Upcoming Events
Thursday & Friday, February 12 & 13, 7:30 pm, Main Dance Studio, Hampshire College
Hampshire College Winter Concert
The Hampshire Dance Program presents HAZE: The Heightened Liminal Sense, an evening of new dance works by eight student choreographers. Performances will take place on Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th at 7:30 PM. The concert will feature dances by Div II choreographers: Zoey Carter-Bell, Johnny Clark, KC Johnson Erikson, Jeanette Gronemeyer, Ava Jett-Beachley, Josiah Looft, Simone Shieh, and Heath Suzor. The choreographers have engaged in extensive creative processes as a cohort in dialogue with one another, and their works engage a range of aesthetics, dance traditions, and subjects of inquiry.
Saturday, February 14, 1:00 & 3:00, Crew House, Smith College
MFA Thesis Concert
Sarah Young explores the dialogue between dancers and audience in close proximity in her thesis event, Experiments in Improvisation, which she is hosting in the Crew House Dance Studio on February 14 at 1pm and 3pm. The piece for 6 performers includes a tap dancer and a live musician and uses improvised scores with inspiration from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.
February 19-22, Dance Complex, Boston, MA
ACDA New England Regional Conference
Each spring the American College Dance Association (ACDA) holds regional conferences around the country. This year, three of the five colleges are taking dance works to ACDA's New England Regional Conference at the Dance Complex in Boston. The conference offers classes, workshops, and performances, as well as time to create community and see what peers at other colleges are up to in dance. Dance works are adjudicated by professional dance makers and chosen for a Gala performance on the last day.
Thursday February 26, 3:15pm, Studio 3
Paul Taylor Company Masterclass
Join Five College Dance and Mt Holyoke College for a masterclass with a member of the Paul Taylor Company. One of the most revered and dynamic ensembles in modern dance, the company has been innovating and transforming dance since 1954. See the company perform at UMass TPH at the FAC on Friday at 8pm. Tickets.
The masterclass is free and open to the public, please register.
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Announcements
Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch List
Julia Antinozzi '18
Congratulations to Julia for making Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch List." See our Five College Dance Spotlight on Julia here. From the article:
"Antinozzi graduated from Smith College in 2018 with a dance degree and an astronomy minor, and has been choreographing for her own dancers since 2022...Taken altogether, her works [The Suite and Third Variation both from 2024] illustrate a probing of her fascination with classical ballet filtered through a contemporary—and uniquely Antinozzi—lens, daring viewers to take a closer look."
Five College Dance featured in Dance Magazine
Five College Dance was featured in Dance Magazine this fall in an article by Stav Ziv. The piece includes information about the FCD program, this year's guest artist repertory project, an excerpt of Lucinda Childs's Dance, and interviews with faculty and students. Download a PDF of the article to read below.
New Courses
New Course! Afro-Cuban Dance: Rhythm, Roots & Ritual
DANCE191X with Neri Torres at UMass
This course explores the expressions of Cuban dance that helped shape the Island's identity. Students will learn different movement patterns and complex polyrhythms connected to a spirituality and aesthetic that has crossed nationalities to contribute to contemporary popular culture worldwide over time.
Just Added! Pointe and Variations
Dance 391D with Mary Ann Mayer at UMass
Ballet Pointe and Variations class. Open to DANCE and BFA-DANCE majors only. ermission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop. Please email Mary Ann here: mmayer@umass.edu
Latin Social Dances
Dance191U with Neri Torres at UMass
These dances are vibrant, embodied expressions of the Hispanic Caribbean. We will focus on social dances such as Mambo, Bachata, Merengue, and Rumba. These dances foster a strong sense of community, encourage camaraderie, and promote an appreciation for cultural diversity, enhancing both the learning environment and personal growth.
Afro-Modern Technique
Dance191A with Neri Torres at UMass Amherst
This course develops modern dance technique, specifically técnica cubana as conceptualized by Cuban choreographers Ramiro Guerra and Eduardo Rivero. This technique integrates elements from Graham, Cunningham, Limon, ballet, and Afro-Cuban dance, emphasizing improvisation and expressive breathing techniques.
Queer Dance Theory & Practice
HACU-0214 with Lailye Weidman at Hampshire College
Dance scholar Clare Croft proposes queer dance as a space of radical difference, where multiple identities, subjectivities, and politics collide, propelling artists and audiences into world-making action. This course begins with Croft's Queer Dance: Meanings & Makings and expands into other creative and scholarly frameworks for considering the power and potential of queer + dance. With screenings, moving, creating!