College of Arts and Sciences - Nova Southeastern University

Nova Southeastern University
The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences
and the Division of Performing and Visual Arts
present
Dance Works
October 28–29, 2011
7:30 p.m.
Performance Theatre
Don Taft University Center
Nova Southeastern University
Featuring
NSU Dance Ensemble
with choreography by
Elana Lanczi
Erika Del Pozo
Augusto Soledade
Rachel Belmont
Katie Sopoci Drake
Chetachi Egwu
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NSU DANCE Ensemble
Camille Arroyo*
Rachel Belmont*
Kylie Bradlee*
Fernando Campos
Shannon Colonna
Sharifa Denis
Ashley English*
Susana Fajardo*
Brandon Fromhoff
Monica Herrera*
Rayna Orsini*
Lisa Pace
Amy Peters*
Stephanie Ponce*
Brielle Rassler*
Devin Rodgers
Megan Angela Rodriguez
Erin Rogan*
Merylin Sanchez*
Catalina Vanegas
*denotes dance major
Dan Gelbmann, M.F.A.
Margaret Ledford
Ed Fitzpatrick
Bill Adams, D.M.A.
Gillian Smith
Jonathan Sanz
Costume Assistant
Production Team
Scenic and Lighting Design
Technical Director
PVA Facilities Manager
Performing Arts Coordinator
Sound
Box Office
Cristal Rodriguez
3

Glory (in pieces)
Dance Works
Special thanks to the dancers for their creative contributions.
Choreography: Elana Lanczi
Music: Muhammad Ali, Emmalee Crane
Sound Edit: Elana Lanczi
Dancers: Fernando Campos, Brandon Fromhoff, Lisa Pace,
Stephanie Ponce, Devin Rodgers, Megan Angela Rodriguez, Erin
Rogan, Merylin Sanchez
Glory (in pieces) is a continuation of work created as part of the 2011
Moving Current Dance Collective/New Grounds/Florida Dance Festival
Choreographic Residency.
Initial Reactions
Choreography: Erika Del Pozo
Dancers: Rachel Belmont, Erika Del Pozo, Rayna Orsini
Initial Reactions is about having lost someone or something close to you, or
having your dreams vanish in front of you. When something ceases to be
a part of your physical world, it doesn’t mean it still isn’t in your heart and
soul.
The Diaries of an Outlaw (excerpt)
Choreography: Augusto Soledade
Dancers: Ashley English, Amy Peters, Erin Rogan, Sharifa Denis,
Camille Arroyo, Shannon Colonna, Stephanie Ponce
Music: “Aquidauna,” Chico Cesar
Diaries of an Outlaw was inspired by the lives of Maria Bonita and Lampião,
two outlaws in the 1900s in Brazil’s Northeast. As leaders of the group who
stole from the rich to give to the poor, they became controversial figures. This
works explores and abstracts a sense of life on the run to create an artistic
perspective.
4

Lost and Found
Performing and Visual Arts | Studio Series
Choreography: Rachel Belmont
Music: “The Werewolf,” Figure
Dancers: Rachel Belmont, Rayna Orsini, Brandon Fromhoff
The Lady Lovibond
Choreography: Katie Sopoci Drake
Music: “Dolmen Music” and “Gotham Lullaby,” Meredith Monk;
Katie Sopoci Drake (editing)
Dancers: Camille Arroyo, Kylie Bradlee, Susana Fajardo, Brielle
Rassler, Megan Rodriguez, Catalina Vanegas
The sea rises to re-enact the sinking of the ghost ship Lady Lovibond (sunk
off the coast of England in 1748) and its crew’s tragic passions of jealousy,
fear, and love.
~Pause~
So Loved
Choreography: Chetachi Egwu
Music: Hugh Maskela, Yusef Lateef
Pictures/Video: Archival Footage
Dancers: Rachel Belmont, Fernando Campos, Sharifa Denis, Monica
Herrera, Rayna Orsini, Brielle Rassler, Devin Rodgers, Erin Rogan,
Catalina Vanegas
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Guest Choreographers
Dance Works
Erika Del Pozo, B.A., is a recent graduate of the college’s dance program. She began
her dance training in ballet, tap, and jazz and later discovered Middle Eastern dance.
