Monday, November 05, 2001

Wilmington, NC - The UNCW Department of Art and Theater announces its first-ever dance movement production, Dancers and Friends Dancing. The performance, which opens at 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov.15, in Kenan Auditorium, features choreography by UNCW professors Nancy Podrasky Carson, Doris Levy as well as local choreographers Erika Meyerson and Harper Piver. Additional shows will be held at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov.16 and 17. Admission is $7; UNCW student tickets are free with a valid I.D. Special group rates are being offered to dance groups and schools. Call the box office at Kenan auditorium, 962-3500, for details.

Dancers and Friends Dancing is comprised of four pieces including "CityScape," a unique display of life in a larger city depicted through dance and movement, and "Stories," an exploration of character and mood, and it was inspired by actual events and experiences from the performers, who will be dancing to a soundtrack mix of their voices telling their own stories. The other two dances, "Within" and "Recalled by the Manufacturer Malfunction on Line 17," are modern dance pieces choreographed by Erika Meyerson and Harper Piver respectively.

The performers for Dancers and Friends Dancing are trained dancers, actors and athletes who wanted to create a unique dance-theater event, said Carson. "The performers are of a variety of backgrounds. Some have been studying dance for 15 years and others have never danced on a stage. They all work together and help each other out. And that cooperative mood will be very evident in our production"

Carson, who teaches dance at UNCW, said interest in dance has increased dramatically at the university. "I've seen my classes go from an average of 12 to 28 dancers. I'm having to turn students away because we've run out of room to move," said Carson. Classes are held in Kenan Hall, which houses the Department of Art and Theatre and the Department of Art and Theatre and the Department of Music.

Funding from the N.C. Higher Education Facilities Act, which received overwhelming voter approval in November 2000, will enable the university to construct a new classroom for the visual and performing arts. Carson said once the building is completed, the department would have room to expand its dance offerings to include ballet, jazz, and other styles. The department currently focuses on modern dance techniques.

For more information, contact DeAnna Toten Beard at the UNCW Department of Art

and Theater at (910) 962-3403. Choreographer Nancy Carson, UNCW Art and Dr.

Kemille Moore, chair of the Department of Art and Theatre, and dancer/vocalist

Jessica Fulbright are available for interviews.