ACDFA ANNOUNCES

THE NATIONAL COLLEGE DANCE FESTIVAL

ACDFA/DANCE MAGAZINE AWARD RECIPIENTS

The American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) announces the recipients of the ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards for Outstanding Student Choreographer and Outstanding Student Performer.  A panel of three dance professionals viewed in performance the 30 dances included in the National College Dance Festival, held May 27-29, 2010 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Panelists selected the two award winners and also noted an additional nine student dancers for their exemplary performances. This year’s panelists were Sali Ann Kriegsman, Karen Hildebrand and Christopher Morgan.

 The panelists felt strongly that they would like to recognize the fine work of many individuals at the 2010 ACDFA National Festival.  The decision that they came to in awarding the Outstanding Student Choreographer and the Outstanding Student Performer was not taken lightly, and was made difficult by the many fine individual and ensemble performers.  Aside from the two recipients, nine performers especially impressed the panelists.

Following is a list of those recognized by the ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards panel with the panelists’ comments on why these individuals were selected:

ACDFA/DANCE MAGAZINE AWARD

FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER

Megan Kendzior (University of Florida) for her work Witness.

The panelists’ comments:

• This is the work we would all like to see again.
• The dance took an arc of time to reveal itself.
• Avoided being didactic but delivered a strong message
• Compelling and unusual musical score
• Bold!
• Fearful and fearless
• The kind of work that transcends one particular performance and performers and can be set on different groups of dancers
• Quiet and minimal movement ideas
• Extremely judicious choices

ACDFA/DANCE MAGAZINE AWARD

FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT PERFORMER

Emily Terndrup (University of Utah) for her performance in Where Your Body Lies.

The panelists’ comments:

• She had a wonderful facility, but her performance didn’t call attention to it; it was grounded with tremendous fluidity.
• A nice focal range from internal to far
• She and her partner were equal in the dialogue and did not play to the audience; they drew us into their relationship.

ADDITIONAL STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE WITH PANELISTS’ COMMENTS:

Jesus Acosta in KinkyKool Fan Blowing Hard (Sam Houston State University):

Mr. Acosta had a fluidity of motion that was punctuated by sharp arrests of motion and dynamic shifts of focus and presence. His ability to surrender his weight to the floor and his partner were balanced with quick, energetic recoveries.

 Felix Cruz in A Statement About Being (Virginia Commonwealth University):

Mr. Cruz had beautiful mastery of his body, particularly in floor movements that were surprising to the eye and difficult to execute.  An amazing series of floor rolls that looked like a film played in rewind are especially memorable and emblematic of his connection to the floor.

Mackenzey Franklin in Closer (Loyola Marymount University):

Ms. Franklin embodied the movement vocabulary of the work from her core, creating ease and effortlessness in what was physically demanding choreography.  While part of a quartet, she was able to shine without detracting from the work of her colleagues; instead she enhanced their dancing.

Sarah Konner and Austin Selden in Dirty Up to the Knuckles (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor):

Both of these dancers possessed a relaxed, natural stage presence that made a direct connection with the audience, allowing spectators into their unique and humorous work. The ease with which they spoke, inhabited character portrayals, danced and sang in this work was remarkable.

Valorie Morales in Vacillation Revisited (Rutgers University):

Ms. Morales knows her body well, how to control her core and manage momentum and suspension with maturity.  Her partnering was beautiful, as was her sense of holding onto a moment until the last possible second, as in her beautifully suspended double attitude pirouette in which she allowed her focus to linger over her shoulder before falling into her partner.

Adam Peterson in Millisecond (LINES/Dominican University):

Mr. Peterson possesses an incredibly supple spine, grounded movement and an economy of motion that was eye-catching.  His compact frame was able to find length in every movement while moving with incredible speed.

Charles Roy in Closer (Loyola Marymount University):

Mr. Roy had a strong and dynamic stage presence.  He deftly integrated breakdance movement within his contemporary movement vocabulary in a seamless fashion that made virtuosic moves look organic.

 Nicholas Sciscione in Vacillation Revisited (Rutgers University):

Mr. Sciscione possesses an incredibly sharp focus and clarity of movement, making his presence felt in the beginning of the work. Then when he moved into the principal duet of the work, his excellent partnering skills showed both himself and his partner to great advantage.

SCHOOLS PERFORMINGIN THE 2010 NATIONAL COLLEGE DANCE FESTIVAL

Auburn University
Cerritos College
CSU-Fullerton
Kennesaw State University
Kenyon College
LINES
Loyola Marymount
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Montclair State University
Muhlenberg College
NYU/Steinhart
Roger Williams University
Rutgers University
Sam Houston State University
Slippery Rock University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Spelman College
Saint Mary's College of California
Texas Christian University
Texas Woman's University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Montana
University of South Florida
University of Utah
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Virginia Commonwealth University
Wayne State University
Webster University

   NATIONAL COLLEGE DANCE FESTIVAL    

 
National College Dance Festival Policies

1. In a National Festival year a fully produced Gala Concert comprised of adjudicated works must be presented at each regional conference.
2. In a National Festival year, Gala Concert program for adjudicators will have no identifying information beyond title, premiere year, and composer.
3. The pieces chosen for the National Festival will be selected from those performed in the Gala Concert.
4. All National Festival selections must be made following the regional Gala Concert to allow for a second viewing and for pieces to be presented with full technical support.
5. All rules listed in “Adjudication Policies for Participating Schools” apply to works selected for the National Festival.
6. Selection of works for the National Festival is the responsibility of the adjudicators.
7. ACDFA strongly believes that overall excellence is the most important criterion in selecting dances for National Festival concerts. Quality of both performance and choreography must be considered for students and faculty/guest artist work.
8. In National Festival years, the number of selections made from the regional Gala Concert for presentation at the national festival is based on the number of pieces being adjudicated. The Conference Coordinator will inform the adjudicators of this number and any other rules guiding National Festival selection.
9. No more than one work from any one institution may be selected for the National Festival.
10. In every case, at least one piece selected must be from the host region. Each conference may also select one alternate work.
11. Works must be selected for the National Festival in their entirety as performed for adjudication with no requirements for editing.
12. An Executive Committee member or approved substitute must review decisions regarding the National Festivals prior to their announcement.
13. ACDFA/Dance Magazine Award Nominations: Every student choreographer with a work in the National Festival is a nominee for the Outstanding Student Choreography Award.  Every student performer at the National Festival is a nominee for the Outstanding Student Performer Award. A panel at the National Festival will select one recipient for each award.
14. In a National Festival year a high quality, accurate, color videotape or DVD documentation of the Gala Concert shall be provided by each Conference Coordinator. Appropriately labeled tapes or DVD’s and a Gala program must be sent to the National Office immediately following the conference.
15. Video waivers must be secured from the choreographers of works appearing in a Gala Concert and sent with the videotape directly to the National Office. These video waivers may be secured during the first meeting with choreographers after the announcement of the Gala Concert participants. All tapes and DVD’s will become the property of the American College Dance Festival Association Archives