Emily Schneider

New School of Dance Partnership Connects Students and Faculty Across the Pond

Emily Schneider — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 01:22:09 +0000

New School of Dance Partnership Connects Students and Faculty Across the Pond Emily Schneider Thu, 08/15/2024 - 21:22

In This Story

Dance artist Shaun D’Arcy knows firsthand the impact of sharing new ideas in the world of contemporary dance. With the inauguration of a brand-new partnership between George Mason University’s School of Dance and England’s Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD), students from both prestigious institutions will have the chance to learn, explore, and build together.

D’Arcy leading a dance class at NSCD in January 2024. Photo by Amelia Perry-Falvey

"This partnership with NSCD aligns perfectly with our mission to foster innovation and excellence in the arts," said D’Arcy, an assistant professor in the School of Dance. "We look forward to the many opportunities this collaboration will bring for our students and faculty."

The partnership, beginning in Fall 2024, represents a shared interest from both institutions to foster creativity and academic excellence and marks a significant step forward in bridging the worlds of contemporary dance and higher education. Both institutions are renowned for their dedication to dance training and academic research at the highest level.

In addition, both schools’ strategic visions encourage collaboration with business, alumni, and community partners. This common goal provides opportunities for joint research initiatives, which will benefit students and faculty while cultivating a deeper understanding of different cultural and educational perspectives.

"We are thrilled to embark on this collaborative journey with George Mason University. This partnership will not only enhance the educational experiences of our students and faculty but also contribute significantly to the discourse in contemporary dance and academic research," said Matthew Slater, interim head of undergraduate studies at NSCD.

A performer caught mid-movement at NSCD. Photo by Elly Welford

NSCD is a leading center for contemporary dance in the United Kingdom and is currently the only institution to offer conservatory-level professional dance training in England outside London. Founded in 1985 by pioneering dance educationist Nadine Senior MBE (1939-2016), NSCD offers undergraduate and post-graduate degrees and has since gone on to produce some of the leading names in the world of contemporary dance today. Alumni include the internationally celebrated Akram Khan (1998), independent choreographer Gary Clarke (2001), and Tamsin Fitzgerald (1998), founder and artistic director of 2Faced Dance Company.

While living in England for three years, D’Arcy completed a master's degree, taught dance, performed, and presented her own original works of choreography. During this time, she noted similarities and contrasts between contemporary dance practices in the United Kingdom and United States. After returning to the United States in 2012, D’Arcy remained determined to maintain those connections and open international doors for her students. A promising pilot program at the University of Utah in 2014 gave D’Arcy the chance to test the idea of a dance exchange with NSCD. Now, as a professor in George Mason’s School of Dance, she has brought this exceptional opportunity to dance students and faculty here in Virginia.

Innovation is at the core of the partnership with a central component being the robust exchange of knowledge, ideas, and cultures. In this early stage, the partnership is intentionally designed to allow organic evolution and growth, aiming to make way for potential exchange programs (both remote and in-person), joint research ventures, and artistic collaborations.

George Mason students striking a pose during a promotional photo shoot. Photo Credit: Tim Coburn

At George Mason this fall, D’Arcy will teach a special topics course that will support this initial phase of the partnership. Students in the class will explore the work of UK-based contemporary dance companies and choreographers, as well as take part in dialogues with NSCD faculty and students who will attend some sessions via Zoom. The course will allow for introspection, reflection, and discussion among George Mason students as they draw connections between contemporary dance practices in the United States and the UK.

Beyond the class structure, D’Arcy plans to pair students from both schools to encourage one-on-one relationship-building and conversations about their future plans and personal experiences as emerging professionals in their field. Similarly, as faculty from both institutions get to know one another and their areas of research, the open and evolving nature of this partnership allows for ongoing growth and change as new ideas emerge.

Looking ahead, both NSCD and Mason’s School of Dance are hoping for the chance to arrange in-person opportunities for students and faculty alike, but are also eager to explore the all together different possibilities and pathways that unfold in the coming months as this partnership blossoms.

Follow along with George Mason's School of Dance on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and with NSCD on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) as well as on their website.

