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Karen A Gahagan
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Students and faculty from the Salem State dance program attended the American College Dance Association (ACDA) Northeast Regional Conference hosted at the University of Rochester from March 7 - 10.
Dance majors Austin Guin and Eliza Crook performed self-choreographed solos for which they received overwhelmingly positive feedback from conference adjudicators. Out of forty-eight adjudicated dances presented over the weekend, Professor Meghan McLyman's original work, re:arrangement, received one of three adjudicators’ selections for the conference's ENCORE concert. The cast of dancers included seniors Magen Beaudet, Jack Caravallo, Austin Guin, and sophomore Eliza Crook who gave a sophisticated and stunning performance. An additional nine dances choreographed by students, faculty, and professional artists were also selected by the conference attendees for the ENCORE performance.
Thirty-two schools attended ACDA from as far away as Maryland to Massachusetts. Salem State dance students participated in classes on topics ranging from contemporary floor work to lighting design to improvisational weight studies. Salem State dance faculty were further represented by dance professor Betsy Miller who taught a master class to forty students from 7 different colleges and universities.
ACDA is a non-competitive conference that honors the importance of the creative process. Four hundred and five students and faculty from thirty-six universities attended the Northeast Regional Conference this year. Conference events included four adjudicated concerts and feedback sessions, two informal concerts, a screendance film showing, and numerous dance classes, presentations, and talks. Adjudicated dances receive verbal feedback from three professional artists in the dance field. In lieu of awards, dances of distinction are selected for a Gala performance on National Conference years (odd years). Select dances from each Reginal Gala concert are invited to the National Conference.
Photo from left: Eliza Crook, Magen Beaudet, Meghan McLyman, Jack Caravallo, Austin Guin