Hylton Center

The Hylton Center Announces Engagement Activities with Acclaimed Dance Company PHILADANCO!

Zoe Harr — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:28:42 +0000

The Hylton Center Announces Engagement Activities with Acclaimed Dance Company PHILADANCO! Zoe Harr Wed, 02/28/2024 - 14:28

PHILADANCO! dancer

The Philadelphia Dance Company, better known as PHILADANCO!, is widely recognized for its artistic integrity, superbly trained dancers, and electrifying performances. On March 15, PHILADANCO! will perform a dynamic program at the Hylton Center and, as a Hylton Center Artist-in-Residence.

Formed in 1970 by Joan Myers Brown, a barrier-breaking African American ballet dancer, PHILADANCO! launched to provide artistic opportunities for Black dancers who were denied membership in local dance schools. In the company’s Hylton Center debut, PHILADANCO!’s “impressively skilled dancers” (New York Times) will present Francisco Gella’s Seasons, set to Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons;" Ephrat Asherie’s out-side-in, an exuberant, theatrical version of breaking and house dancing; Ray Mercer’s This Place, a festive and technically challenging work set to Bongi Duma’s music; and Anthony Burrell’s Conglomerate, which he calls “a rich history of Black Dance in Philadelphia.”

PHILADANCO!’s Artistic Director, Kim Y. Bears-Bailey, expands upon the company’s excitement to be a 2023–24 Artist-in-Residence. She notes, “PHILADANCO! is thrilled to have an opportunity to connect with the Hylton and George Mason University communities of all ages through the Art of Dance & Conversations. These interactions will have a long-lasting effect on all. PHILADANCO!’s performance will indeed be an exciting culmination of this amazing interactive week."

“PHILADANCO! is a legendary dance company with a strong and longstanding commitment to education. We are looking forward to the company sharing their expertise and artistic vision with our community members.”
-Hylton Center Education Coordinator, Marit Majeske

As an Artist-in-Residence, the artists will work with the community through classes and workshops surrounding their Hylton Center performance, which includes the following engagement highlights:

Lifelong Learning Institute of Manassas (LLI) Lecture Demonstration

Company members will lead a class about the history of the company, along with a discussion of the repertoire that will be part of their Hylton Presents performance on March 15. This class will also include gentle movement for those who wish to participate.

Masterclass with George Mason University School of Dance

Dance majors from Mason School of Dance will participate in masterclasses with members of the company.

Visit to Hunters Woods Elementary School

First grade students from Hunters Woods Elementary School in Reston will participate in an interactive movement session and watch a short demonstration from members of the company. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions from the artists.

Colgan High School Dance Masterclass

Dance students from Colgan High School’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts program will participate in a masterclass with members of the company.

Masterclass at the Dance Institute of Washington

The Hylton Center and Dance Institute of Washington (DIW) will collaborate to offer a masterclass with members of the company for Intermediate to Advanced D.C. dancers as part of DIW's Community on 14th programming—an initiative that provides networking and training opportunities through dance classes, seminars, workshops, talkbacks, and discussions that facilitates creative careers in dance and the arts for D.C. talent.

Conversation with the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce

PHILADANCO! founder and Artistic Advisor Joan Myers Brown will participate in a moderated conversation with members of the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.

Get your tickets today for PHILADANCO!’s electrifying Hylton Center performance on March 15, plus enjoy watching their talented group of dancers below:

A pre-performance discussion with PHILADANCO! Artistic Director Kim Y. Bears-Bailey and Rehearsal Director Tracy Vogt, moderated by Mason School of Dance Professor Lawrence M. Jackson, will take place one hour prior to the performance.

Learn more about the Hylton Center's Artist-in Residence program and how these residencies create spaces for transformational experiences to happen.