Topics

Dance

dance education

dance faculty

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

Campus News

Strategic Direction

A Contemporary Composer Fuels a New Mason Collaboration

Emily Schneider — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 19:19:10 +0000

A Contemporary Composer Fuels a New Mason Collaboration Emily Schneider Tue, 03/07/2023 - 14:19

In This Story

Lawrence M. Jackson

Dr. William Lake, Jr.

Growing up in the Black church, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Concert Bands, Dr. William Lake, Jr., deeply understands the power of music and movement.

After hearing Come Sunday by composer Omar Thomas, Lake dreamed of bringing this work to life with movement, bringing together the George Mason University Bands and the School of Dance. Working on such a project would not only expand his students' musical vocabulary but also create an authentic and expansive cultural experience for the Mason community. Associate Professor of Dance, Lawrence M. Jackson, had similar experiences, growing up in “the southern Black church, a very charismatic church” and reflected on his own upbringing and research into African diasporic dance forms. This collaboration came to life onstage in the Center for the Arts on Mason’s Fairfax Campus on February 28.

Students from Mason's School of Dance performing with the Mason Wind Symphony to Omar Thomas's Come Sunday on February 28. Photo by Will Martinez.

As a composer, arranger, and educator, Omar Thomas works with some of the most respected names in composition and education, including multiple GRAMMY-winning composer and bandleader Maria Schneider, Ken Schaphorst, and Frank Carlberg. Born to Guyanese parents in Brooklyn, New York, Thomas pursued music diligently, completing his Master of Music at Berklee College of Music and becoming the first Black composer to ever receive the National Bandmasters Association/Revelli Award for Come Sunday. His compositions are described as “thought-provoking, multi-layered masterpiece[s],” which made embarking on a partnership around this piece even more exciting for Jackson and Lake.

“I really hold dear my experiences as a musician in the Black church (I started playing the piano for my children’s choir around age 6) to my musical upbringing. Since I know gospel and other sacred music intimately, I can infuse the music with the extra nuances that can’t be described using notation but are true to the style. This piece has been performed by many great ensembles across the country… however, there hasn’t been a performance that centers movement and these great sounds.” said Lake.

Professor Jackson’s career often includes collaborations, a hallmark of his practice at other universities before coming to Mason in the fall of 2022. While the invitation to work with Dr. Lake at the end of the fall semester was a surprise, it also felt reassuring to find this partnership so early on and to begin exploring what this experience would mean for Mason students from both the School of Dance and the Dewberry School of Music.

A student from the School of Dance smiles at the audience during the performance of "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony. Photo by Will Martinez.

Building a vocabulary for the dancers was an opportunity for Jackson’s students to explore the storied culture of the Black church's sacred space and develop an understanding of the types of movement vocabulary that would reflect the energy and history of these spaces and traditions. From watching Alvin Ailey’s Revelations and clips of a particular scene from the movie Blues Brothers, Jackson offered context to his creative process, “blending contemporary dance forms, African diasporic dance forms, and pedestrian movement that is derived from the Black church, all merged into an amalgamation of movement vocabulary uniquely designed for this work.”

“The Mason School of Dance students are excited to work with the musicians,” said Jackson. “These dancers, most of them, if not all of them, have never had the experience of working alongside a symphony or a band. I’m excited for them to experience the unique energy of the symphony and adapt in the moment.” All of the dancers performing in this piece are seniors in their final semester with the School of Dance, which made Jackson that much more eager to share this experience with them before they embark on the next stage of their careers.

The dancers are not the only ones expanding their understanding and skills with this performance. “The jazz and gospel musical vocabulary is foreign to my students,” said Dr. Lake.

“It’s inspiring to see how invested our students are in something that they realize is new and different. My hope is that through music and collaborations, my students have a gateway to appreciate cultures different than their own,” Lake adds.

Dancers from Mason's School of Dance perform Professor Lawrence M. Jackson's original choreography to Come Sunday by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony on February 28. Photo by Will Martinez.

Unlike most concerts, the Wind Symphony will be moved further upstage than normal and without the acoustic shell to allow for the choreography to be presented downstage. This has resulted in the assistance of the Center for the Arts Artistic Staff to add audio, lighting, and stage-managing support. This unique concert has been chosen as one of the Mason Arts at Home features that will be captured via six cameras in the hall and even GoPros! Dr. Lake shared, “I’m jealous of the audience, I won’t get to experience the concert from their vantage point – I’m thankful that the School of Music and the College of Visual and Performing Arts have agreed to record, edit, and professionally mix our hard work”.

