Goldrush Nuggets 

September 2006

Happenings in the dance community

Dates And Spokespersons Announced For National Dance Week 2007

In 2007, National Dance Week will be celebrated from April 20 through April 29. Nancy Stone will continue as Honorary National Chairperson, with David Howard serving as National Education Spokesperson. John O’Hurley and Charlotte Jorgensen (of Dancing with the Stars fame) will be serving as National Celebrity Spokespersons. For further information, please visit www.nationaldanceweek.org.

OCU Offers First Master Dance Teacher Workshop As Part Of New Pedagogy Degree Program

 A new program offered by Oklahoma City University’s renowned Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management seeks to help teachers learn from some of the most experienced dance professionals in the country.

OCU is nationally recognized as an educational leader in performance dance training. Graduates of the school can be found working on Broadway, in Hollywood and Las Vegas, and dozens of other high-profile entertainment venues throughout the world.

The school recently hosted 17 dance teachers from Oklahoma and throughout the U.S. to participate in the first American Dance Master Teacher Workshop. Participants ranging in age from 18 to 60 worked nearly 12 hours a day soaking up instruction in jazz, tap and ballet pedagogy, proper tap/jazz shoe fitting, prevention of injury, nutrition for dancers, and more. OCU faculty involved included Mary Boday, Patricia Oplotnik, Kay Sandel, Tiffany van der Merwe, and dance department chairman Jo Rowan. The workshop was offered as an outgrowth of the school’s new dance pedagogy degree program, which kicks off this fall. It gives undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in American Dance Pedagogy, and is designed for young dance students who want to continue dance technique training, or veteran dancers who have completed a performance career and want transition to teaching. The school plans to add a master’s degree component to the program in the near future.

Dean John Bedford said participants are thrilled with the first master teacher workshop and are already asking for more. “This full-week event has paid for itself and will provide the seed money for the next workshop Professor Boday plans,” he said. “We anticipate our teacher workshops to grow in attendance and number offered. They are part of our goal of establishing the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management’s reputation as a center for improving and educating great dance teachers.”

Boday, a master-level teacher who will oversee the new pedagogy program, said she plans to offer the same teacher workshop in 2007. She added that several of this year’s workshop participants have expressed an interest in returning each year for continuing professional education. Bedford said the workshop also produced several likely candidates for the first pedagogy degree courses this fall.

For more information about OCU’s new dance pedagogy program or upcoming master teacher workshops contact Boday at mboday@okcu.edu, call 405-208-5523, or visit www.okcu.edu/dance_amgt/pedagogy.html.

OCU’s John Bedford And Jo Rowan Honored With Flo-Bert Award For Lifetime Achievement In Tap Artistry

Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management Dean John Bedford and dance department chair Jo Rowan were recently honored with a Flo-Bert Award for Lifetime Achievement in Tap Artistry by The New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day. The Flo-Bert Awards, named for 1920s entertainers Florence Mills and Bert Williams, recognize those who have advanced the artistry of tap through performance, teaching, and choreography.

Bedford and Rowan were recognized at Tap Extravaganza® 2006. Tap dance legend Jimmy Slyde and top hoofer Savion Glover presented the awards to the couple. The Oklahoma City University Alumni Dancers, all currently working in New York City, performed a tribute dance to Bedford and Rowan at the event. The alumni dancers represent the hundreds of graduates from the school who are employed in entertainment venues around the world.

CNADM 2006 Fall Dance Workshops Feature Dance Education For Teachers And Their Students

The Chicago National Association of Dance Masters (CNADM) will hold a weekend Fall Dance Workshop November 4-5, at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest Hotel in Arlington Heights, IL. The event features classes for both dance teachers and their students, and will showcase the talents and expertise of six nationally renowned dance educators. Details can be found at www.cnadm.com or by calling CNADM headquarters at 815-397-6052.

Founded in 1912, CNADM is an internationally recognized association with members throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is dedicated to enhancing the knowledge and skills of those who have chosen dance and dance education as a profession. CNADM provides a member certification program to ensure that the highest standards are met and maintained by dance educators. For more information about CNADM, visit www.cnadm.com or call Managing Director Kathy Velasco at 815-397-6052.

Medalists and Award Winners Announced for 2006 USA International Ballet Competition

Dreams were fulfilled and careers were launched as the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition came to a close during its last round of competition in Jackson, Mississippi, with 24 dancers receiving medals, scholarships and cash awards.

“With every USA IBC, we see an intense level of skill and artistry among dancers,” said Sue Lobrano, executive director of USA IBC. “Our international jury did a great job selecting winners for 2006.”

“By competing in the USA IBC, many of these dancers will launch successful careers on the path to fulfilling their dreams,” said Bruce Marks, USA IBC jury chairman. “Whether or not dancers go away with a medal, we truly believe that the process is the prize at the Jackson competition.”

This year’s USA IBC winners are as follows:

Senior Division Medalists:

• Men’s Senior Gold Medalist: Daniil Simkin, Germany

• Women’s Senior Gold Medalist: Misa Kuranaga, Japan

• Men’s Senior Silver Medalist: Brooklyn Mack, USA

• Women’s Senior Silver Medalist: Jurgita Dronina, Lithuania

• Men’s Senior Bronze Medalist: Joseph Gatti, USA, and Masayoshi Onuki, Japan

• Women’s Senior Bronze Medalist: Yui Yonezawa, Japan

Junior Division Medalists:

• Men’s Junior Gold Medalist: Isaac Hernandez, Mexico

• Women’s Junior Gold Medalist: Not awarded • Men’s Junior Silver Medalist: Denys Cherevychko, Ukraine

• Women’s Junior Silver Medalist: Sae-Eun Park, South Korea • Men’s Junior Bronze Medalist: Jeffrey Cirio, USA

• Women’s Junior Bronze Medalist: Kayo Sasabe, Japan, and Christine Shevchenko, USA

Special awards and scholarships:

• Best Junior Couple: Mathias Dingman, USA, and Sasha De Sola, USA

• Best Senior Couple: Davit Karapetyan, Armenia, and Vanessa Zahorian (non-competing partner) • Choreography Award: Ben Lida for “September”

• Robert Joffrey Award of Merit: Marija Kicevska, Senior, Macedonia

• Jury Award of Encouragement: Female: Francesca Dugarte, Junior, Venezuela; Caitlin Valentine, Senior, USA. Male: Ryo Izawa, Junior, Japan; Zherlin Ndudi, Senior, Ukraine.

• Tutu.Com Award: Misa Kuranaga, Senior, Japan

• TutusDivine Award: Daniil Simkin, Senior, Germany

• Contract with Miami City Ballet: Elena Kazakova, Junior, Russia, and Carolyn Rose Ramsey, Senior, Canada

• Ballet International Award: Isaac Hernandez, Junior, Mexico

• Great Hope Prize 2006: Toshiro M. Abbley, Junior, USA

In the tradition of sister competitions in Moscow, Russia, and Varna, Bulgaria, the USA IBC is the official international ballet competition of the United States designated by a 1982 Joint Resolution of Congress. For additional information about the 2006 USA IBC, call 601-355-9853 or visit the official web site at www.usaibc.com.  

Photo captions:  

Top right: John O’Hurley and Charlotte Jorgensen, the National Celebrity Spokespersons for National Dance Week 2007.

Left: Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management Dean John Bedford (standing, far right) and dance department chair Jo Rowan (standing, center) with the OCU Alumni Dancers.