
10 DEPARTMENT OF Dance

Mission accomplished at ACDFA
In March of 2006 sixteen students attended ACDFA at Ohio State University and did a wonderful job representing the SRU’s Department
of Dance. The adjudicators praised the dancers for performing as an ensemble, being well-rehearsed and dancing as one during the unison
sections. The dancers performed Mission choreographed by guest artist Princess Mhoon Cooper formerly a dancer for the Ronald K. Brown
Evidence Dance company and the Chuck Davis’s African-American Dance Ensemble; Anonymous, a solo choreographed by senior student
Dawn Bohn; and Instinct, a group piece choreographed by senior student Jenna Polak.
Mission by Princess M’Hoon Cooper.
Dance@SRU.EDU 11

Department of Dance
110 Morrow Field House
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Save these Dates
• Faculty and Guest Artists Dance Concert - Oct. 24, 2006. 8:00 p.m.,
Miller Auditorium.
• Slippery Rock University Dance Theatre (SRUDT) Fall Concert –
December, 2006. Swope Recital Hall.
• Slippery Rock University Dance Theatre (SRUDT) Winter Concert -
Feb.1, 2 and 3, 2007. 8:00pm, Miller Auditorium.
• Dance in India Initiatives Concert. Spring 2007.
West Gym Dance Auditorium
• Senior Synthesis Concert – April, 2007. Swope Recital Hall
Editor: Melissa Teodoro
Photography: Bruce Davis
Design: Bonnie Montgomery
Contributing Writers: Dance Faculty
and students
Printing: Bid
12 DEPARTMENT OF Dance