CCM Dance Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Celebration with Fall Concert Tonight

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Department of Dance (CCM Dance) opens its 50th Anniversary Season with a demanding and impressive Fall Dance Concert tonight, Nov. 16, and tomorrow, Nov. 17, in Corbett Auditorium. Department Chair and Professor of Dance Jiang Qi directs. As part of the department's yearlong anniversary celebration, CCM Dance welcomes honored guests from Cincinnati Ballet for a special performance on Sunday.

The concert features George Balanchine's ballet Serenade, restaged by guest répétituer and pre-eminent Balanchine scholar Joysanne Sidimus. Sidimus studied under Balanchine at the School of American Ballet and later joined him as a dancer at the New York City Ballet. This is the first ballet that Balanchine choreographed in the United States and is considered to be a masterpiece of 20th century choreography.

CCM seniors Ellyn McCarthy, Christine Humbach, Olivia Lafrenz, Kelly Korfhage and Martin Roosaare, as well as junior dance major Trevor Misplay and exchange student Haojun Xie from the Beijing Dance Academy, will be featured in Serenade. It is a wonderfully energetic piece set to Tchaikovsky's composition of the same name: Serenade for String Orchestra in C Major, Op. 48. The audience will be delighted by the extensive corps work and enchanted by the poise and mastery of the dancers.

Assistant Professor Deirdre Carberry restages one of the most mesmerizing scenes in classical ballet, "The Kingdom of the Shades," Act II of La Bayadère, with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus. "The Kingdom of the Shades" is a poignant and breathtaking scene in which doomed lovers are reunited after death. This expressive and heartbreaking tale will feature accomplished seniors Ellyn McCarthy and Martin Roosaare, junior dance major Regina DuPont and exchange student Haojun Xie.

CCM students will also perform the contemporary piece, Unseen, which was choreographed for CCM in 2007 by Victoria Morgan, Artistic Director and CEO of Cincinnati Ballet. This timely and relatable piece is performed to the lyrical Opuses from romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words and is danced en pointe, meaning the female dancers' bodies are balanced on the extreme tips of their toes. Unseen communicates the feeling of moving through society but being disconnected from it.

In addition to Serenade, "The Kingdom of the Shades" and Unseen, CCM students will gracefully explore the timeless notions of love and friendship through Associate Professor Michael Tevlin's world premiere choreography, Poetry from the White Pavilion. Set to music by Gustav Mahler with lyrics based on Chinese poetry, audiences will be captivated by this original piece, which will be featured during the 2 and 8 p.m. performances on Saturday, Nov. 16.

For the matinee performance on Sunday, Nov. 17, CCM also welcomes Cincinnati Ballet to the stage to celebrate their shared 50th anniversary. Cincinnati Ballet will present a diverse mini-performance featuring professional company dancers. This collaboration will include a selection from Caprice, choreographed by Val Caniparoli, and choreography by Victoria Morgan including excerpts from Frisch's Presents The Nutcracker and the world premiere of King Arthur's Camelot. Company dancers from Cincinnati Ballet include Janessa Touchet, Patric Palkens, Abigail Morwood and Rodrigo Almarales alongside up-and-coming Cincinnati Ballet trainees and Second Company dancers.

The Fall Dance Concert promises to be a bold combination of choreography and talent by both students and professional dancers and will speak to the dance lover in everyone.

Performance Times:

2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17

Location: Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village, University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets: Tickets to the "Fall Dance Concert" are $15 for general admission, $10 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at http://ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/falldanceconcert.

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots. For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the leading conservatories for the performing and electronic media arts, composition, scholarship and pedagogy.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events or to view CCM's 2013-2014 season brochure visit our website at ccm.uc.edu.