2006 Dance Newsletter - Slippery Rock University

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