The duo is optimistic that this is just the beginning of collaborations between the Mason School of Dance and the Dewberry School of Music.

You can watch an in-depth interview with Jackson and Lake on the College of Visual and Performing Arts YouTube channel, including behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals leading up to the performance.

The Wind Symphony’s performance from February 28, 2023, including Come Sunday featuring the School of Dance, will be available to watch from March 28 through April 28, 2023 exclusively through Mason Arts at Home.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Mason Arts

Dewberry School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding

Emily Schneider — Tue, 31 May 2022 20:27:39 +0000

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding Emily Schneider Tue, 05/31/2022 - 16:27

In This Story

George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the fourth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Three alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a Mason venue during the 2022-2023 season. Two additional alumni were awarded an inaugural grant of financial support, designed to assist in the completion of their proposed projects, which were selected because of their timeliness and significance to the Mason community.

“In this fourth round of the Project’s commissions, we received proposals with uniquely personal and emotional perspectives,” said Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Knowing the vital role of the arts in strengthening community in challenging times, we are elated that this program continues to support the visions of these young artists.” Davis continued, “In response to the great range of proposals, and in order to ensure that we are providing as much support as possible to our incredible alumni, we established an additional award this year, which provides a grant to help these artists take their project to the next level while removing the time frame for production or exhibition that is otherwise required. As usual, I can't wait to see what these great project ideas turn into once they’re fully developed.”

For consideration, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2011 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

2023 Recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award Including $5,000 in Commissioning Support
Juan Megna

Juan Megna

Juan Megna (Doctor of Musical Arts, 2021) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Award and $5,000 in commissioning support. In 2015, Juan started a master’s degree at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. In this city, he played with Phil deGreg group, Rusty Burge, Steve Alee, among others, and got the degree in 2017.

In 2017, Juan moved to Fairfax, Virginia to pursue his doctoral degree at George Mason University. Juan played with Wade Beach, Wayne Wilentz, and Steve Kirby in the Washington DC musical scene, among others. Also, he formed The Juan Megna Quintet. The repertoire is centered on a mix of Juan’s compositions, blended jazz, Argentinian and Afro-Brazilian rhythms.

At George Mason University he leads the Latin-American Ensemble. The DownBeat Magazine has awarded this group with the 42nd (2019), 43rd (2020), and 44th (2021) students awards as an “Outstanding Performance”.

As an active researcher, Juan performed a clinic at the Jazz Education Network, New Orleans 2020, entitled "The Brazilian 16th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova", focusing on developing Afro-Brazilian popular genres.

Megna's new project, which this award will fund, is titled Trailblazer, an album of original compositions that will build a dialogue between jazz and Afro-Brazilian genres. The concept for the project is inspired by traditional melodies and rhythmic patterns of Candomblé (a diasporic religion syncretized from traditional religions of West Africa and Roman Catholic Christianity). “It is a real honor to receive this generous award coming from my alma mater institution,” said Megna. “It will help me crystallize a project that I dreamed of for so many years.”

2023 Young Alumni Creative Development Award Winners Including $3,000 in Commissioning Support

Carlehr Swanson

Carlehr Swanson (vocalist, pianist, speaker) is a 1st year Ph.D. student at the University of Virginia. She is a graduate of George Mason University and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with degrees in Jazz Vocal Performance. Before college, Carlehr accompanied and directed multiple church choirs. She credits this experience as significantly influencing her musicality. Upon entering college, she realized the absence of gospel music in higher education. Consequently, she co-founded and directed the Frost Gospel Ensemble. Her research interests include gospel music, Black studies, women's studies, and civic engagement. Giving back to her community and connecting with others has been an important theme in Carlehr's life, as she brings people together to serve a greater good. She is the founder and director of the organization, "Music is Unity," where she takes music performances to people who may not experience them otherwise. Throughout this year, she has planned and performed more than a dozen virtual events for the community.

Swanson receives the Creative Development Award for Growing Pains, an extended play record of original music, combining the styles of jazz, R&B, and gospel, exploring love, loss, faith, and hope along the transition to adulthood.

