SUU Dance Brings "The Dance Historian Is In" Lecture Series to Cedar City
Published: September 11, 2024 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Dance program is thrilled to announce a unique educational opportunity for students and the community. This fall, SUU Dance will live stream three lectures from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' (NYPLPA) celebrated series, The Dance Historian Is In. The lectures will take place at 11:00 a.m. in the Sharwan Smith Center Theater, Room 161. This lecture series is free and open to the public.
Danielle Lydia Sheather, SUU Dance faculty member, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, “For the last several years – since the pandemic – I've been working with The New York Public Library's Jerome Robbins Dance Division to help enhance dance resources in our rural community. We’re excited to bring these lectures to Cedar City, offering students access to invaluable resources that would otherwise be out of reach.”
This series is presented in collaboration with Tiffany Patrick, Production and Outreach Coordinator at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Dance Historian Is In, streaming over the next three months, will cover the following topics:
- September 25, 2024 – "Revitalizing Black Dance and Visibility in 1930s Hollywood" by Brynn Shiovitz
Shiovitz will explore how blackface minstrelsy persisted in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s, despite strict motion picture censorship laws. Her lecture is based on her book Behind the Screen (Oxford University Press), where she introduces a theory of covert minstrelsy. Through rare footage, including performances by Albert "Gip" Gibson of the Three Chocolateers and the Peters Sisters, Shiovitz highlights Hollywood’s appropriation of Black dance and the artists it marginalized. - October 30, 2024 – "Mambo Dance" by Sekou McMiller
Choreographer Sekou McMiller will explore the history of Mambo, or "Salsa on2," and its roots in New York’s Palladium Ballroom. From 1946 to 1966, the Palladium was an iconic venue for Afro-Latin dance and music. McMiller, joined by Palladium-era dancers, will revisit the ballroom's influence on Mambo's global popularity. - November 20, 2024 – "Spanish Dance to Flamenco 1894-2024" by Carlota Santana & Meira Goldberg
Santana and Goldberg will present the journey of Spanish dance in the U.S., beginning with the famed dancer Carmencita, who became the first woman to be filmed by Thomas Edison in 1894. The lecture will cover more than a century of Spanish and Flamenco dance, enriched by video footage and imagery of iconic performers.
“Though we can’t all head to NYC to sift through the archives, we are able to bring resources virtually, and that’s a powerful thing for educational access,” Sheather said. “It broadens the perspectives we are normally exposed to, making space for differences and new ideas and debunks ahistorical narratives of history that help to reframe and center stories that are often left out.”
All are welcome to take part in this outstanding lecture series. For more information, please contact Danielle Lydia Sheather at daniellesheather@suu.edu.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, 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 which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). 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 Theatre Arts and Dance Community Academic College of Performing and Visual Arts
Contact Information:
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu