November & December 2016 College News

Pat Stone organized and coordinated Texas State dance students to attend the Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF) in Huntsville at Sam Houston State University. Nicole Wesley co-directed the 2016 COCO Dance Festival at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She also premiered her choreographic work Save Me performed by Merge Dance Company at the festival. Nicole was one of two faculty members to chaperone 12 dancers to Trinidad to perform in the festival and to facilitate dance exchange classes at The University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Academy for the Performing Arts. Nicole was also commissioned to set a choreographic work on Muscle Memory Dance Theatre of Dallas and was invited by Collin College to teach a master class in modern technique. Nicole hosted two hip hop artists for the Division of Dance, Erick Yanez and Shepherd Allen. She taught a recruitment class at Heather Stolle School of Dance in San Antonio and met with potential students and parents. Lastly, she and three Merge Dance Co members presented The M Word at the TEDxTexas State University at the Performing Arts Center. [ 3] STUDENT ACCOLADES Texas state students Lindsey Gerson , Laura Schwenn , Alyssa Canas , Chance Hoops (non-dance major), Sarah Nastoupil , Nan Simms , Amber Cantu and Natasha Martinez attended the Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF) October 14-16 in Huntsville at Sam Houston State University. The Connie Webb Brown Memorial Scholarship for Choreography and Performance was presented to Dance Major Julianne Way with honorable mention awarded to Shuan Davis and Natasha Martinez . Alexandra Burkhardt , Julia Hutcherson and Rose Troche and the Texas State Strutters performed at the RRISD College Day on November 16. Hope Tate , Sofia Elizalde , Sydney Rice , Beverly Garza , Katharine Peterson , Chelsea Debonopaula , Alexis Lee , Jessica Galvan , Alyssa Canas , Rose Troche and Brennah Galvin will all be performing in this year’s Jazz Nutracker at Evans Auditorium on December 8. COCO DANCE FESTIVAL OCTOBER 28-30, 2016 Merge Dance Co members Lindsey Gerson , Sarah Nastoupil , Nan Simms , Brittany McKinney , Cali Martin , Lynson Alexander , Lilly Thurman , Jes DeCesare , Hope Tate , Rebekah Balli , Francesca Iannelli and Kaelyn Miller performed at the 2016 COCO Dance Festival at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain, Trinidad. In addition to performing, the students took classes in Caribbean Folk, Ballet and Bharatanatyam at the Academy for the Performing Arts at The University of Trinidad and Tobago. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 9