DeSales Dance Students Earn High Honors at ACDA Conference

Photo Caption: Top row (from left) Megan Streichenwein, Victoria Polidoro, Natasha Rosenberg, Caitlyn McGullam, and Becky Joy. Bottom row: Magdalene Larrabee and Lena Eaton.

 

For the first time in the dance department’s history, a work performed by DeSales University dance majors was selected for the closing gala at an American College Dance Association conference on March 5, 2023.

Choreographer Matthew Neenan’s “Douceur” was one of two pieces performed by the DeSales students for the conference adjudicators at the ACDA Northeast regional conference at Montclair University. It was not only selected to be performed at the conference gala, but was chosen as an alternate for ACDA’s upcoming national conference in Long Beach, Calif., in May. 

The second work performed was a student-choreographed piece by senior dance major Lauren Linder called “moment.” that received high praise from the adjudicators.

A total of 27 schools submitted works to be performed for a blind adjudication process with nationally recognized dance professionals Darrell Jones, George Staib, and Nejla Yatkin serving as adjudicators. A final total of 12 works were chosen for the conference gala with “Douceur” selected to be the final performance on the program.

“ACDA provides a vital experiential learning opportunity for our dance majors,” said Angela Sigley Grossman, MFA, associate professor of dance. “The exposure to a diverse palette of classes and networking opportunities gives our students a deeper awareness of the art form. Due to the cancellation of in-person conference activities over the last few years, this is the first time that any of our current students have been able to attend an ACDA conference. The dance majors served as excellent representatives of DeSales through their participation in classes and performances, and are coming home feeling inspired and artistically fulfilled.”

“moment.” originally premiered at the November 2022 DeSales Emerging Choreographers Concert, a program of new dances choreographed by a select group of student choreographers. “Douceur,” a dance inspired by “gentleness,” one of the University’s core values, premiered at the DeSales University Dance Ensemble concert in March 2022. It also featured costumes designed by Becky Callan and lighting design by Eric T. Haugen.

At the ACDA conference, students are given the opportunity to attend classes and workshops in addition to performing. DeSales dance majors have been attending the conference for more than 20 years. 

“The ACDA conference was a great networking opportunity,” said Megan Streichenwein, a junior dance major who performed in both “Douceur” and “moment.” “I was able to take classes from professionals in the field in styles we don't often train in as well as meet other college dance majors.”

“Overall, I had a wonderful time at the conference,” she continued. “It was exciting to watch and participate in the adjudication concerts, the gala, and the classes.”

ACDA exists to support and affirm dance in higher education through regional conferences, the adjudication process, and national festivals. The educational mission of the association is to foster creative potential, to honor multiple approaches to scholarly and creative research and activity, to promote excellence in choreography and/or performance, and to give presence and value to diversity in dance.

To help offset expenses of the trip to the conference, a grant was given to the performing arts division by Women for DeSales, a philanthropic giving circle of special interest to women with a passion for higher education and a love for the DeSales University community. The group seeks to fund innovative programming and projects at DeSales University that typically exceed or do not fall under department or student organization budgets.