School Buzz: Free Money For Summer Study
This summer, don’t let money keep you from dancing at your dream intensive. The Dance Council of North Texas is offering a total of more than $22,000 in summer-study scholarships for dancers ages 13 and up.
The committee will give at least 27 scholarships to dancers who specialize in ballet, modern, tap, Indian dance or musical theater. Scholarships consist of cash grants of $500 to $1,000, or tuition waivers (one valued at $4,000!) for specified programs. Dancers everywhere are invited to apply.
Applications are due on February 9, so don’t delay! You’ll need a letter of recommendation from a dance teacher, a headshot, a full-body dance shot, a video of you dancing and a copy of your recent report card (to show off your good grades!). For details, visit thedancecouncil.org. —Ashley Rivers
Looking for more dance cash?
This month you can begin submitting your applications for the 2010 Harlequin Annual Dance Scholarship program. Past winners have taken home as much as $5,000! Visit harlequinfloors.com for details.
Hofstra Dance Celebrates 25 Years
Hofstra University recently invited four professional dancers, all alumni of its dance program, to perform at and create works for a concert celebrating the program’s 25th anniversary. At the November show, the dancers hit the stage with their own companies and choreographed for current Hofstra dance students.
Returning alumni were:
- Dina Denis (class of 2002), artistic director and president of Dance Into Light
- Larry Keigwin (class of 1994), artistic director of Keigwin + Company [featured in “Hot in Modern Dance,” p. 52]
- Salvatore LaRussa (class of 2000), artistic director and choreographer of Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre
- Makeda Thomas (class of 1999), dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Makeda Thomas/Roots & Wings Movement!
Keigwin tells DS he’s happy to have had the chance to work with his alma mater’s pupils. “I remember how impressed I was by visiting artists [when I was a student], and I can only hope I’m making a similarly positive impression,” he says.
Dance became a major at Hofstra, located in Hempstead, NY, in 1984. While the program initially focused on modern dance, it has since evolved to incorporate ballet, jazz and choreography into the mix. In terms of students, the program has grown exponentially since its inception—it started with only four students but today features 75 dance majors and 78 dance minors. —Colleen Bohen
Luca Veggetti Works With Purchase Dance Corps
Dancers at SUNY Purchase College will have the opportunity to embrace Japanese culture when they perform Luca Veggetti’s Xenakis and Japan on February 28. Veggetti’s work is set to “Oresteia,” by the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, and uses principles of Greek and Japanese Noh theater (a combination of acrobatics, dancing and singing). “I was lucky enough to see troupes of Japanese Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku theater [when I was] traveling though Europe at a young age,” Veggetti says. “That led to a great curiosity about Japanese culture.”
Lara Mummert, a senior, has been working with the world-renowned choreographer since October 2009. “Veggetti’s choreography is like being in another world,” she says. “It looks like the dancers are just floating through space, almost as if there’s no struggle.”
Veggetti has choreographed for the Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and many others. —Brianne Carlon