During her first two years of college at Florida International University, Erika studied
ballet under Whitney Shulman and Paul Vitali and modern dance under Heather
Maloney. In 2009, Del Pozo began studying at Vladimir Issaev’s School of Classical
Ballet and performed in Don Quixote. During her time as a dance major at NSU, she
performed in Dance Works, Dance Concert, and Festival of Student Works. She won
the 2010 Black Box Award for Best Student Choreographer. Now studying to earn a
master’s degree in occupational therapy at NSU, Del Pozo feels fortunate to still be
involved in dancing and choreographing at the university.
Rachel Belmont was born in New Jersey and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida.
She is a senior dance major, pursing a minor in theatre, at the college. She has
been dancing for 19 years and is not stopping anytime soon. By the age of 15,
she was dancing for a professional a hip-hop company, Pfuzion Dance Theater,
and is now on the board of directors for the Pablo Malco Foundation, a nonprofit
organization. In addition, she has danced in several music videos, movies, artist tours
and commercials, as well as worked with celebrities including DJ Ian Carey, T-Vice,
Casely, Sal Richards, Mandy Ventrice, and Video Music Award-winning director
Eddie Enciu. After college, Belmont plans to direct music videos and continue on
with her dance journey. “Motivation is the key, and passion is the drive.”
College Faculty Members
Katie Sopoci Drake, M.F.A., adjunct professor at the college, has been dancing
professionally since 2001. She has earned a B.A. in Theater/Dance with a minor in
vocal performance from Luther College, an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of
Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and a Graduate Laban Certification in Movement Analysis
from Columbia College. She is currently a company member of Momentum Dance
Company in Miami, Florida. She has been a company member of Wild Space Dance
Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Your Mother Dances of Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
Rosy Simas Danse of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Vox Medusa of Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Sopoci Drake is also an avid singer and has performed with The
Minnesota Opera and the Florentine Opera. Her choreography has been performed
by Momentum Dance Company and Wild Space Dance Company, as well as in
multiple venues and schools including The Southern Theater, The Milwaukee Art
Museum, Patrick’s Cabaret, Danceworks Studio Theater, the University of Wisconsin—
Milwaukee, Lawrence University, Carthage College, and Broward College. Sopoci
Drake is currently on faculty at Miami Dade College/Kendall, and Nova Southeastern
University, where she teaches modern, jazz, ballet, and composition.
Chetachi Egwu, Ph.D., assistant professor at the college, was born in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, to Nigerian parents and raised in Buffalo, New York. She completed her
Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the State University of New York at Buffalo
in 1996. While a student there, Egwu undertook many ventures, including dancing
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Performing and Visual Arts | Studio Series
with Buffalo’s renowned African dance company, Kakilambe. She earned a Ph.D. in
Communication from Howard University in 2005. She has served on the faculties
of Howard University, Morgan State University, and The George Washington
University. She has studied under and performed the choreography of several wellrespected
dancers, including Sherrill Berryman-Johnson, Deborah Riley, Carla
Perlo, Chris Aiken, Mohammed DaCosta, Nejla Yatkin, and Reggie Glass. She has
been a company member of Carla & Company, Coyaba Dance Theater, and the
Choreographers’ Collaboration Project and has also danced various projects with
companies, including Son Urbano.
Elana Lanczi, M.F.A., assistant professor at the college, is a dancer and choreographer
originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She has performed internationally in both
South Korea and Brazil and nationally with noted choreographers Sean Curran,
Katie Duck, Anita Gonzalez, Li Chiao-Ping, Lionel Popkin, Merian Soto, and Maida
Withers, in venues such as the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival and Judson
Church, among others. Her own choreography is influenced by the investigation of
contemporary and improvisational dance forms and has been performed throughout
Pennsylvania; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Florida. In 2004 and 2005, she
received commissions from Tigertail Productions to perform and travel to Germany
and Mexico. Recently, she was involved in the Florida Waterways Dance Project
and performed in Vertical Sprawl (choreographed by Heather Maloney) at the 2011
Florida Dance Festival, where she was also a choreographer in residence. This year,
Lanczi will be presenting new work as part of the INKUB8 2011–2012 season. She
serves as the major chair of the dance program at the college. Lanczi holds a Bachelor
of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University and an M.F.A.
in Dance Choreography and Performance from Temple University.