Kyle Finnegan

Born in the same place as American cinema (the great state of New Jersey), Kyle Finnegan is a filmmaker living in Alexandria, VA. He graduated in 2017 with a BA in Film and Video Studies. After shooting and editing for several years, he currently works at 522 Productions with a focus on directing branded documentaries. His work won him a DC TIVA Peer award in 2021 and he’s interviewed all four of Time Magazine’s heroes of 2021. He has created short documentaries exploring subjects ranging from car hackers in Seattle to an artsy coal mining town in Utah. Whether it’s a film, a website, or a delicious meal, he aims to create something every day.

Finnegan’s award will support his new documentary film, exploring the complicated role of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in the United States, as influenced by pervasive misinformation and the uniting love of food across cultures. "I'm excited to have received a grant from the institution that has supported so much of my development as an artist," said Finegan. "I'm looking forward to making a mouthwatering film about the complex world of MSG."

2023 Young Alumni Artistic Support Grant Winners Including $2,000 in Unrestricted Support

Mohammed Saffouri

Mohammed Saffouri is an award-winning Palestinian-American filmmaker based in Fairfax, Virginia. Saffouri distinguished himself early on in his film career by earning a Capital Emmy for his debut documentary film, The First. His next film, Touchline, was recently selected to participate in Tribeca Film Festival. Touchline will be the first Jordanian film to be screened at Tribeca, and Saffouri will be the first alumni from George Mason University to have a film screened at Tribeca in the festival’s history. Saffouri graduated from George Mason University in 2020 with a degree in Film and Video Studies and a concentration in Film Directing. Throughout his eight years in the film and media industry, he has directed three films, produced four films, written three films, and created more than ten promotional videos for companies and non-profits. His work has been screened at such festivals as the Washington DC International Film Festival, the Virginia Film Festival, the Malmo Arab Film Festival, and others. Saffouri is currently developing his first narrative feature film.

Saffouri’s award will support the development of his first narrative feature film, a deeply personal story about the experience and perseverance of a Muslim-American immigrant woman in the United States. "I'm always happy and thankful to see how George Mason University is the first to support its alumni and students," said Saffouri. "This is the first grant I get into this project, and I'll make sure to make them proud when this project is done."

Left to Right: Meagan Arnold, Hannah Looney, and Mike Rose

Meagan Arnold (Film, 2018), Mike Rose (Film, 2016), and Hannah Looney (Film, 2018) began collaborating on creative projects together as students in the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. Over the past 6 years and alongside Film at Mason alumnus Jason Cortez (BA, 2015), the group has produced numerous fashion, narrative, and music video projects. Often working under the alias ‘negativs,’ their recent project FLORENCE toured internationally at the Sarajevo and Croatia Fashion Film Festivals.

Arnold, Rose, and Looney receive the award to assist in the creation of Momentum/Memoriam, an experimental music video that explores and contextualizes the group’s grief over the loss of their late collaborator and Mason alum, Jason Cortez (Film, 2015).

"Jason Cortez was an award-winning filmmaker and a 2015 graduate of the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. He lost his life on September 10, 2021, at the age of 29. Momentum//Memoriam is an experimental, fashion music video honoring Jason’s legacy as an artist, as well as the impact he left on his closest artistic collaborators," said Arnold.

"We are at the beginning of a long process in creating art for, and posthumously with, our dear friend. Jason left behind many projects unfinished, and we bear a responsibility to complete his life’s work. We have several projects planned in the coming years to celebrate Jason and to continue his artistic vision. Momentum//Memoriam will be our first venture into creating art as a collective since he passed."

Information about the next round of applications will be announced at a later date. Details on previous year's recipients and criteria for consideration can be viewed on the Young Alumni Commissioning Project website.

Topics

Young Alumni Commissioning Project. alumni support

alumni

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts Film and Video Studies

Dewberry School of Music

Student film productions

Film

Film at Mason

latin-american ensemble

Mason Jazz

The LIVE Center Mentoring Series Brings Big Dance Names to Mason

Emily Schneider — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 17:59:19 +0000

The LIVE Center Mentoring Series Brings Big Dance Names to Mason Emily Schneider Wed, 04/13/2022 - 13:59

In This Story

Christopher d'Amboise

Learn More About the LIVE Center

The LIVE Center Mentoring Series is a new initiative from The LIVE Center within George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts that connects some of the biggest names in the performance world to students around the country.

