January 25, 2017

Each season, our Dance students and faculty produce professional caliber shows featuring the Drexel Dance Ensemble and the FreshDance companies, giving students the opportunity to explore their artistry by working with professional choreographers, both faculty and guest artists, and fellow student choreographers. On February 10th and 11th, our impressive, all-freshmen company, FreshDance, will perform at the Mandell Theater. This year marks the largest cohort yet, with nearly forty members. Their concert  takes on the theme of New Pursuits, utilizing a reconstructed work by Senior Dance Major Alissa Zrein. This piece will also travel to the American College Dance Association festival at Kent State this March. Dance Professor Jennifer Morley has also created the second chapter of her work exploring the Jungian archetype of childhood, the first having been performed last spring. The other choreographers on this concert include junior Dance Ensemble students Nicole DeRoux, as well as premieres by dance faculty Dr. Miriam Giguere and guest artist KC Chun-Manning.

On February 2, 3 and 4 the Drexel Dance Ensemble will present Milestone 125, inspired by Drexel's 125 Anniversary and highlighting the works by two of our outstanding faculty members. Dance Program Director, Valerie Ifill, choreographed a piece specifically for our 125 Anniversary, reflecting on what it means to be a Drexel student past and present. Professor Ifill's ensemble incorporates historical photographs of Drexel alumni from our own University archives throughout the performance. In addition, Milestone 125 will include choreography by Dance Professor Tania Isaac, developed from the texts of Zora Neal Hurston and her Open Notebook workshop as part of the NEA Big Read Project at Drexel in Fall 2016. Guest artist Janet Pilla Marini will also present a work, along with seven new works by Dance Ensemble students.

For more information on the Performing Arts Program and Events, click here.