Augusto Soledade, M.F.A., assistant professor at the college, is a native of Bahia,
Brazil. He is a performer, choreographer, and Founding Artistic Director and resident
choreographer of Brazz Dance Theater in Miami. In August 2011, Soledade was
nominated for the Zelda Fichandler Fellowship. In 2010, he was awarded for the
third time the Dance Miami Choreographer’s Fellowship; he received this important
fellowship the second time in September of 2008. Also in 2008, he was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship in Choreography. In 2007, he was awarded the Individual
Artist Fellowship and the Artist Access Grant. In 2006, Soledade was awarded the
Artist Enhancement Grant and the International Cultural Exchange Grant from
the State of Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs. In 2005, he received the Miami
Dade Choreographer’s Fellowship and the Creative Capital Workshop Grant and
the Community Grant from Miami Dade Cultural Affairs. He received his M.F.A in
Dance from SUNY Brockport in 1998. He received the 1998 Pylyshenko-Strasser
Graduate Dance Award and was the finalist in the dance category for the 1998
Thayer Fellowship. He has performed in Brazil, Trinidad/Tobago, and throughout the
United States. His dance training started at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil in a
program with strong modern dance emphasis and has had training with Garth Fagan
and Clyde Morgan. He also holds a degree in journalism from the Federal University
of Bahia.
7

NSU Dance Ensemble Members
Dance Works
Camille I. Arroyo was born in Puerto Rico. Although she was very active as a young
child in the arts in school and at church, she did not begin her dance training until late
in high school. She graduated from Valencia Community College with an Associate
of Arts degree in Dance Performance. Arroyo attended ACDFA in San Francisco,
where she took master classes from teachers around the nation. In 2006, she had the
privilege of being part of a Martha Graham masterpiece: “Steps in the Street” and
“Celebration,” for which she worked with Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch from the Graham
Company. In 2006, Arroyo became a principle dancer for Drip, a professional
dance company in Orlando. In 2007, she auditioned for a Pilobolus masterpiece
and worked with former Pilobolus dancer Jude Woodcock. Arroyo has performed in
college and the community, and she presented her first choreographic piece at the
end of 2007. She also began working with Orlando professional dance company
Nao Dance Ensemble. After graduating from the college, she plans to open her own
dance academy where she will continue to actively work within the community in
a place she calls home.
Kylie Bradlee is a dance major at the college, from Boston, Massachusetts. She
began her training at the Boston Ballet School and has continued dancing through
college.
Shannon Colonna instantly fell in love with dance when she began taking ballet at
the European Dance Academy at age six. Throughout her elementary and middle
school years, she took various styles of dance such as jazz, tap, and hip-hop.
She also took classes at Dance Perfect, taking tap lessons from Riverdance’s Toby
Harris. Colonna has taught hip-hop, ballet, and jazz classes at Dance Perfect and
the European Dance Academy. Beginning in 2006, she attended the Academy for
Visual and Performing Arts High School as a dance major, and graduated in 2010.
In her senior year, she interned under Eli Kababa, which began her journey with
the School of Performing Arts where she has served as an assistant teacher. Colonna
graduated from the County College of Morris in 2011 with an associate’s degree
in dance. She is continuing her education at NSU, double-majoring in dance and
business administration.
Fernando Campos is 27 and has been dancing for as long as he can remember.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he began training in martial arts and transferred this
interest to acrobatics/break dancing. Campos is fascinated by the extravagant, and
this has driven him into dance as a profession. He began teaching and performing at
various schools and for various artists, and found that he loves dance for its art. He is
pursuing a career in psychology at NSU.
Sharifa Denis, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at NSU. She has
been a member of IDS, formerly known as the Nova Dance Society, since 2010 and
has been dancing for 14 years. From Queens, New York, Denis began her dance
career at Adele’s dance studio then moved to the Edge School of the Arts. She moved
to Florida in 2002 and continued dancing at Flex Studios and SRQ Dance. In high
school, she danced on Black Pearls, the BRHS dance team; was an assistant teacher
at the Julie Rohr academy; and taught mini hip-hop at the SRQ dance studio.
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Performing and Visual Arts | Studio Series
Susana Fajardo was born in Havana, Cuba. She studied classical ballet at the Alejo
Carpentier Ballet School of Havana. She participated in Encuentro de Academias de
la Havana in 1999. She moved to the United States and continued to dance at Miami
Dade College. Fajardo attended New World School of the Arts for one semester and
danced Cecilia with the Rosario Suarez Ballet. At the college, she participated in the
2011 Dance Concert and the Florida Waterways Dance Project. She is eager to finish
her degree in order to pursue higher education in movement dance therapy and
Laban movement analysis. Fajardo is a mother, which inspires her to work and find
ways to teach the great art of dance in a therapeutic yet fun learning environment.
