January 14, 2011

The Dance Program will kick off the winter term with a concert from the Dance Ensemble titled Reflected as well as the inaugural concert of the new freshman dance ensemble, FreshDance, appropriately titled New Beginnings. The concerts will feature nearly 80 dancers and the choreography of faculty, students, and the 2010 Ellen Forman Memorial Award Winner, Nora Gibson.

Reflected will feature works choreographed by students and faculty. The various pieces will all focus on the idea of reflection, and what that means for each choreographer.  Nora Gibson, a Philadelphia based dancer and choreographer, will have her work featured at the concert. In 2008 she established the Nora Gibson Performance Project, with Philadelphia as its home base.

FreshDance, Drexel’s first ever dance company for freshman, was created to provide more opportunities for freshman dancers. Current adjunct faculty members Jodie Obeid, Mina Estrada, and Stephen Welsh, will have their choreography featured in New Beginnings. Two pieces from Dance Ensemble repertory will also be remounted, providing upper class choreographers the chance to collaborate with the freshman company to further develop their work.

The Dance Ensemble’s Reflected will be performed Thursday, January 27th, Friday, January 28th, and Saturday, January 29th, all at 8 PM. The first performance of the new freshman dance ensemble, New Beginnings, is Saturday, January 29th at 3 PM and Sunday, January 30th at 1 PM. Tickets are $8 for the general public, and $5 for students with ID. Tickets are available at www.danceboxoffice.com or by calling 215.895.2787. Both concerts will take place in the Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut Streets). For more information, please contact Jim Yandoli, Publicity Graduate Assistant, at 215.895.1275 or yandoli@drexel.edu.