"Swing for Life" Jan. 18 features swing dance lessons and music by the UW Jazz Ensembles

This University of Wyoming event popped up on Facebook today:

Friday Night Fever is partnering with the Jazz Advocates of Wyoming, the Swing Dance Club, and ASUW to bring a Swing for Life event on Jan. 18 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Union Ballroom. 

There will be swing dancing lessons provided by the Swing Club and live ‘20s style swing music provided by the University of Wyoming Jazz ensembles. Free food will also be available at the event. The Jazz Advocates of Wyoming and the Swing Dance Club plan to give any optional donations collected at the event to I Love Life and The American Cancer Research Fund organizations.

Read all about it here. 

Students can expand their horizons at UW International Night

From a UW press release:

Students can experience cultures from around the world during International Night Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. the University of Wyoming Union lower level.

International Night will educate students through culturally diverse games, performances and information booths. Activities begin in the Skylight Lounge and will continue to the Union Gardens at 8:30 p.m. for an International Game PlayStation competition.  At 9 p.m., song and dance performances will start in the Skylight Lounge. Pizza will be served after the performances.

Additionally, the movie “The Bourne Legacy,” starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton, will be shown in the Wyoming Union Family Room at 6:30, 9, and 11:30 p.m.

Friday Night Fever and the International Student Association sponsor this event. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/cac. Individuals needing assistance to attend should call the Campus Activities Center at (307) 766-6340.

Ailey II at the WYO Theater in Sheridan Nov. 4

At the WYO Theater in Sheridan on Sunday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.:

Ailey II is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most outstanding emerging choreographers.

Founded in 1974, the company embodies Mr. Ailey's pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and community programs for all people.

After touring North America and abroad, Ailey II brings its critically acclaimed performances home each spring for an annual New York season at The Ailey Citigroup Theater. Past engagements have taken place at the world-famous Apollo Theater and The Joyce Theater. The company's repertory has included works by dance masters Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Donald Byrd, Ulysses Dove, George W. Faison, Lar Lubovitch, Judith Jamison and Ailey's Artistic Director Robert Battle as well as works by rising choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Thang Dao, Carlos dos Santos, and Christopher L. Huggins.

Ailey II flourished into one of the most popular dance companies in the county under the leadership of Sylvia Waters (1974-2012), combining a rigorous touring schedule with extensive community outreach programs. With new Artistic Director Troy Powell at the helm, Ailey II will continue to thrive as he brings a fresh dimension to this beloved company.

FMI: www.alvinailey.org 

Latin Jam features Cheyenne's own Grupo Folklorico Sabor Latino

Note to self: It's never too late to start dancing!

Flores De Colores dance troupe brings back awards from Las Vegas competition



This display ad from Cheyenne dance troupe Flores De Colores recently appeared in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. The group won a number of awards at a dance competition in Las Vegas. Flores De Colores is on the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster.

Drink lemonade -- support dance in Wyoming

Nothing says summer like ice cold lemonade! Stop by and wet your whistle at Dancer's Workshop lemonade stand Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 17-19) during Art Fair in Jackson. DW staff and volunteers will be over at Miller Park all weekend!

Young performers from five states get scholarships to Snowy Range Dance Festival

News from UW:

The University of Wyoming's Department of Theatre and Dance has awarded scholarships to young performers to attend the university's annual Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival July 11-22.

Students participate in 11 days of intensive study with distinguished faculty from around the country. Festival activities include seminars, student performances, lectures and two evenings of discussion with teaching faculty.

Scholarships were awarded after an audition process and provided by long-time dance festival supporters at UW, in the Laramie community and by additional donors in the state of Wyoming and beyond.

The festival concludes with public performances. The free student showcase is 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

The gala concert is 4 p.m. Saturday, July 21, in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. Admission is $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Scholarships were awarded to the following students:

Aurora, Colo. -- Elly Shin, Cherry Creek Dance.

Casper -- McKenna Silva, Rocky Mountain School of Dance.

Centennial, Colo. -- Ariana Hartanov, Cherry Creek Dance.

Cheyenne -- Elizabeth Daly, En Avant Dance Studio.

