November & December 2017 College News

and music conducted by Jonathan Babcock and performed by Texas State University Singers. Shay was invited to present “Modern Dance Composition: An Historic Avant-Garde Approach for Contemporary Choreographers” at the Society for Dance Research’s conference in April 2018 - Dance in the Age of Forgetfulness at University of London Royal Holloway. She will be co-presenting with Katherine Duke, Artistic Director of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, and Louis Kavouras, Chair of the Department of Dance at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Gordon Jones presented “Pendet,” a traditional Balinese welcome dance, accompanied by Texas State University’s Gamelan Lipi Awan (Gamelan Rising Star) at the TEDx event in the Performing Arts Center on October 21st. The performance included Dance majors Hailey Hix and Nan Simms . Christa Oliver facilitated a master class for the Dance Division with former Alvin Ailey dancer Christopher Huggins on November 1st. [ 2 ] Christa is also choreographing A Christmas Carol at Zach Theatre. Choreographers’ Showcase was presented under the artistic direction of LeAnne Smith , with Lighting Designer/ Technical Director, Scott Vandenberg . The three concerts culminated in the awarding of the Connie Webb Brown Memorial Scholarship for Performance and Choreography to Dance major Rebekah Balli . Scott Vandenberg traveled to Port of Spain, Trinidad as Principal Lighting Designer for the Contemporary Choreographers’ Collective COCO Dance Festival in Queen’s Hall. [ 3] During the festival, Scott designed the lighting for 20 pieces of dance choreographed by international choreographers from all over the Caribbean, South America, and the United States, including the premiere of “Echoes of The Skin,” a piece by Kaysie Seitz Brown and Nicole Wesley which was also performed at the Opening Door Dance Theatre event. Performances were held in Queen’s Hall where Scott also taught a master class on dance lighting for students from the University of Trinidad and Tobago and several members of the Queen’s Hall staff. During the festival, Scott also functioned as Assistant to the Lighting Designer for the touring production of Tempus Fugit by the Toula Limnaios Dance Company from Germany, an evening long provocative dance piece which opened the festival. Scott Vandenberg , with co-author Eliot Gray Fisher, published “The (Artificial) Mind’s Eye,” the lead article in the Fall 2017 edition of Theatre Design and Technology. The article is partly based on the collaboration between ARCOS dance company and Texas State during the 2016 Engagement: Philosophy and Dance symposium hosted here. Nicole Wesley co-directed the COCO Dance Festival at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Nicole co- choreographed the dance work “Echoes of the Skin” with Kaysie Seitz Brown that was performed at COCODance Festival, Choreographers’ Showcase and Opening Door Dance Theatre. Nicole directed and facilitated The JUSTICE Project and performed in Ana Baer’s “Doll’s Eyes” for Opening Door Dance Theatre’s In Search of Mercy . STUDENT ACCOLADES Dance Education majors Tate Navaro, Claire Barclay , Deardra Denny , Rique Garcia , Kaytlin Tabb , Rebekah Balli , and Kaila Cumby traveled to Trinidad and Tobago where they assisted and performed with four primary schools integrating dance in the classroom. The students performed “Echoes of The Skin,” a piece choreographed by Kaysie Seitz Brown and Nicole Wesley at the 2017 COCO Dance Festival. IBA Hip Hop Crew Director Lilly Thurman presented at the TedX event at Texas State University. Texas State’s Merge Dance Company dancers Brennah Galvin , Sierra Anderson , Brittany McKinney , Eliza Trevino , Lilly Thurman , Nan Simms , Angela Ocnaschek , Mark Gonzalez , and Libby Horton supported two master classes at Miller Middle School and San Marcos High School with Lecturer Christa Oliver. ALUMNI ACCOLADES Andy Ayala (2017) teaches at Lamar High School in Houston. He directs their Modern and Hip Hop dance company, while also co-directing the Rangerettes and serving as their Color Guard Director; the Color Guard recently took first place during a US Bands competition. It is the first trophy this program has received. The Rangerettes are preparing for Danceline USA Nationals at Seaworld; this is the first time the school has gone to Nationals. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 11