Modern dance minor premieres with concert tonight

Tonight Bloomington will have a chance to enjoy the products of IU's newest addition to the Kinesiology Department -- the dance minor program. IU began this program last year, and already there are 85 students minoring in it. \nBut this is not a strict ballet program. Housed in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the program concentrates in modern dance and is meant for anyone with an interest in dance and requires no audition.\n"I think that students were starved for modern dance," said Professor Gwendolyn Hamm, Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Kinesiology. \nHamm, a member of the modern dance faculty since 1970, has collaborated with IU Professor and Coordinator of the Dance Minor Program Liz Shea to give students a creative outlet for their interest in dance. \n"As a dance minor, a student will take intensive dance courses, dance history courses, and choose either dance science/teaching courses or performance/choreography courses," she said. \nDance minor students need three credits of modern dance and three credits of other types of dance, which can range from jazz to ballet to Celtic dance. Courses are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Theater and Drama, African-American and African Diaspora Studies, and the Ballet department in the School of Music.\nBut this dance minor program is not entirely scholastic.\n"Performance is the ultimate venue," Shea said. "Getting our dancers performing is a major priority."\nThis Friday, the IU dance minors will get that performance opportunity at "An Evening of Contemporary Dance," marking the debut of the dance minor program. \n"This program features the eclectic choreography of six IU faculty members and will be a dynamic evening with lots of variety," said George Pinney, Professor of Theater and Drama.\nPinney -- a Tony-nominated and Emmy award-winning choreographer -- is one of six IU faculty members whose works will be performed. His piece will chronicle the last days in the life of a choreographer dying of AIDS. \n"This piece is about (the choreographer's) last moments on earth, passion for art, and one's life partner," Pinney said. \nAlso featured will be the work of IU Professor Iris Rosa, Director of the African-American Dance Company, called "People of the Earth." \nDance minor students will also have the opportunity to perform at the end of spring semester with a student concert. \n"Our job is to get our creative works out there and to give students performance opportunity," Shea said. "This is our research." \nShea's selection for the "Evening of Contemporary Dance" is called "Novelette," and is a work she originally premiered in Tallahassee, Fla. Both Shea's work and Hamm's work will be accompanied by Kim Carballo on piano.\n"I see a lot of potential with this minor," Hamm said.\n"An Evening of Contemporary Dance" will begin at 8 p.m. today. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens, and children 12 and under. Tickets will be available at the Sunrise Box Office located at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. For ticket information please call 339-6741 Tuesday through Thursday noon to 6 p.m. and Friday through Saturday noon to 8 p.m.