Her goals are to reach as many children with disabilities as she can. She believes
that dance can change someone’s life for the better.
Brandon Fromhoff started dancing at the age of 16 at American Heritage High
School, participating in many shows there. Although dance is not his major, he is
thrilled to be active with something he loves so much.
Monica Lynne Herrera is a triple-major in theatre, dance, and communication
studies at the college. She was most recently seen in the college’s productions of
Twelfth Night, Ruthless! the Musical, Baby the Musical, Dance Works (2009), and is
currently in Cabaret as Sally Bowles. She is thankful to her professors who continue
to educate and motivate.
Rayna Orsini is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in
Exceptional Student Education at NSU. This is her fourth dance performance with
the college. She is a member of Pfuzion Entertainment and Body and Soul Dance
Theatre. Orsini currently teaches dance to children of all ages and is pursuing a
career in teaching dance to children with special needs. She has been dancing for 15
years and appreciates the level of education and exploration she is receiving through
the college’s dance program.
Lisa Pace is currently a freshman at the college, majoring in biology. She intends
to pursue a minor in dance next year. Pace has been dancing since she was three
years old and has been competing since she was nine. She loves all styles of dance
including, ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, and modern. She was
previously a member of the Envision Ballet Company and plans to join another
dance company when the opportunity becomes available.
Amy Peters is a junior who is studying dance at the college. She has also studied dance
at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Peters started learning dance at the University
Center for the Performing Arts in 2007. She has studied with Eileen Hebron, Jin Young
Lee, Kathleen Klein, Gaynelle Gosselin, Elana Lanczi, Katie Sopoci Drake, Daniela
Wancier, and choreographer Heather Maloney. Peters enjoyed being a part of the
Florida Waterways Dance Project. She also has enjoyed learning more about dance
at the college. She is an honoree recipient of the scholarship grant award for dance
and has earned Dean’s List. She has also performed in the Fort Lauderdale Christmas
Pageant for three years, working with Christy and Jeff Crevier.
Stephanie Nicole Ponce is a Cuban-American dancer born in Miami, Florida. She
began her dance instruction at the age of three at Ballet Etudes and later progressed to
9

Dance Works
Florido Dance and Arts, where she learned multiple dance art forms and participated
in numerous national competitions. During her tenure, she progressed from student
to instructor and was recruited into the SunDance Company. Ponce is a double-major
at the college in dance and psychology, and serves as vice president of the iDance
Society. She has performed in the college’s productions of Opening Night, Residue,
Dance Works, Spring Dance Concert, and the Student Dance Festivals. Aspiring to
combine her two schools of discipline, Ponce aspires to positively impact the art
community through education and the exploration of dance.
Brielle Paige Rassler has been dancing and performing her whole life. Her favorite
roles include Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, Maria in West Side Story, Narrator in Joseph...,
and Hope in Urinetown. She was also seen as Bird 2 in the college’s production of A
Year with Frog and Toad and is very excited to be part of Dance Works, her first dance
concert with the college.
Devin Rodgers is a first-year, freshman at NSU. He started his dance training at age
nine in the areas of jazz, tap, and ballet. Growing through dance, at age 15, Rodgers
joined his high school varsity dance team. During his two years with the group,
he helped take them to a national competition hosted at Disney World. Following
his love of dance and to broaden his spectrum of knowledge, he is now studying
different areas of dance at the college, hoping to fulfill a minor in dance. He is very
excited and appreciative to be selected to dance in the Dance Works showcase.
Erin Rogan is a dance major at the college. She has been dancing for about 14 years
and loves every minute of it. She started off as a competitive dancer in jazz and hiphop.
In college, she has learned many different styles, from modern to improvisation
and everything in between. She is active on campus as a member of iDance Society.
“Dance is my passion; it is what makes me happy. I enjoy performing for others
because it’s not just about me; it’s about art and creativity. Live. Love. Dance.”
Merylin Sanchez is a junior dance major at the college. This is her first semester at
NSU. She has been dancing since she can remember, but it wasn’t until grade 6 that
she began to focus on technique. Ever since then, her life has been all about dance.
Sanchez was captain of her high school dance team and was in the magnet program.