Left: Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck; Right: Students in George Mason University's School of Dance move during a class using The Live Center's Window Wall technology.

The first event of the Series features Tony Award-winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer, Justin Peck, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 25, 2022. This event will be produced and streamed live using the LIVE Center’s Window Wall projection technology and Zoom from the National Dance Institute Center for Learning & the Arts (New York City, NY), to participating students at Mason’s School of Dance (Fairfax, VA) and the Baltimore School for the Arts (Baltimore, MD). The class will be moderated by Mason Heritage Professor of Dance and founder of The LIVE Center, Christopher d’Amboise. Funded in part by a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), this is the first of three events planned for this series in 2022.

With the accompaniment of two dancers, Peck, who is Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet and has choreographed countless projects for stage and screen including Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story (2021), will lead a conversation with students on the differences between choreographing for film versus live performance, and will instruct students on some of the vocabulary developed around his choreography for the film.

“The LIVE Center's mission is to provide unique and creative virtual education opportunities for students, and having the world-renowned choreographer Justin Peck is as exciting as it gets,” says d’Amboise. “He will be providing insight and information on his process, experience, and the challenges of choreographing for ballet, Broadway, and cinema. The LIVE Center Mentoring Series connects the greatest artists of today with the next generation of leaders.”

Justin Peck is a Tony Award winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City. He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet. Peck began choreographing in 2009 at the New York Choreographic Institute. In 2014, after the creation of his acclaimed ballet Everywhere We Go, he was appointed as Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet. He is the second person in the institution’s history to hold this title. As a performer, Peck has danced a vast repertoire of works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Benjamin Millepied, Christopher Wheeldon, and many others. Peck has created more than 40 dances—over 20 of those for New York City Ballet. Peck has worked extensively as a filmmaker. In particular, his focus has been exploring new innovative ways of presenting dance on film. Peck choreographed the feature films Red Sparrow (2016) starring Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Francis Lawrence; and West Side Story (2021) in collaboration with director Steven Spielberg.

Christopher d'Amboise is currently a Heritage Professor in the School of Dance at George Mason University. Born into a family of dancers, he became a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet, and from 1990 to 1994, he was the artistic director, president, and CEO of the Pennsylvania Ballet. He also has a passion for musical theater and performed in the Broadway production of Song and Dance, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Developed to expand the reach of The LIVE Center’s groundbreaking virtual instruction technology and the connections it makes possible, The LIVE Center Mentoring Series is a new project that offers direct access to exciting classes and conversations with globally recognized artists, choreographers, and performers. Additional events will be scheduled for Fall 2022, and interested organizations are encouraged to contact the College to discuss potential participation.

Topics

The LIVE Center

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Dance

dance education

virtual alternative instruction

virtual education

Virtual learning

arts education

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

The LIVE Center Awarded $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Emily Schneider — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:57:21 +0000

The LIVE Center Awarded $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Emily Schneider Mon, 01/31/2022 - 11:57

In This Story

Christopher d'Amboise

The LIVE Center (or the Center for Live Interactive Virtual Education) within George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This funding will support future programming from this groundbreaking center at Mason: the LIVE Center Mentoring Series.

Developed to expand the reach of the LIVE center’s groundbreaking virtual instruction technology and the connections it makes possible, the LIVE Center Mentoring Series is a new project that offers direct access to exciting classes and conversations with globally recognized artists, choreographers, and performers. Students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Mason will be joined by high school and university students from around the country, broadening access to exceptional training and connections in the professional dance world. This grant will fund three iterations of the LIVE Center Mentoring Series during 2022. The first class is anticipated for May 2022, and will be shared live with about 300 participants across the United States. More details about the dates and participating artists will be announced as they are finalized.

"This is a unique opportunity to connect leading artists with the next generation of performers in a supportive and meaningful way," said Christopher d’Amboise, Heritage Professor of Dance and leader of the LIVE Center.

Christopher d'Amboise teaching a class in front of the LIVE Center Window Wall, in the Fall of 2021.

