SUU Dance’s First Live Guest Artist Residency with Jeffry Denman
Published: March 22, 2022 | Author: Ashley H Palmer | Read Time: 3 minutes
The SUU Dance Program would like to invite the community to a free, informal, workshop performance of Jeffry Denman's Resilience: The Donner Party at 7:30 p.m. in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. Considering SUU's 125th anniversary year, our pioneering legacy, and the historical ties of this story to our state, this is a wonderful addition to the celebration. This performance is free and open to the public.
This is the first live guest artist residency to happen with SUU Dance since the pandemic began. Denman has been working with a cast of twenty, including dance students and faculty. With that, the community is also welcome to attend any one of the rehearsals with Denman and SUU dancers this week to view the developing process. Those rehearsals will be held Monday through Thursday, March 21 – 24 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre.
Resilience: The Donner Party is a hybrid dance/theatre work that brings the viewer into the history and the experience of the infamous Donner Party through dance, music, and text. Originally conceived, directed, and choreographed by Jeffry Denman, Artistic Director of Denman Theatre & Dance Co., Resilience puts into context this harrowing American story of human courage and strength.
Nick Blaylock, Assistant Professor of Dance at SUU and performer in Resilience: The Donner Party, shares, “This process has been fulfilling in multiple ways, and the opportunity to work with students and a colleague in a performance capacity has been an inspiration. We've created a supportive and productive community in rehearsals, and Jeffry Denman and Brittany Martel have guided the cast through complex physical and metaphysical terrain with conviction. The ties to Utah history and the collective lineage of a pioneering spirit has imbued a sense of reverence and grounding within the cast, allowing us all the reflection of our past and desired futures. I am honored to be a part of this project and look forward to presenting this work with the incredible cast.”
Join SUU Dance for either the rehearsal process or the workshop performance for the opportunity to support SUU Dance and Jeffry Denman. For more information about the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Arts Administration, please visit www.suu.edu/pva/ta.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 26 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Tags: Dance College of Performing and Visual Arts