Denver, Colo. -- Olivia Arthur, Emma Knor, Seamus Paert and Charlotte Thayer, all with Cherry Creek Dance.

Grand Junction, Colo. -- Sydnee Kimmel, Absolute Dance.

Jackson -- Quinn and Riley Liljestrom, Dancers Workshop.

Jay, Fla. -- Cydney Covert, P.A.C.E. Studio.

Pace, Fla. -- Alyssa Quigley, P.A.C.E. Studio.

Rapid City, S.D. -- Katie Beck and Mariah Brewer, Prima School of Dance; and Heidi Carlson, Chandraya Foos and Avery Lux, Academy of Dance Arts.

Scottsbluff, Neb. -- Mackinzie Gregory, The Dance Company.

Torrington -- Davin Gerrard, 28th Avenue Dance Studio.

Windsor, Colo. -- Taylor Cox, Canyon Concert Dance.

Photo: Choreographer Rosy Goodman is among the instructors at the University of Wyoming Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival.

Juneteenth celebration set for June 16 in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Park in Cheyenne

The annual Juneteenth celebration will take place on Saturday, June 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Park in Cheyenne. Speakers include Mayor Rick Kaysen, Wyoming State Rep. Jim Byrd and Cheyenne NAACP President Elder Rodney McDowell. Performances throughout the day by DJ Riley Jeleneic, singer/songwriter Brandon Mucklow, Flores De Colores, singers/dancers Rashinda Calloway and Maricruz, and poet Stephen Stinger with Dr. James Peebles on the bongos. The Excel Perry 3on3 Basketball Tournament goes all day. Food vendors and informational booths will be located throughout the park. FMI: http://www.naacpcheyenne.org/meetings-and-events

Yiddish Food Festival features Klezmer music, Israeli folk dancing and (of course) great ethnic foods

Hal Aqua and The Lost Tribe perform "noveau Klezmer music" May 20 at the Yiddish Food Festival in Cheyenne.

The seventh annual Yiddish Food Festival is scheduled to take place in Cheyenne at Mt. Sinai Synagogue on Sunday, May 20, between the hours of 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Mt. Sinai Synagogue is located at 2610 Pioneer Ave in Cheyenne Wyoming. The festival is an open-house style event designed to introduce visitors to Mt Sinai Congregation's historic building, rituals, music and delicious ethnic foods. FMI: https://www.facebook.com/events/289859201089398

The Festival includes Klezmer music, Israeli folk dancing, and Synagogue tours. Hal Aqua and the Lost Tribe, self described as playing "an exuberant musical experience, rooted firmly in traditional Jewish modes and melodies and driven by contemporary rhythms and danceable grooves," are scheduled to play Klezmer music. In addition, there will be trained, costumed folk dancers performing a variety of Israeli folk dances with time allotted to teach the audience.

The Yiddish Food Festival will also include a variety of traditional Jewish foods ranging from matzah ball soup and cabbage rolls to Israeli salad and rugelah. Each item is prepared using recipes congregation members have perfected through years of home preparation.

This project is supported in part by a grant from Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Great ethnic desserts, too...

Ragamala Dance comes to Casper April 16

April 16, 2012 • 7:30 p.m.
John F. Welsh Auditorium, Natrona County High School

Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, Artistic Directors Sacred Earth, featuring soloist Aparna Ramaswamy

The indigenous Warli people of western India revere the land, where their shelters derive, their food is grown, their lives find bounty and harmony. From southern India come kolams, floor designs drawn by women with rice flour to create a sacred space every morning. Gone in the space of a day, a kolam’s geometric shapes are a reminder of beauty’s impermanence, and its perishable materials nourish birds and small creatures as a way to give back to the earth. Against a backdrop of paintings from the Warli folk artist Anil Chaitya Vangad, each dancer in Sacred Earth summons the spirituality of this earthly connection into tangible existence. Imbuing the graceful and dynamic dance form of Bharatanatyam with its own distinctive vision, Ragamala Dance, called “a transcendent experience” and “rapturous and profound” by The New York Times, conveys to audiences worldwide that Bharatanatyam is contemporary and distinctly current. Sacred Earth couples eternity and transience, body and nature, soul and Earth in a celebration of the divine balance found in the universe’s continuous pulse.

