PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
CONTACT: Dr. Gayle Seymour, (501) 450-3295, gayles@uca.edu
September 18, 2014
CORE, ARKANSAS SAXOPHONE QUARTET TO COLLABORATE
ON PERFORMANCE FEATURING DOUGHERTY SCULPTURE
By Kelsey Williams
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
The CORE Performance Dance Company will return to the University of Central Arkansas as Artists in Residence Oct. 1-4.
The highlight of the residency will feature CORE, accompanied by the Arkansas Saxophone Quartet, premiering an original dancework in and around the new Patrick Dougherty sculpture at the McCastlain Hall lawn on the University of Central Arkansas campus on Oct. 3.
CORE will be joined by consumers from Independent Living, facilitated by UCA occupational therapy students during the 5:30 p.m. performance on the Baum Gallery Lawn. CORE will perform alone at 6:30 p.m.
“CORE specializes in creating original choreography that deepens our understanding of visual art,” said Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. “During their performance, they will respond to the unique shapes, textures, and patterns created by Patrick Dougherty in his outdoor sculpture at UCA. Viewers can expect to see dance and the sculpture with fresh eyes after they have experienced it through CORE’s artistic lens.”
There will also be an open rehearsal at 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, along with a Q&A segment with the dancers.
All events are free and open to the public.
CORE, founded in 1980 is known for its captivating and passionate dance works. The dancers pride themselves on having a strong sense of community pride and using dance as a form to connect to their audience.
The group embraces the challenges of working within different non-theatrical performance settings such as in the outdoors, art galleries and public gathering spots, making the Dougherty sculpture, the large-scale architectural forms woven from saplings, sticks and twigs, a perfect setting.
CORE will hold workshops for adults with developmental disabilities in the Conway and Little Rock area. The UCA department of Occupational Therapy students will assist with the workshops and the dance performance. It is hoped that through dance and improvisation that the individuals’ quality of life will increase and that the Conway community will realize their worth and the ability rather then their disability.
The Arkansas Saxophone Quartet comprises Dr. Jackie Lamar, baritone saxophone and professor of music at UCA; Andy Wen, soprano saxophone and assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock; Caroline Taylor, alto saxophone and professor of music at Ouachita Baptist University; and Brent Bristow, tenor saxophone and director of bands and professor of saxophone at Arkansas State University-Beebe. The quartet, which originated in 2007, performs for special events at universities and international conferences.
CORE Performance Company is funded in part by an award from Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arkansas Arts Council, and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, including, the Brown Foundation, Inc.; Cooper Foundation; the Cross Foundation, Inc.; Louetta M Cowden Foundation; Cultural Development Corporation of Central Oklahoma; Francis Family Foundation; Gilbert M. & Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation; Hall Family Foundation; the Hearst Foundations; Houston Endowment; Inasmuch Foundation; William T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank, Trustee; Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation; Kirkpatrick Family Fund; Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg; Nancy and Peter Meinig; SONIC, America’s Drive-In; Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Commerce Bank, Trustee; Windgate Foundation; and the John Steele Zink Foundation. Mid-America Arts Alliance works in partnership with the state arts agencies and Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas; the National Endowment for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Institute of Museum and Library Science. Additional funding is made possible by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, the Conway Alliance for the Arts, UCA Occupational Therapy Department, UCA Student Affairs, and the UCA Arts Fee.
The Artist in Residence program is funded by UCA’s arts fee and is administered by the College of Fine Arts and Communication. For more information about the program, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail jdmiller@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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