2016 Fall Dance Concert

DanceUSF presents the 2016 Fall Dance Concert.

Nov. 16 - 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 at 3 p.m.
Theatre 1, USF Tampa Campus

Light Design: Anthony Vito

Don’t miss this exciting evening of dance which includes pieces choreographed by our DanceUSF faculty Andrew Carroll, Michael Foley, Jeanne Travers and our 2016-17 EChO (Emerging Choreographer’s Opportunity) program choreographer Gierre Godley.

The USF Emerging Choreographer’s Opportunity, conceived by DanceUSF Professor Andee Scott, is our dance artist residency program designed for emerging choreographers.

AWAKENED
Choreographer: Andrew Carroll
Costume Design: Lauren Banawa

The original Sleeping Beauty is a wonderful educational experience for ballet dancers. It is full of solo material and group work to showcase ballet technique and training. However, the original version is three hours long. We've recreated the essence of this story into a fourteen-minute version that keeps some of the characters of the original including Prince Philip and Princess Aurora, the Lilac Fairy who presides over the ballet, as well as the gem solos who have guarded Aurora during her 100 years’ sleep. Our version begins with the true love kiss which brings Aurora (and her kingdom) back to life, woven into a celebration which provides the dancers and audience alike with exposure to this classic and glorious score with new original choreography based on the original Sleeping Beauty.

A ballerina stands in the third ballet position.

A BRIDGE BEYOND
Choreographer: Jeanne Travers
Costume Design: Britney Remy

A Bridge Beyond premiered at the International Choreographer's Collective Festival in Trinidad during October 2016. Special thanks to my dancers for their creative contributions.

Two dancers use each other's body weight to hold each other up.

DUSK
Choreographer: Michael Foley
Costume Design: Britney Remy

Author Simon Raven wrote that “...dusk is the time when men whisper of matters about which they remain silent in the full light of the sun.” In this dance, dusk becomes a metaphor for our inability to distinguish what something is from what our perception of it is. Is it a gesture of surrender or of welcome? Is it a mob of protesters or a family in crisis? Is it a gun to the head or a benediction?

A large group of dancers move together on stage.

FRATERNITY
Choreographer: Gierre J. Godley
Costume Design: Brittany Ritter

In the creation of fraternity the dancers were asked to explore the “King of the Hill” complex. The dancers were also asked to reflect on their experiences competing against other male dancers for one opportunity, keeping in mind only one can prevail. The minimal score from Loscil helps not only set tone but allow the focus to be on the relationship between the dancers.

A dancer reaches down to another dancer on the floor while several others sit in the background.

2016 EChO Choreographer Gierre Godfrey

Gierre J Godley is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher currently living and working in New York City. He began his training in Arkansas under the direction of C. Michael Tidwell and Arleen Sugano, and he also had the privilege of training at the Ailey School. Gierre attended Millikin University where he received a BS in Biology and a Dance Minor and in 2010 he received an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Gierre has been on faculty at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Fancy Feet Dance Studio, the Centre for the DansArts, and is currently a teacher at Connecticut Dance Center and Adjunct Professor at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale. As a choreographer he has created works for The Steffi Nossen Dance Company, The Ailey School, Fusionworks Dance Company, University of Southern Florida, New York University, Threads Dance Projects, and the Tidwell Project Dance Ensemble to name a few. In 2010, Gierre created PROJECT 44, an all-male troupe dedicated to showcasing the beauty of male artistry throughout the arts. Gierre is currently a performer in The Grand Paradise by Third Rail Projects.