In This Story

Marit Majeske

Buy Tickets

Learn More About Artist-in-Residence Program

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Hylton Center

Artist in Residence

Campus News

Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Hosts a Week of Dance Activities for Students of Northern Virginia

Zoe Harr — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 18:25:07 +0000

Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico Hosts a Week of Dance Activities for Students of Northern Virginia Zoe Harr Thu, 02/24/2022 - 13:25

In This Story

Marit Majeske

Adrienne Bryant Godwin

Bringing local communities together to celebrate and explore Latinx cultures Hylton Center Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico participated in multiple days of in-person and virtual activities with Northern Virginia dancers leading up to their performance February 19.

George Mason University’s School of Dance students working with Ballet Hispánico's Artistic Director & CEO, Eduardo Vilaro. Photo by Creative Service.

Director of Programming at the Hylton Center, Adrienne Godwin, notes the significance of this residency, “Ballet Hispánico has been our first in-person Artist-in-Residence since the pandemic started. I haven’t witnessed this much collective joy in so long, and it has been a true honor to see the company members inspire smiles from our community members of all ages. They are skilled educators and communicators, and we are so fortunate to have them share their incredible artistry.”

Elementary through high school students at Hunters Woods Elementary School, Hylton High School, and Round Elementary School collaborated with Ballet Hispánico in dance classes that weren’t just educational, but incredible fun.

Julie DeGregorio Ohrnberger, Dance Resource Teacher of Fairfax County Public Schools, recounts the week’s activity at Hunters Woods Elementary School, “The energy was contagious as everybody moved and learned new styles of dance. I am appreciative that my students had the opportunity to learn these styles from other talented professionals in the dance field.”

Ballet Hispánico holds virtual dance lessons for Round Elementary School students. Photo by Director of Programming at the Hylton Center, Adrienne Godwin.

Second graders from Round Elementary School expressed what they took away from their individual experiences, and shared feedback including “people from everywhere can be a dancer” and “I went home and taught my grandmother the dance!” Their music teacher Cathy Drummond adds, “It was wonderful to see the students fully engaged in the dancing. One student in particular was enjoying herself freely in the movement which was a big step for her as she usually stands off by herself and doesn’t participate in activities.”

Additionally, George Mason University’s School of Dance students took part in a masterclass on the Fairfax campus, a community masterclass was offered in the Hylton Center’s Ballard Postma Rehearsal Studio, and Manassas Lifelong Learning Institute members participated in a lecture-demonstration at the Hylton Center, both of which included education on cultural context and contemporary dance forms inspired by multicultural Latinx experiences. Engagement activities including Latin Social Dance classes, technique and repertory masterclasses, and lecture demonstrations, were led by members of the company, including Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro and Associate Artistic Director Johan Rivera.

Manassas Lifelong Learning Institute members participated in a lecture-demonstration at the Hylton Center. Photo by Hylton Center Education Coordinator, Marit Majeske.

Hylton Center Education Coordinator, Marit Majeske, notes, “I am grateful for the time Ballet Hispánico spent sharing their Latinx cultures and exploring the intersectionality of cultures through dance with learners in our community. I was amazed by their ability to work with learners of all ages and to move seamlessly among different age groups – from kindergarten to Lifelong Learners. It was thrilling to witness the interactions between the company and community members and celebrate the fact that these events were able to take place largely in person. I hope that the conversations that started during Ballet Hispánico’s week with us continue in the future to help create a more inclusive community.”

Launched during the 2019-2020 season, the Mason Artist-in-Residence program connects visiting artists with on and off-campus communities, offering a variety of activities created to engage and inspire. These residencies are designed to foster meaningful exchanges between our communities and the artists, as well as create opportunities for transformational experiences, transforming the venues’ stages, studios, and labs into a creative classroom where artistic and intellectual exploration is developed and nurtured.

Students from a community masterclass at the Hylton Center. Photo by Hylton Center Education Coordinator, Marit Majeske.

Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico, perfectly summarizes the successful week of activities, stating, “Our time in Manassas with George Mason has been a beautiful example of how the arts can lead us out of difficult times. Through intentional interactions with diverse communities, Ballet Hispánico was able to celebrate our Latinx voices and bring much needed joy, unity, and awareness. It is a testament to the leadership at George Mason and I look forward to being in collaboration with this spectacular center for years to come.”

