November Dance: Dancing 50: Moving Forward/Looking Back

As Dance at Illinois celebrates dancing 50 years, Dance faculty members will collaborate with alumni to create dances for November Dance, February Dance, and Studiodance I. November Dance provides a unique historical perspective as all four choreographers have a long and rich history with Dance at Illinois. Faculty members Rebecca Nettl-Fiol (BFA 1975), Linda Lehovec (MFA 1996), and Professor Emeritus Renée Wadleigh (MFA 1991) are all graduates of the program, and Jan Erkert, head of Dance at Illinois, was a frequent guest artist at the University of Illinois from 1980 to 1989. The evening will begin with a new work, In Conversation, created by Professor Lehovec and alumna Paige Cunningham (MFA 2007), a former dancer with Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Professor and Department Head Jan Erkert and alumna Juli Hallihan-Campbell (BFA 1984, MFA 1992), a member of Erkert’s company for over 10 years, will reconstruct Antigamente, a solo performed 30 years ago by Hallihan-Campbell, into a duet. Professor Emerita Renée Wadleigh returns from retirement to create her 50th work for Dance at Illinois students with alumnus Nico Brown (MFA 2014), titled Tragedy, Ecstasy, Doom. Finally, Professor Nettl-Fiol and alumna Melanie Bales (MFA 1983) will present a piece they co-created for Dance students, Picked up Pieces, with music by alumnus Toby Twining.