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January 31, 2011/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Liz Wooley, wooleyl@uncsa.edu/336-734-2924 UNCSA’s WINTER DANCE TO FEATURE WORLD PREMIERE BY SCHOOL OF DANCE FACULTY-ARTIST DIEGO SCHOCH Works by Balanchine, Kudelka and Nikolais round out program
WINSTON-SALEM – Winter Dance, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Dance’s annual winter showcase, will feature a world premiere piece choreographed by faculty-artist Diego Schoch. Works by world-renowned choreographers George Balanchine, James Kudelka and Alwin Nikolais will round out the diverse program. Schoch’s world premiere highlights themes of heritage, spiritualism and community. With music by Los Lobos and School of Dance accompanists Eric Schwartz and John Wilson, the piece represents a true fusion of culture. “Inherent in its structure and the process of its creation is the notion of hybridism or blending,” said Schoch. “The dance is a result of a desire to integrate Latino themes into my work and a research trip to five Mayan archeological sites in the Yucatan, Mexico,” he continued. The trip was made possible by a BREATHE Project Faculty Professional Development Grant from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.	Nikolais' Gallery, 2000 School of Dance performance
The 2011 Winter Dance program also includes George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante, which highlights dance’s strong relationship to music. Set to a composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the two principal ballerinas correspond to the solo violin and the solo viola. Symphonie Concertante has been restaged for UNCSA by Victoria Simon, Ballet Mistress for the George Balanchine Trust. James Kudelka’s Gazebo Dances is a thought-provoking exploration of small-town America as its youthful innocence fades. David Richardson, Artistic Advisor for Lockport City Ballet and former Assistant Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre has restaged this piece for UNCSA. The music for Gazebo Dances was composed by John Corigliano. The program concludes with Alwin Nikolais’ Gallery, which highlights motion through creative use of costumes and black light. Alberto del Saz, Artistic Director of the Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance Company and Co-Director of the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, will be assisted by School of Dance faculty-artist and former company member Dianne Markham in restaging the piece. Gallery is underscored by a composition by its original choreographer. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. February 17-19 and at 2 p.m. February 20 at the Stevens Center, 405 West Fourth St., Winston-Salem. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the UNCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 or visit www.uncsa.edu/performances. From April 13-16, 2011, the School of Dance will also present Gallery at the “Sharing the Legacy” Conference at Hunter College in New York City. Ten students will go to New York to participate, along with faculty-artist Dianne Markham and School of Dance Assistant Dean/General Manager Ryan Hill. "Sharing the Legacy" at Hunter College is an ongoing series that addresses the challenges involved in preserving historically significant dance and introduces the next generation of dancers to their artistic heritage. UNCSA received an American Masterpieces Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for this project. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. UNCSA is located at 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu. ###
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January 31, 2011/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Liz Wooley, wooleyl@uncsa.edu/336-734-2924

UNCSA’s WINTER DANCE TO FEATURE WORLD PREMIERE BY SCHOOL OF DANCE FACULTY-ARTIST DIEGO SCHOCH

Works by Balanchine, Kudelka and Nikolais round out program

WINSTON-SALEM – Winter Dance, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Dance’s annual winter showcase, will feature a world premiere piece choreographed by faculty-artist Diego Schoch. Works by world-renowned choreographers George Balanchine, James Kudelka and Alwin Nikolais will round out the diverse program.

Schoch’s world premiere highlights themes of heritage, spiritualism and community. With music by Los Lobos and School of Dance accompanists Eric Schwartz and John Wilson, the piece represents a true fusion of culture.

“Inherent in its structure and the process of its creation is the notion of hybridism or blending,” said Schoch.

“The dance is a result of a desire to integrate Latino themes into my work and a research trip to five Mayan archeological sites in the Yucatan, Mexico,” he continued. The trip was made possible by a BREATHE Project Faculty Professional Development Grant from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Nikolais' Gallery,
2000 School of Dance
performance

The 2011 Winter Dance program also includes George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante, which highlights dance’s strong relationship to music. Set to a composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the two principal ballerinas correspond to the solo violin and the solo viola. Symphonie Concertante has been restaged for UNCSA by Victoria Simon, Ballet Mistress for the George Balanchine Trust.

James Kudelka’s Gazebo Dances is a thought-provoking exploration of small-town America as its youthful innocence fades. David Richardson, Artistic Advisor for Lockport City Ballet and former Assistant Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre has restaged this piece for UNCSA. The music for Gazebo Dances was composed by John Corigliano.

The program concludes with Alwin Nikolais’ Gallery, which highlights motion through creative use of costumes and black light. Alberto del Saz, Artistic Director of the Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance Company and Co-Director of the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, will be assisted by School of Dance faculty-artist and former company member Dianne Markham in restaging the piece. Gallery is underscored by a composition by its original choreographer.

Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. February 17-19 and at 2 p.m. February 20 at the Stevens Center, 405 West Fourth St., Winston-Salem. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the UNCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 or visit www.uncsa.edu/performances.

From April 13-16, 2011, the School of Dance will also present Gallery at the “Sharing the Legacy” Conference at Hunter College in New York City. Ten students will go to New York to participate, along with faculty-artist Dianne Markham and School of Dance Assistant Dean/General Manager Ryan Hill. "Sharing the Legacy" at Hunter College is an ongoing series that addresses the challenges involved in preserving historically significant dance and introduces the next generation of dancers to their artistic heritage. UNCSA received an American Masterpieces Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for this project.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. UNCSA is located at 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.

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