Additionally on April 15, there will be a Dance Master Class at 1:00 p.m. at 307 Dance Academy, as well as a Hands On Kolam demonstration at 3:00 p.m. at Nicolaysen Art Museum.

Co-Sponsored by KCWY-13, the Nicolaysen Art Museum, Town Square Media, The Bon Agency/The Des & Carrie Bennion Family, La Cocina, KWYF – the CW, and the Ramada Plaza. Partial funding is from the Wyoming Arts Council through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature, the Western States Arts Federation, the Schneider Fund in the Wyoming Community Foundation, Natrona County School District No. 1, and the McMurry Foundation.

The presentation of Ragamala Dance was made possible by the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Major support for NDP is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.

"Celebrate India Week" March 26-31 at UW

India's culture and history will be showcased at the University of Wyoming during "Celebrate India" March 26-31, sponsored by the Indian students' organization, Milaap. All events are free.

"Food and refreshments will be served at all the events," says Pooja Saraff, Milaap president. "Come and experience what makes India so special."

The schedule:

Monday, March 26, 7-8 p.m. -- Documentary on India, "Incredible Innovation," Wyoming Union Central Ballroom.

Tuesday, March 27, 12:15-1:15 p.m. -- Panel discussion on "Steps Toward a Caste Free India," Wyoming Union West Ballroom.

Wednesday, March 28, 7:30-10:30 p.m. -- Bollywood Movie Night, Wyoming Union Family Room.

Saturday, March 31, 5-6 p.m. -- Workshops will be held on wearing Indian costumes, cricket, Bollywood dancing and singing, and henna tattoos. Zesty Indian appetizers will be served. Bollywood Dance and Dandiya Night is from 6-11 p.m., Wyoming Union Ballroom. The event includes a workshop from "Mudra Dance School," followed by a Bollywood night after party.

Photo: Bollywood Dance and Dandiya Night are among events during "Celebrate India" March 26-31, at the University of Wyoming.

Gillette's April 21 Prairie Wind Culture Festival celebrates the region's "rich cultural diversity"

The Prairie Wind Culture Festival (PWCF) will take place in Gillette on Saturday, April 21. Sponsors include the Wyoming Arts Council.

Here's a description from the web site:

PWCF was started in 2004. It is an all volunteer, non-profit, secular organization with one goal: to celebrate the rich cultural diversity that exists in northeastern Wyoming.

The PWCF is an annual Festival that is free and open to the public. As with any culture, the three main elements of the Festival are food, music and art! This unique event brings people together to celebrate their differences while discovering the many ways in which we are all related.

By creating an environment where people can be proud of who they are and that teaches respect for all people, we hope to strengthen our community and avoid cultural divisions.

College students interested in the arts face tough choices when choosing a major

Excellent article by Cody Porter in today's Branding Iron about some of the tough choices college students face as they consider majors. Often it's a choice between passion and practicality:

Some of the most unconventional and creative pursuits in education, work and life can become the most successful. For the college-age individual, income and money too often become a higher priority than creativity. This may be partially because of the decline of the economy and the specter of student loan debt many of them face. Financial stress too often leads students to choose a major based on potential income, rather than following passions.

Each person’s own vision of the “American Dream” and what it means to be happy. While everyone needs to make a living, wealth and power should not necessarily be a person’s key focus. Somewhere along the line many make a decision to follow a heartfelt dream to do what they love, rather than following common sense or social norms of our time.

One University of Wyoming student, Dan Higgins, is pursuing a passion that does not exactly follow the ideal of financial security of many other college students. Higgins, whose father had also attended UW, was only 17 when he came here last year from San Francisco on an alumni scholarship. His initial choice for a major was criminal justice. Higgins said he felt that major and career path would provide job security.

