MEDIA CONTACT: Judy Moore at 847-491-4819 or jkm229@northwestern.edu

May 11, 2004

Dance Program Celebrates 25 Years

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University dance faculty members and their professional companies will take turns sharing the stage during the Dance Program’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, at 8 p.m. Friday, May 28, in the Josephine Louis Theatre, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus.

The commemorative program will begin with a presentation on the history of dance at Northwestern that will be followed by the performances.

Lara Teeter, associate professor of theatre, will dance to “Singin’ in the Rain,” from the original Broadway production. Teeter also is artistic director of Light Opera Works in Evanston.

Terri Jo Garner Englund, adjunct faculty member and artistic director of T J & Company Dance Theatre, will perform a modern dance solo to the popular 18th century English hymn “Amazing Grace.”

Dance Program Director and Assistant Professor Joseph Mills of Mills/works, will perform “Circle Walker,” a unique piece that incorporates an 8-foot stainless steel rolling sculpture. Mills will also present the premier of “Getting Lucky: Secret Moments in the Natural World,” a playful look at nature documentaries.

The beauty and complexity of the female form in motion will be explored during “Tip of the fifth rib,” a new group work for nine dancers done in 12 sections. It is choreographed by Lisa Wymore, an adjunct lecturer on dance. A 2004 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Choreography is funding this piece.

Professor Billy Siegenfeld and his Jump Rhythm Jazz Project dancers will perform “Elling, Sweet: The Healing,” a rhythmic three-part theatre dance that he choreographed in 2002. The work is a result of a commission that he received from Kurt Elling, Chicago’s Grammy Award-nominated jazz vocalist, who asked Siegenfeld to choreograph selections from his compact disc, ”Flirting with Twilight.” The first scene features a beguine (a type of rumba), the second scene is a soft-shoe dance, and the third is a fusion of duple- and triple-time dance steps.

The dance concert will be followed by a party for concert ticket holders that will include dancing in the adjacent Ballroom Theatre.

Concert ticket prices are $25 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $11 for full-time students. To order tickets, call the Theatre and Interpretation Center box office at (847) 491-7282.