Dance Honor Society Offers Free "Community Dance Day" for Area Children Saturday, Nov. 5

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Dance Program will host its 10th Community Dance Day on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the dance studio of the Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center on campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

Open to children in grades K through 8, this free event is an opportunity for dance instruction in creative movement, hip hop, and Broadway dance. Members of the college chapter of Nu Delta Alpha Dance Honor Society will offer instruction. No prior dance experience is necessary.

For more information contact Professor Karen Smith at 410-778-7237 or or N∆A president, Aubrey Hastings, at ahastings2@washcoll.edu.

Washington College Dance Company Presents Mix of Styles in Spring Concert April 28-30

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Dance Company, under the direction of Professor Karen L. Smith, will present its annual Spring Dance Concert at the College's Decker Theatre in the Gibson Performing Arts Center, Thursday through Saturday, April 28-30. The concert, held during National Dance Week, commences with a special matinee for local school children on Thursday, April 28, at 1:15 p.m. Subsequent performances are Friday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m.

This year’s program will feature a variety of dance styles-classical and contemporary ballet, pointe, modern dance, jazz, hip hop, tap, lyrical, and pom-performed by 29 students.

Ensemble dances include “Jungle Drum,” “Shadows in Time,” and “Boardroom Fantasy” choreographed by Rachel Dittman ’11; “La Campanella,” “The Tempest,” and “Carabousse's Beginning” choreographed by Grace Swanson ’12; “Saved in Every Way” choreographed by Megan Gentry ’12; “Church” choreographed by Elle O’Brien ’12; “Winter Song” choreographed by Jessica Hohne ’12; “Waka Waka” choreographed by Emily Hordesky ’12; “How to Save a Life” choreographed by Veronica Spolarich ’12; and a tap number, “In the Mood,” choreographed by Virginia Long ’12.

The show also will feature two dances from the repertoire of Sho’ Troupe, the Washington College Dance Team, titled “United State of Pop” choreographed by Elle O'Brien ’12, and “Jai Ho” choreographed by Emily Hordesky ’12.

Choreographers Grace Swanson, Jessica Hohne, and Emily Hordesky will each perform solos. Megan Gentry, Rachel Dittman, and Sarah Hartge will dance as a trio in “Sometimes a Nightmare.”

In addition to the choreographers, performers in the concert include seniors Ally Happel, Jenny Hobbs, Kelly Topita, and Sara Prickett; juniors Alyssa Velazquez, Ryan Adams-Brown, and Emily Simpson; sophomores Sophia Braunstein, Aubrey Hastings, Ji Sook Kim, Melanie Mavins, Rebecca Sussman, Zoe Woodbridge, Kimberly Zepeda, Beilin Zia, and Elizabeth Menzie; and first-year students Kristin Hammond, Chelsea Garzione, Carrie Hall, and Courtney Gowland.

The Spring Dance Concert also will feature a raffle for a chance to win themed baskets, with $1 tickets available at each performance. The winners will be drawn at the end of the Saturday performance.

The Spring Dance Concert is open to the public. Admission is free but donations are welcomed. For more information, call 410-778-7237.

Photos: Images from the Spring 2010 Dance Concert in Decker Theatre.

College Hosts Free Chinese Dance Workshops

Chestertown, MD, April 1, 2003 — The Washington College Dance Program announces four presentations on Chinese culture by Dr. Mei Hsiu Chan including a lecture on Chinese Lion Dancing on Monday, April 7, 2003, at 7:30 p.m. in the Casey Academic Center Forum; a workshop in T'ai Chi Ch'uan, the Chinese “soft” martial art (Monday at 4:00 p.m.); a health and relaxation workshop in Chan Style Chi Gong (also known as Qigong) on Tuesday, April 8 at 4:00 p.m.; and a master class in Chinese Classical Dancing (Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.). All workshops are free and will be held in the Dance Studio of the Lifetime Fitness Center. The public is invited to attend. For more information call 410-778-7237.

Mei Hsiu Chan, a native of Taiwan, began her dance studies in Chinese Classical Ballet at the age of four and Chinese Martial Arts at eight. She graduated from the College of Chinese Culture where she studied T'ai Chi Chu'an, ballet, modern dance, tap, folk dance, and the many faces of Chinese dance. Dr. Chan toured the world as a dancer and martial artist with world-renowned Chinese Acrobats from Taiwan between 1973-1980. She received her MFA degree in dance at Arizona State University and organized a Classical Chinese Dance Company in 1988 and was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Ethnic Woman in the Arts from Arizona State University in 1988. As an artist, she was on the Touring Roster of the Arizona Commission on the Arts from 1988 to 1993. In 2001, she received a Ph.D. degree in Dance and Related Arts from Texas Woman's University. Currently, she is the chair of Performing Arts Department at Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, AZ.

Dr. Chan has been invited to present her research papers and to teach Chan Style Chi Gung (aka Qigong), T'ai Chi Chu'an, and Chinese dance workshops at the Dance and the Child (DaCI) International Conference, the Nation Conference of the Congress on Research in Dance, American College Dance Festivals, the National Ethnography Form, the National Dance Association 2002 convention in San Diego, the Texas Association for Health, Physical, Recreation & Dance Convention (TAHPERD), and the 44th ICHPER-SD World Congress (International Council for HPERD). Dr. Chan has also toured worldwide to present dance, Chan Chi Gung, and Tai Chi Chuan workshops at schools and universities.

The lion dance is an important tradition in China, dating back to the Han Dynasty (205 B.C.-220 A.D in China); during the Tang Dynasty (716-907 A.D.) it was at its peak where it was performed during religious festivals. If well performed, the lion dance is believed to bring luck and happiness. Although lions are not native in China, they came to the country via the famous Silk Road. Rulers in what is today Iran and Afghanistan sent lions to Chinese emperors as gifts in order to get the rights to trade with Silk Road merchants. The lion dance was not only introduced in China, but also in Korea and Taiwan where it is still a part of festivities such as Chinese New Year, weddings, and the openings of restaurants.

This presentation is partially funded by the Washington College Student Government Association.