She became so involved that after graduating, she was honored to become the team’s
assistant director. She is also a lab supervisor at the school, with a goal to open up
her own academic school for the arts in the future.
Catalina Vanegas was born in Miami and recently graduated from Miami
Northwestern Senior high school as the Musical Theater Tour Company president and
dance captain. Catalina is a freshman at the college, majoring in theatre. Vanegas
is member of the Sharkettes dance team, SUTV, the NSU Vocal Ensemble, and the
Bossa Nova Choral. She will appear in the college’s production of Cabaret as Lulu
and Fräulein Kosts’ understudy, and dances Afro-Colombian folklore with Quillami
and Anita Herrero. Vanegas worked in Raquette Lake Camp in New York and in the
Universal Truth Center as the theater choreographer and dance instructor.
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Division of Performing and Visual Arts Faculty and Staff
Michael Caldwell, D.M.A.
Mark Duncan, M.F.A.
Bill J. Adams, D.M.A.
Jennifer Donelson, D.M.A.
Dan Gelbmann, M.F.A.
Elana Lanczi, M.F.A.
Tyler Smith, M.F.A.
Tennille Shuster, M.F.A.
Augusto Soledade, M.F.A.
Ed Fitzpatrick
Margaret M. Ledford
Lindsay Bartels
Nastassia Baltodano
Director, Division of Performing and Visual Arts
Assistant Director, Division of Performing and
Visual Arts/Associate Professor
Coordinator of Performing Arts/
Associate Professor
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Visiting Professor
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Performing and Visual Arts
Facilities Coordinator
Performing and Visual Arts Theatre
Technical Manager
Performing and Visual Arts Office Manager
Performing and Visual Arts Administrative Assistant
Performing and Visual Arts Membership
The college welcomes the community to support the arts on campus
through giving opportunities including student scholarships and
Performing and Visual Arts Membership.
Learn more: (954) 262-8052 | farquhararts@nova.edu
Thank you to the following Performing and Visual Arts Members
for your generous support of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences
Season of the Arts.
Elaine Azen
Tim Dixon
James Doan and
Ron Norwood
George L. Hanbury, II
Lisa Hickman
Dan Madden
Gary and Ivy Margules
Edwin Stieve and
Otto Paier
Sally Robbins
Don and Sherry
Rosenblum
Amanda Thompson
Robert Weisberg
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Performing and Visual Arts | 2011–2012 Season of the Arts
Premier Series
These events are held in the Performing and
Visual Arts Wing in the Don Taft
University Center on NSU’s main campus.
Admission is free, but reservations are required.
To reserve seats, email nsutheatre@nova.edu or
call (954) 262-8179.
Cabaret by Joe Masteroff,
John Kander, and Fred Ebb
November 11–20, 2011
Performance Theatre
PEACE: A Holiday Concert
Friday, December 2, 2011
Performance Theatre
Tartuffe by Molière
with a translation by Richard Wilbur
February 17 –26, 2012
Black Box Theatre
Dance Concert
March 30–31, 2012
Miniaci Performing Arts Center
Studio Series
These events are held in the Performing and
Visual Arts Wing in the Don Taft
University Center on NSU’s main campus.
Admission is free, but reservations are required.
To reserve seats, email nsutheatre@nova.edu or
call (954) 262-8179.
IMPROV JAM!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Black Box Theatre
An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Friday, April 13, 2012
Black Box Theatre
Festival of Student Works
April 20–22, 2012
Performance Theatre, Black Box
Theatre, and Performing and Visual Arts
Wing, Room 309
Exhibition Series
These events are held in Gallery 217 of the
Performing and Visual Arts Wing in the Don Taft
University Center on NSU’s main campus.
Admission is free.
Senior Exhibition
November 21–December 6, 2011
Opening Reception: Monday, November 21
Fourth Annual Faculty Exhibition
January 27–March 2, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, January 27
Fourth Annual
Juried Student Exhibition
April 4–27, 2012
Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 4
Halloween with the Pro Musica
Chamber Ensemble
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Performance Theatre
Faculty Series
Mystery and Sound:
Piano Works of Olivier Messiaen
March 21, 2011
Performing and Visual Arts Wing,
Room 309
Special Thanks
Don Rosenblum, Ph.D.
Naomi D’Alessio, Ph.D.
Michael Caldwell, D.M.A.
12
Eduardo Dominguez, M.B.A.
College’s Division of Performing and
Visual Arts faculty and staff