Fall Dance Fest begins October 18, 2018

Beginning October 18, 2018, the Department of Dance will host its annual Fall Dance Fest to showcase the artistic abilities of Radford University faculty and students. The program will run on Oct. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m., with an afternoon performance on Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m. It will feature original works from five faculty members. All shows will be held at the Bondurant Auditorium in Preston Hall.

Professor Deborah McLaughlin will be showcasing a film that combines photography and video gathered from rehearsals and classwork from within the Department of Dance.

Professor Inessa Plekhanova will present her original classical ballet choreography of “Waltz of the Flowers,” an excerpt from “The Nutcracker.” Plekhanova will be overseeing the full production of “The Nutcracker” this December.

Assistant Professor Ji-Eun Lee will restage her contemporary dance “The Condition of Disappearance,” which originally appeared in last spring’s Dancing on the Edge program at Radford University, and was also showcased at the 2018 American College Dance Association conference. The theme of her composition has to do with losing oneself. “This choreography demonstrates how society causes the individual’s identity to disappear,” says Lee.

James Robey, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Dance, will premiere his first work at Radford University in the form of a contemporary dance titled “We Move Lightly.” “Set to the music of Dustin O’Halloran, ‘We Move Lightly’ explores the stages of dependence, independence, and interdependence in relationships, both friendly and romantic,” says Robey. “Using narrative, contemporary theatrical devices, and athletic partnering, this work seeks the balance between our needs for agency and communion.”

Assistant Professor Amy VanKirk will premiere a jazz and tap dance work set to Louis Prima. "It Don't Mean a Thing, If It..." is an original work that takes a glimpse into the groundbreaking music and movement of the swing clubs of the 1930s,” says VanKirk. “The cast of 22 performers explode onto the stage with this new work that pays homage to the history of the American art forms of jazz dance and music.”