COLLEGE DANCE.

Jazz in Russia

Edward R. Truitt, faculty jazz instructor at California State University, Fresno, was invited to St. Petersburg, Russia, to teach a series of jazz technique classes and six composition classes and to give a two-hour lecture: "Jazz Dance in a Historical Context: Past, Present, and Future Trends."

During his stay, January 18 through 23, Truitt's technique class averaged thirty-five dancers; in his composition classes there were twenty-five teachers, choreographers, and students from throughout the country.

"The dancers were highly motivated," says Truitt, "and very eager to learn. It was a great pleasure to teach them. Many of the dancers paid the equivalent of six weeks' salary to attend the one-week workshop."

The workshop week was hosted by Vadim Kasparov and Natasha Kasparov, executive general manager and artistic director of the Kannon Dance Company, and was conducted with the support of the Administration of the Culture Committee of St. Petersburg as part of the contemporary choreography development program, in preparation for the third annual St. Petersburg festival of contemporary choreography entitled "Another Dance." Truitt also received a grant from the University Grants and Research Office of California State, Fresno.

Truitt's experience as a performer includes work in ballet companies, film, and television; he has staged a contemporary ballet, Two Souls in Search of ... for Brigham Young University's Theatre Ballet Company. BYU will perform his work on their national spring tour.

Three Master Choreographers

Studiodance II, of the Department of Dance of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presented the choreography of three Masters of Fine Arts candidates, Walter Kennedy, Mei-Kuang Chen and C. Pleshette McKnight in March at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

Chen, born in Taipei, Taiwan, received her B.F.A. in dance from Ohio State University in 1997. She choreographed Endlessly, a work for seven dancers to original music by staff musician Ken Beck, for her showcase performance.

Walter Kennedy was a principal dancer and rehearsal director for the Lewitzky Dance Company from 1978 until the company's farewell performance in May 1997. Kennedy, who holds a B.F.A. from California State University, Long Beach, was nominated for a Lester Horton Award for best choreography. His Studiodance II work is titled Private Places, choreographed to music by department of dance music director Christian Cherry.

C. Pleshette McKnight, who performed with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater and MOMIX Dance Company, choreographed Remembering ... performed to music of the Yoruba religion. Her second work, Beyond Surface, was danced by her and fellow choreographers along with three additional dancers. McKnight was the recipient of this year's Department of Dance Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship.

Forty dance students and faculty from UI, Urbana-Champaign participated in the regional college dance festival at Illinois State University in Normal. Dances were choreographed by associate professor Renee Wadleigh, assistant professor Erica Wilson-Perkins and Kennedy.

Multimedia Works

Dancer-choreographer Jin-Wen Yu presented his recent works in a three-night concert in March at the new Margaret H'Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Yu's multimedia work entitled Interphase includes three solos, two duets, and one group dance, with guest artists Billbob Brown, Jan Erkert, Joseph Koykkar, and Heidi Olivares, along with videographers Wendy Woodson and Ting-Yi Lin.

Before coming to the United States from Taiwan, Yu was a soloist with Cloud Gate Dance Company. He obtained an Ed. D in dance at Temple University, and earned his M.F.A. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Yu's work is described as charged with both explosive and subtle movements integrating tai-chi, Chinese opera dance, and ballet with modern dance. He is in his second year as assistant professor in the UW-Madison dance program.

Women's Works

George Washington University, Mount Vernon College campus, presented "Women's Works: The GW Dance Legacy," in March at Hand Chapel. The program of new and recent works were by Jan Van Dyke and fellow GW alumnae choreographers Cynthia Word and Sandra Kamman. The Jan Van Dyke Dance Group of North Carolina presented Quatre Femmes and a world premiere on the same program.

Dance Theatre of Harlem Tour

A tour of historically black colleges and universities by the Dance Theatre of Harlem was announced in celebration of DTH's thirtieth anniversary. The tour began February 11 and continues through June 19. It will be extended for the next two years, with visits to twelve schools each year. Coinciding with the tour, DTH plans to expand its "Dancing Through Barriers" program of workshops, lectures, demonstrations, teacher training, and master classes.

Tour sites included Morchouse and Spelman colleges in Atlanta, (February 10 to 13); Detroit Music Hall and "Dancing Through Barriers" residency in Detroit (February 16 to 21); Karamu Theatre and Central State University, Wilberforce, and Oberlin Colleges in Ohio (February 22 to 27); Queens College and Colden Center for the Performing Arts in New York (March 7 and 8); Howard University, Duke Ellington High School, and Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. (March 29 to April 4); Florida A&M and Florida State in Tallahassee and Ocean Walk in Hollywood (April 12 to 19); New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts (May 8 and 9); and Morgan State University in Baltimore (June 17).