In 2019, d’Amboise saw a need for video conferencing that allowed for life-sized, full body interaction. From this, the concept of the Window Wall was created: a teacher in a remote location could be projected live and life-sized onto the wall of a studio, while a live feed of the students is projected for the teacher.

This concept became the basis for the flagship initiative of the LIVE Center. By eliminating the barrier of distance, theWindow Wall expands possibilities for virtual teaching, performances, and one-of-a-kind events.

The LIVE Center Mentoring Series project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in Fairfax, VA is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

To stay in the know, visit the LIVE Center site.

Topics

grants

grant program

National Endowment for the Arts

Dance

dance education

virtual education

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

Campus News

The LIVE Center

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

CVPA's Young Alumni Commissioning Project Begins a Fourth Round

Emily Schneider — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 15:01:37 +0000

CVPA's Young Alumni Commissioning Project Begins a Fourth Round Emily Schneider Tue, 12/07/2021 - 10:01

Learn More About the YACP Award

George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) released today a request for proposals for the Young Alumni Commissioning Project, which provides crucial support for the artistic development of recent alumni.

This is the fourth year of the program, which will award up to five grants to CVPA alumni for the creation of original work that will be presented by the College at a Mason venue during the 2022-23 season. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, February 11, 2022. The recipients will be announced in May 2022.

“The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is bearing fruit so beautifully after our first three rounds, adding new work to the world's store of artistic creation and helping advance the careers of Mason’s outstanding arts alumni,” shares Rick Davis, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “As we enter cycle four, I am excited to see what our community of artists brings forward for consideration. Each cycle represents and reflects a moment in time for both the artists and the world we work in, and I know that our alumni are busy doing what artists do: seeing, feeling, and thinking deeply about their world, and transforming those perceptions into significant work.”

All potential applicants are invited to participate in an online grant writing workshop designed and executed by CVPA staff, taking place on Wednesday, January 26 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Individual applicants can also reserve time to speak with CVPA staff about their project and the application process during scheduled office hours, offered during the week of January 31 and February 7.

Jada Salter, 2021 recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award

During the 2020/2021 award cycle, Jada Salter (’20) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in support for Just the Two of Us, a documentary about multi-Grammy award-winning musician and her grandfather William “Bill” Salter. Nicole Daniell (Dance ‘17), Nicholas Horner (Theater ’18, MFA Candidate ‘21), Cristian Perez (Music ‘12), and Katherine Thompson (Visual Art ‘15) were awarded Young Alumni Creative Development Awards and each received $2,500 in commissioning support.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research. Young Alumni Commissioning Project recipients may receive up to $5,000 in commissioning funds; as well as venue, production, and marketing support for a public showing of the work.

To be eligible, applicants must be a graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts from the class of 2011 and after. Proposals should be for original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues will also be considered.

Topics

Young Alumni Commissioning Project. alumni support

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

computer game design news

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Theater

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Arts Management Program

Behind the Premiere: The Making of the Black Voices Screening Project

Emily Schneider — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 15:34:39 +0000

Behind the Premiere: The Making of the Black Voices Screening Project Emily Schneider Tue, 07/13/2021 - 11:34

In This Story

Carmella Taitt

Brianna Dawkins

Olivia McCall

Students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts are empowered to share their stories through the arts. In April 2021, three students from the School of Dance partnered with world-renowned choreographer Rafael Palacios to explore, express, and share their experiences as Black women through movement.

The collaboration resulted in three world premiere dance-films presented as part of Mason Arts at Home. View the three films here:

The project was born from a desire to sustain connections during the isolation of lockdown in 2020 when Palacios reached out to the dancers from his Colombian-based company, Sankofa Danzafro. He asked them to write letters about “their stories, their experiences, things that they felt they have been silenced for.” Founded by Palacios in 1997, the company’s work centers on rewriting the history of Black communities through the eyes of those who are directly involved, the Afro-descendants, in Colombia and around the world. Shortly after the dancers began to document their stories, a call for creative works that could be presented online came from their government. Palacios asked his dancers if they would be willing to “translate those letters into movements” and the company then created 26 videos of individual dances, including one from Palacios himself.