Read the entire article at http://www.brandingirononline.info/2012/03/08/student-goes-against-grain-follows-heart/

Russian Club of Jackson Hole and Dancer's Workshop offer free screening of Bolshoi Ballet's "Sleeping Beauty" Feb. 26

The Russian Club of Jackson Hole and Dancers' Workshop will screen the Bolshoi Ballet's Sleeping Beauty at the Center Theater for FREE! Sunday, Feb. 26, 2-5 p.m. FMI: www.dwjh.org

Deadline April 20 for USArtists International grants

USArtists International provides support for American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists invited to perform at significant international festivals or engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities anywhere in the world outside the United States and its territories. The application deadline for the final grant round of the 2012 program is Friday, April 20, 2012 for projects taking place between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. This is a receipt deadline. For links to the online eGrant system, program guidelines and application click here. Questions about USArtists International should be directed to Adam Bernstein, at adam@midatlanticarts.org.

UW hosts night of blues dancing Feb. 15

From a UW press release:

Bring that special someone, or come alone to a night of blues dancing Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Union Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.

Blues dancing originated from African rhythms and movements. It became popular in the United States primarily in smoky juke joints and blues house parties and is growing in popularity.

"Blues dancing is different from other forms of partner dancing," says Anna Rader, Student Activities Council lead student programmer. "The music leads the dance, not the dancer, and it has a subtle physical communication between partners. Students will love watching and learning this particular style of dance."

During the event's first hour, dance instructor Rachael DeMers, from Colorado Blues Dance, and her partner will instruct a course on blues dancing for those interested in learning the art. Then DeMers and the UW Blues Dancing Club will lead an evening of dancing.

This event is sponsored by the Student Activities Council. Individuals needing assistance to attend may call (307) 766-6340. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/sac . 

Photo: The Student Activities Council will host a night of blues dancing Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Ballroom. (Colorado Blues Dance)

Hole Dance Films trailer promotes Jan. 14 performance & fund-raiser at Dancer's Workshop

P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers step up Jan. 18 at UW to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy

From a UW press release:

In celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue, the P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers will perform a free show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Meaning "Participating in the Lives Among Youth to Educate and Restore Society," the P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club Steppers (PCS) perform shows using dance as inspiration. Having begun in 1996 in the Bronx, the P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers perform to entertain but also to educate. Much of their dancing originates from slavery; when slaves were unable to speak while working they would use stepping to communicate with each other.

"We discussed quite a few different options for this year's SAC event during MLK Days of Dialogue, and wanted to have some sort of performance, whether that would mean music, dance, or some other more artistically focused presentation," says Stephanie Long, SAC graduate assistant. "We wanted to offer a performance that still kept with the theme of the week, but offered a chance for the university community to take a breath from the heavy and important subject matter and just have some fun."

Not only have the P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers performed in the White House, they have also gone on tour with popular musicians such as Alicia Keys, Usher and Ja Rule and have even been cast in the movie "Stomp the Yard." They also perform at colleges and universities.

For more information about the P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers, visithttp://www.gernyc.com/theplayersclubsteppers.html .

The show is sponsored by the Student Activities Council and Friday Night Fever. Individuals needing assistance to attend this event should call (307) 766-6340. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/sac .

Photo: The P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club steppers will perform a free show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Auditions Jan. 14-15 for summer Performing Arts Intensive in Colorado Springs and Central City

Auditions will be held in January for student singers, actors and dancers, ages 14-19, for the ninth annual Performing Arts Intensive Singers, July 14-28, 2012.

Students who love to perform will dig deep to develop skills in acting, dance/movement, vocal technique and composition in this two-week summer workshop in residence in Colorado Springs and Central City, Colo. Master teaching artists assembled by the Colorado Springs Conservatory and Central City Opera provide instruction as students team-create a short opera, learn and perform scenes from opera and musical theater, attend performances and classes, and perform their own work at the Central City Opera Festival.

AUDITIONS

• Saturday, January 14, 2-4 pm – Colorado Springs

• Sunday, January 15, 12-4 pm – Denver

• YouTube auditions through January 30

• Audition requirements: 2 contrasting songs, 1 monologue

• Students will be notified of participation by February 3, 2012. A $500 non-refundable fee is due upon notification of participation. Students selected for the program pay $2,500 in tuition, which includes all room, board and tickets for festival productions. Scholarships are available.

• Call (719) 577-4556 for more information and to schedule your audition.

Additional details and blog posts on past Intensive activities are available online at

centralcityopera.org/highschoolintensive or coloradospringsconservatory.org.