For more information about Ballet Hispánico, please visit their website.

This engagement of Ballet Hispánico was made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Hylton Center’s 2021-2022 Season Sponsor, F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional Education Initiative Sponsors include The McNichols Family Foundation, Lillian Ballard, and the Friends of the Hylton Center.

Zoe Harr, the Marketing Graduate Assistant at the Center for the Arts, contributed to this article.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Hylton Center

Podcast on the arts at Mason with Dean Rick Davis

96ab7f9bab134dd391354ecdce10b5cfPam Muirheid — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:08:10 +0000

Podcast on the arts at Mason with Dean Rick Davis 96ab7f9bab134d… Wed, 09/15/2021 - 16:08

In This Story

Rick Davis

Christopher d'Amboise

Dean Rick Davis

The Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University (GMU) Rick Davis joined us for a very interesting chat about educational programs and careers in the arts. Find out about the many diverse arts programs available to students at GMU, why their School of Arts is an amazing success story, why the arts are so important, and his insight and advice about the benefits of an arts education. Also get all the details on the upcoming productions at the Hylton Performing Arts Center and the opening of a GMU gallery in the Latitudes building in Virginia Square.

Listen to the show here.

This story first appeared in Embracing Arlington Arts.

Topics

Rick Davis

Hylton Center

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Marit Majeske

Stacey Schwartz — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 11:45:00 +0000

Marit Majeske Stacey Schwartz Fri, 06/07/2019 - 07:45

Education Coordinator, Hylton Center

Contact Information

Phone: 703-993-7741
Campus: Prince William (Science and Technology Campus)

Biography

Marit Majeske became the Education Coordinator of the Hylton Performing Arts Center upon the opening of the Hylton Center’s Education and Rehearsal Wing in December 2019. She works with local school systems and the community to provide diverse arts experiences to learners of all ages from pre-school to lifelong learners. This full-time role expands on the work she began in October 2016 when she became the Interim Education Coordinator in addition to her role as Front of House Manager, a role she assumed when the Hylton Center opened in May 2010. Prior to joining the staff at the Hylton Center, Marit worked as an Assistant House Manager at Ford’s Theater and a volunteer intern with the Performing Arts for Everyone and Kennedy Center Friends offices at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Marit holds a B.A. in Music and Broadcast Journalism from Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC) and an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University. Marit received the Kennedy Center Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Emerging Leader Award in August 2014. She also completed the Leadership Prince William Signature Program in 2023 and participated in Educators’ Neighborhood, a professional learning community that is a project of the Fred Rogers Institute.

Adrienne Bryant Godwin

admin_alpha — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 01:36:01 +0000

Adrienne Bryant Godwin admin_alpha Wed, 08/29/2018 - 21:36

Director of Programming, CFA, Hylton Center, CVPA

Biography

Adrienne comes to George Mason University with a wealth of experience working for both presenting organizations as well as artist-led ensembles. Most recently she was the Executive Director of Dance Heginbotham, a company she founded with Artistic Director John Heginbotham in 2011. Adrienne was integral in navigating the company’s rapid growth, supporting exciting artistic achievements while creating a solid organizational structure to support John's creative vision. Company highlights include presentations and commissions from prestigious institutions such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; a six week tour to Southeast Asia with DanceMotion USA, a program of the U.S. State Department; and diverse collaborators with artists such as Alarm Will Sound, Brooklyn Rider, Joshua Bell, and Maira Kalman, among others.

Prior to her work with Dance Heginbotham, she was the Assistant Director of Programming and Audience Development at the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University (2011 - 2013) and the Company Manager of the Mark Morris Dance Group (2005 - 2010), after getting her start as an intern at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 2005. She served on Dance/NYC’s Jr. Committee for two years, and continues to work as a consultant for independent artists and projects.

Adrienne was a 2010-11 Arts Management Fellow in the DeVos Institute at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and received her Master's Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management in 2017 from Baruch College in New York. Originally from Alabama, Adrienne graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University with a major in French and minors in Dance and Philosophy.

Degrees

M.P.A., Public Administration, Baruch College in New York