Dancers Represent COF at ACDFA Conference
For the second year, six students from the COF Dance Project represented the Colleges of the Fenway at the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) New England Conference in Keene, NH, from March 9 through March 12. Participants were Jillian Lewis, Kayla Smith, Jillian Ranzo, and Jacqui Garland from Emmanuel College, Carla Otero from Simmons College, and Katie Giguere from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
The conference brought students together from over 30 New England colleges and universities, presenting unique opportunities to explore dance through a variety of traditional and non-traditional classes and performances. Students participated in ballet, modern, and jazz technique, as well as African Drumming, Dance for Camera, Belly Dancing, Circus Acrobatics, Making Dances as Social Commentary, and more. "The students left each class enthusiastic and yearning for the next," said Kristen Duffy Young, Director of the Dance Project. "The vast range of classes taught by world-renowned teachers broadened their movement vocabulary and inspired them to bring more dance back to their own college campuses."
The high point was seeing the performance of Monica Bill Barnes & Company, a cutting edge professional dance troupe from New York. "This performance opened my mind to new possibilities. I never knew dance could look this way," said Jillian Ranzo, a senior at Emmanuel College. Since Jillian and many other students also choreograph as part of the Dance Project, the opportunity to see such a wide variety of dance performances was particularly valuable.
The COF Dance Project currently involves over 250 students from all six Colleges of the Fenway. Ms. Young and four other professional instructors offer classes in performance and technique for ballet, contemporary, hip-hop and tap. The exciting end of the semester dance concert will be given twice on April 16, 2011 at 4 PM and 7 PM at Tower Auditorium, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston.
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