Senior Thesis in Modern Choreography: Trials of Terpsichore

Courtney Coughlin has always been enchanted by Terpsichore and the myths and legends of the muses. As a young girl she thought Balanchine's Apollo should have been less about the guy in tights and more about those magical creatures who stole the show. Trials of Terpsichore is a bit like that--its a look at a few mythical women and the stories that surround them, putting real dancers in their place, and seeing what happens when they start to dance.

Designed to be performed onsite at the Capitol Columns of the National Arboretum, the work recalls the world in which Corinthian columns were originally designed, as well as every artist since that time who has ever idealized that world and its inhabitants. At 3:30 on Saturday, May 1 surrounded by acres of grassy meadow and blooming azaleas, Courtney and her dancers will be celebrating that artistic tradition, and she would like for you to join them.

The National Arboretum is accessible by via public transportation (Metro to Stadium/Armory and bus B2), but Courtney is coordinating alternative transportation departing from campus. If you or someone you know has a vehicle available to bring others to the performance. please contact Rick Westerkamp (rick1987@gwmail.gwu.edu) or Whitney Fetterhoff (whitney.fetterhoff@gmail.com).

Dean Barratt's blog

If you haven't already seen it, you might want to check out Dean Barratt's blog about attending opening night of Evening of Beckett.

http://blogs.columbian.gwu.edu/deansblog/

Enjoy!

Senior, Emily Murphy, awarded Claeyssens Prize

We were just informed that the Claeyssens Prize* (through the English Department) has been awarded to Emily Murphy, a graduating senior majoring in Dramatic Literature and minoring in Theatre.

Hurray!

*Astere E. Claeyssens Prize—Established in 1981 by the Trustees of the Bess and Arthur Dick Family Foundation. It is awarded for the best original work in playwriting by a student enrolled in the University.

Allyson Currin: The Dancing Princesses

The Dancing Princesses
Book by Allyson Currin
Music and Lyrics by
Christopher Youstra
Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer

In the Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre at Imagination Stage

April 17-May 30
Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 & 4:00
Saturday at 11:00 (May 8 & 15)
Single tickets: $10-$21
Group discounts for parties of 10+
Call For Tickets at 301-280-1660

Set in the Roaring ‘20’s, the show is a new musical take on the old Grimm’s tale. After the death of his beloved Queen, a grief-stricken King banishes dance from all the land, much to the distress of his people, including his two daughters, Lara and Lena. But the girls find their way to a magical world where jazz music, the Charleston and their mother’s indomitable spirit are alive and well. Finally, the girls, his loyal lieutenant and a muckraking newspaper man bring the King to his senses. He lifts the ban and everyone rediscovers the joy of living.

Enjoyed by ages 4 and up.

Mary Buckley in "There Is An Elephant In This Dance"

Saturday, March 27 at 8pm
Sunday, March 28 at 7pm

The elephant is a rich and contradictory image that choreographer Lionel Popkin puts front and center in There Is An Elephant In This Dance. Set around a human-size elephant costume, Popkin refers to both the obvious and the unspoken—from religious iconography to personal cultural heritage to the arrival of parenthood. The work is an evening-length dance in which choreographer/performer Lionel Popkin is interrupted by and entwined with his own group of dancers as well as local DC dance artists. The piece features original music by Obie and Bessie winning composer/cellist/vocalist Robert Een .

Popkin’s dances are characterized by his blend of humor, subtle sensuality, precision, sly wit, and raw physical power that The Village Voice says, “yields first to the senses” and then to “intimate adventures”. His work comes from a deeply sensory and unabashed kinesthetic curiosity that places vibrant individuals within an imagistic or abstract landscape.

Mary Buckley , George Washington University Professor and former Board Member of Dance Place, will dance the role of the Elephant. Other performers include recent MFA graduate from George Mason University Adriane Fang, and Carolyn Hall.

Buy tickets at www.danceplace.org

The Washington Post: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

The Washington Post:

"a pleasingly lighthearted adaptation, by Largess himself, of Oscar Wilde's novella Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. The production, which features a suitably foppish James Konicek as the unctuous, utterly clueless Lord Arthur, is a palate-cleansing way to inaugurate the Stage Guild's new life, in the undercroft of a Methodist church on Massachusetts Avenue, a block from the Convention Center. Largess, who also directs this world premiere, does a swell job of converting the ripostes of Wilde's novella into dialogue. With all these gentle ministrations, the guild genially takes up where it left off." -Peter Marks.

Link to Washington Post Review

Afgahni vocalist and celebrity, Mozhdah Jamalzadah, visits GW

Mozhdah Jamalzadah.

Mozhdah Jamalzadah is the most famous female vocalist in Afghanistan and Thursday, after she sang for President Obama at the White House, she visited the Dance and Community Settings class to talk about the power of art and its ability to help women in Afghanistan. She launches her new nationally televised talk show this year from Kabul. The students asked sophisticated questions regarding global politics and the place of art as a transformative medium. She finished her question and answer session by singing to the class in Farsi. She was phenomenal and we look forward to following her show and videos on YouTube and on her website!

Website: www.mozhdahmusic.com

Much thanks to Jill Staggs and the State Department for arranging this wonderful moment at GWU! Dana