Inspired, Rafael decided to bring the Black Voices project to other communities to explore this idea of expression and release, first in Boston (billed as Black Voices Boston) and most recently through the Mason Arts at Home. Palacios sent an open call into the Mason community for students who identified as Black, African American, Afro Caribbean, Continental African, Afro European, Afro Latino, Afro Hispanic, Afro Asian, Afro Australian, or Mixed race with one parent who identifies as Black to apply. The only requirement was that participants be willing to write letters and share their own stories through movement or other art forms, and School of Dance majors Brianna Dawkins (Class of 2024), Carmella Taitt (Class of 2022) and Olivia McCall (Class of 2021) seized the opportunity.

The dancers each investigated deeply personal encounters in the letters that would become their dances. Speaking during a live post-premiere conversation Taitt reflected on the process, “I asked myself questions that I wanted to ask society, about why do they view Black people the way that they do, and so through those questions …I started to come up with my own answers for them.”

Given the travel complications caused by the pandemic, Palacios had to participate in the rehearsals and creation process remotely via Zoom. This coupled with the incredibly personal and vulnerable nature of the work meant that everyone involved in the project was determined to construct both a technologically equipped and emotionally protected space.

“It was paramount that we as a team recognized the gift that our students were offering,” shared Haley Smyser, Programming and Engagement Manager for the Center for the Arts and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “We were absolutely intentional about who was allowed to be in the room so that there was no pressure to feel censored or criticized by people who could not relate to the experiences these dancers were tapping into.”

Smyser added that, as Mason continues our work towards anti-racism and inclusive excellence, “We can further enrich the experiences and learning environments for our students by considering the depth of the connections that are possible and made available with these professional artists, in addition to the width of their impact when they share their work with our audiences both on and off-campus.”

At the end of the rehearsal process, conducted over Zoom using The LIVE Center Window Wall technology developed at Mason, each student choreographed their full piece in collaboration with Rafael. Acting as their own creative directors, the dancers selected the spaces on campus where they would perform and record their works, then directed the editing of the raw footage into the films that premiered on May 7 on Mason Arts at Home. Taitt edited her own work, and Dawkins and McCall were supported by alumni and student editors from Mason’s Film and Video Studies program.

“The hardest part about the entire process was coming to terms [with the idea] that it was a collaborative process,” confided Dawkins. “Instead of the choreographer telling me what to do, because as dancers that is what we’re used to.”

McCall concurred, saying that her biggest challenge in the process was setting choreography [on herself]. She shared, “When you’re dancing by yourself, it’s easy to improvise or just do what you want to do in the moment, because it’s just you, you don’t have to worry about anyone else.”

Faculty mentor Setarra Kennedy, Assistant Director of the Arts Management program and adjunct professor in the School of Dance, wore many hats during the rehearsal and production process, from company manager to sounding board, coach, and videographer. While in the rehearsal room, Kennedy kept to the background, recording notes and feedback as Palacios, his translator, Monica Delgado, and each dancer worked together to develop the movements of their pieces.

“At the end of the day, we would review those notes together, with me asking, ‘this is what I understood as the elements that need work, do you agree? Does that feel right to you?” Kennedy said. “The idea was always to be in conversation, because these dances are not only based on personal stories, the students are making these dances on their own bodies, which was also a new experience. I concentrated on encouraging them to lean into their own creative voice, reminding them that anything they want to explore is possible, as long as it feels authentic and real to them.”

The resulting dances are eye-opening, powerful, and courageous, a testament to the willingness of these students to explore their personal lives through their professional art. The emotional power of these performers is clearly evident in each of their works: “Becoming,” “On View,” and “Hear Me As I Am".

Reflecting on the experience, Palacios said, “I would just like to reiterate my deepest gratitude for amplifying and sharing my vision of the world through dance, a world that becomes smaller thanks to the mutual interest in knowing each other not as foreigners or strangers but rather as who we really are; diverse and valuable humans in distant and common lands at the same time.”

Dawkins shared that she’s “excited to continue choreographing” as part of her studies in the School of Dance, as she was a freshman during this project. Taitt, who will begin her senior year in Fall 2021, said that as a result of this experience, “I find it important to incorporate my Black voice into whatever I create so that I can fill spaces with my purpose and be able to represent my community.” McCall concurred, noting that as she moves into her professional career, “it’s important for me to also incorporate my own Black movement and voice into all the choreography that I do.”

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