• North Carolina Dance Festival Comes to UNC Charlotte

• Monday, September 12th, 2011
• Department of Dance

The UNC Charlotte Department of Dance hosts the N.C. Dance Festival this weekend in Robinson Hall. Founded in 1991, the N.C. Dance Festival is an annual showcase of North Carolina dance artists that travels across the state. Each evening presents a different program of touring and local ensembles and performers. September 16: Courtney Greer (Raleigh), Lindsey Kelley (Asheville), Caroline Calouche & Co. (Charlotte), Robin Gee (Greensboro), and Kim Jones (UNC Charlotte faculty); September 17: Natalie Marrone & The Dance Cure (Raleigh), Helen Simoneau (Winston-Salem), Terranova Dance Theatre (Greensboro), Diego Carrasco Schoch (Raleigh/Durham), and E.E. Balcos (UNC Charlotte faculty).

In addition to the performances at UNC Charlotte, the N.C. Dance Festival will make appearances in Boone, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington. For more information about the N.C. Dance Festival, please visit http://www.ncdancefestival.org/.

To see a video about the Dance Festival, click here.

Tickets: $14, $9 (seniors), $6 (students)

Details: 704-687-1849 or www.performances.uncc.edu

FESTIVAL TOURING ARTISTS 2011-12

Caroline Calouche is the director of Caroline Calouche & Co., a contemporary and aerial dance company.  She received two B.F.A. degrees in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University.  Her work has been performed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Austria and Germany.  She currently is an adjunct professor of dance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has taught at Winthrop University. She is also the creator and founder of the Charlotte Dance Festival.  www.carolinecalouche.org

Robin Gee is an Associate Professor of Dance at UNC Greensboro and holds an MFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from Sarah Lawrence College. She specializes in African dance techniques, Caribbean dance forms, and modern dance techniques. Ms. Gee has performed with several New York based dance companies, including the Cinque Folkloric Dance Company where she served as Choreographer and Artistic Director for 15 years. In 2006 she formed her own company, Sugarfoote Productions, designed to expose local audiences to the richness of African and Diasporan cultural traditions.

Courtney Greer earned a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  She is a National Board Certified Dance Educator at Enloe Magnet High School (Raleigh, NC) where she directs the Enloe Dance Ensemble. Other teaching credits include NC Governor's School, NC State University and the UNC School of the Arts.  She has performed with many dance groups, and shown her choreography at American Dance Festival’s Acts to Follow, West Virginia’s Goose Route Dance Festival, and in Cuba, and Brussels, Belgium. 

Lindsey Kelley, of Asheville, holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida.  She is a former member of Contemporary Ballet Theatre, The Human Institution, Michiyo and Dancers and STEPS on Broadway’s Repertory Ensemble, and has worked with many independent choreographers.  She is currently the dance program director of the Asheville Performing Arts Academy and resident teacher/choreographer for the Asheville Ballet.  Collaborating with Lindsey Kelley is Mindy Upin who currently lives in New York.

Natalie Marrone, MFA, created the Dance Cure in 1998 to showcase her choreographic fusion of Italian folk traditions and contemporary dance.   Her choreography and research have been featured in national commercials, live television events and presented throughout the USA, Italy and Taiwan. In addition to her choreography, Ms. Marrone's college dance consulting firm Dance Decisions was featured in Dance Magazine’s 2008 College Guide. She has taught extensively, including at Ohio State University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Meredith College, Raleigh School of Ballet and Elon University.  http://www.thedancecure.com/

Jen Guy Metcalf established TERRANOVA Dance Theatre in 2008 after she earned an M.F.A. in Dance Choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her company performs contemporary work for the stage (concert dance), site (site-specific dance) and screen (dance for camera). Jen has created innovative works using original video, sounds, lights, architecture and multi-media for dance performances and festivals throughout the east coast of the United States and in Canada. www.terranovadancetheatre.com

Diego Carrasco Schoch is a Chicano dance artist, originally from Southern California.  He was a Principal Dancer at the Milwaukee Ballet (1991-2003) and a soloist with the North Carolina Dance Theater under the late Salvatore Aiello (1987-1991).  He has created original dances for a variety of organizations and venues including most recently the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a member of the Contemporary Dance Faculty (2008-2011).  He is an alumnus of NCSA, holds an MFA from the University of Iowa and received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. 

Helen Simoneau is a native of Québec, Canada. She currently lives in Winston-Salem and creates with dancers in both NYC and North Carolina. Last fall, she won The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2010: New York City, and she is a 2010 North Carolina Arts Council Choreographic Fellow.  She has received international recognition for her work.  Simoneau earned a BFA from UNCSA and an MFA from Hollins University and has served as visiting and adjunct faculty at the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, UNCSA, UNCG, and Hollins University.  http://www.helensimoneau.com/