Radford, VT students receive master class from nationally renowned dance company
Colin Connor, Artistic Director of the José Limón Dance Company, poses with Radford and Virginia Tech students attending his master class.
Radford and Virginia Tech students recently attended a master class from Colin Connor, Artistic Director of the José Limón Dance Company. The master class was held on Friday March 2nd in dance studios at Radford’s Department of Dance. The following evening featured a pre-show talk with Connor and a performance by the José Limón Dance Company at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg. The Friday instructional session presented a unique opportunity for Radford and Virginia Tech students to learn from an award-winning professional dance company.
Founded in 1946, the Limón Dance Company is considered one of the most important modern American dance companies, with a portfolio including performances across the globe as well as at The Lincoln Arts Center and The White House. The company was awarded the National Medal of Arts, presented by President George W. Bush, in 2008, and the company’s founder, José Limón, was featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 2012 to honor his contribution to shaping the American Modern Dance movement.
The Saturday pre-show discussion with Connor was moderated by Amy VanKirk, Assistant Professor of Dance at Radford University. VanKirk described Connor’s talk as, “a unique opportunity for members of the audience to gain insights into the creative process and to hear personal stories from the director of the company. Mr. Connor was charismatic, informative, articulate, and honest in all of his responses to both my questions and the audience's questions.”
The dance company’s Saturday evening performance featured contemporary compositions along with historical works.
The partnership between the Radford Department of Dance and the Virginia Tech Moss Arts Center is unique, offering opportunities for students attending both universities. The Moss Arts Center is a relatively new state-of-the-art performance venue which brings a variety of well-known dance companies to Blacksburg. While the arts center is able to host these types of performances, Virginia Tech does not have a dance major, so Radford’s Department of Dance has partnered with the Moss Arts Center to provide studio space to offer master classes in conjunction with performances. “It's wonderful for the students to have access to the dance companies that perform at VT. We are lucky that we can partner with another university that is so close.” said Professor VanKirk.