UA Dance Professor Recognized at Festival

TUSCALOOSA, Ala — Students and faculty members from The University of Alabama’s department of theatre and dance won recent recognition at the regional American College Dance Festival in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where they were selected to perform in the association’s final gala concert.

Following three days of intensive master classes, workshops and panels at the regional conference and festival, judges choose the top dances to be performed at the closing ceremonies.

This year’s final gala concert featured “Mass Production,” an original work by Sarah M. Barry, assistant professor of dance at UA. It was one of only a dozen performances selected out of almost 50 presented. This accomplishment follows last year’s festival selection, “Aeternum,” an original work by Rita Snyder, associate professor of dance at UA.

The American College Dance Festival Association’s primary focus is to support and promote the wealth of talent and creativity that is prominent throughout college and university dance departments. ACDFA’s regional conferences consist of performances, workshops, panels, and master classes taught by instructors from throughout the region and country.

This year, students and dance faculty from 25 Southeast schools were represented at the conference, including those from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. The conference provides the opportunity for students and faculty to have their dance works judged by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum, culminating with the presentation of pieces selected for their exemplary artistic quality.

The department of theatre and dance is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.