The Hamilton College Contemporary Voices and Visions Series continues the spring season with a Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership presentation of Garth Fagan Dance on Saturday, February 10, at 8 p.m. at Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts.
Garth Fagan Dance, now in its 36th season, is at the top of its profession. The company's dancers are renowned for their individuality, unmannered approach, and virtuosity. The Fagan company has been cited for its excellence and originality with a New York Governor's Arts Award. Their distinctive movement quality comes from years of training in Fagan Technique, the teaching method Garth Fagan, company founder and artistic director, developed hand-in-hand with his own dance vocabulary when he started the ensemble in 1970. The company has claimed five winners of "Bessie" Awards (New York Performance Awards) throughout its 35-year history: Garth Fagan, Norwood Pennewell, Steve Humphrey, Natalie Rogers and Sharon Skepple.
Garth Fagan has been called "a true original," "a genuine leader," and "one of the great reformers of American dance." Fagan's achievements – the creation of the internationally acclaimed Garth Fagan Dance, the company that fulfills his vision, and work as choreographer, most recently and notably for Walt Disney's The Lion King – have been recognized by a host of awards and honors. His singular dance language draws on many sources: the sense of weight in modern dance, the torso-centered movement and energy of Afro-Caribbean, the speed and precision of ballet, and the rule breaking experimentation of the post-moderns.
In 2001, Fagan, a native of Jamaica, was presented with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander: a national honor bestowed upon him by the Jamaican government. In 1998, he received that country's Special Gold Musgrave Medal, for his "Contribution to the World of Dance and Dance Theater."
In addition to a full-length evening performance, there will be a pre-performance workshop titled Creative Connections: Exploring the Choreography of Garth Fagan. Free and open to the public, the pre-performance workshop, sponsored by the CNY Arts in Education Institute, will provide an insight into the evening's dance works performed by Garth Fagan Dance. It will be held in List Art Center, room 106 at 7 p.m. The building is adjacent to the Schambach Center.
Jane Tavalin Schwartz, dance teaching artist and Colgate faculty member will facilitate the workshop. The premise for Creative Connections was created by Arts in Education Institute Director Lesley Tillotson to provide the community with a forum to explore dance in a experiential format in order to deepen their connection with the work. No prior experience in dance or dance viewing is necessary for these informative workshops.
This performance is a project of the Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership which combines the talents and resources of three community partners: Hamilton College, the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, and the Central New York Community Arts Council's Arts in Education Institute. The performance is made possible, in part, by the New York State DanceForce, a statewide consortium of choreographers, arts organizations, presenters and educators. Administered by The American Dance Asylum, Inc., DanceForce programs include artist residencies, community outreach activities, and other programming that link artists and communities across New York State. DanceForce receives major sponsorship from the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by Altria and JP MorganChase.
Tickets for this event are $18 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, and $5 for students. Special discounts for Munson-Williams-Proctor members and group discounts are available. All seating is general admission. For more information or to order tickets call the Hamilton College box office at 859-4331 or the MWPAI ticket office at 797-0055 or (800) 754-0797. All seating is general admission.
