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APSU Theatre and Dance recognized at national dance conference

Austin Peay State University - APSUClarksville, TN – Earlier this month, the Austin Peay State University Department of Theatre and Dance participated in the American College Dance Conference (ACDA) in Hartsville, South Carolina, where an original piece choreographed by Margaret Rennerfeldt, department chair, was selected for the event’s prestigious gala performance.

“The American College Dance Association (ACDA) is at the forefront of dance in higher education,” Marcus Hayes, associate professor of dance, said.

APSU students Claire Estes, Patrick Pride, Britanie Childs, Alexandria Heide, Kelly Barrios, Janesha Boothe, Diondre Booker, Megan Cundiff and Destiny Smith performed an original piece choreographed by Margaret Rennerfeldt at the American College Dance Conference.
APSU students Claire Estes, Patrick Pride, Britanie Childs, Alexandria Heide, Kelly Barrios, Janesha Boothe, Diondre Booker, Megan Cundiff and Destiny Smith performed an original piece choreographed by Margaret Rennerfeldt at the American College Dance Conference.

“To receive this type of honor speaks to the quality of Professor Rennerfeldt’s choreography and is a ‘feather-in-the-cap’ for the Department of Theatre and Dance at APSU. Presenting work at this conference and receiving the distinction of being selected for the gala performance is like winning a division championship for a college athletics team,” stated Hayes.

A panel of judges, consisting of professional dancers and choreographers, selected the piece, “Gotta Make a Dance, The Last Gasp,” because of “Rennerfeldt’s skillful use of satire and her seamless transitions to more serious subject matter.”

The judges also acknowledged the work’s sound score, “Goodnight,” composed by Dr. Christopher Bailey, associate professor of musical theatre, and sound mixed by Sarah Michelle Bailey, adjunct faculty member, as well as the lighting design by Dale Pickard, assistant professor of theatre and dance.

The dance was performed by APSU students Claire Estes, Patrick Pride, Britanie Childs, Alexandria Heide, Kelly Barrios, Janesha Boothe, Diondre Booker, Megan Cundiff and Destiny Smith.

This is the third time for an Austin Peay dance work to be selected for an ACDA gala. In 2011, student Alaina (Runyon) Deaver’s piece “Mold” was selected, and in 2012, Rennerfeldt’s “Finding Place” received the honor.

The department also presented another original dance at the conference. Student Diondra Booker choreographed “Dear Sister,” performed by Denia Hill-Tate, Kelly Barrios, Claire Estes, Alexandria Heide, and Janesha Boothe.

Fifteen APSU students and five faculty members attended the national conference, where they took four master classes a day and attended a dance concert each evening. Forty-two dances from seventeen schools were adjudicated. The students’ trip was funded through a Faculty Senate SASI grant. The faculty members were supported through the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.

Both dances – “Gotta Make a Dance, The Last Gasp” and “Dear Sister” will be featured in the upcoming 12th Annual Spring Dance Concert, March 22nd–25th, at the Trahern Theatre.

For more information or tickets, please visit the Theatre and Dance website or you may contact the box office at 931.221.7379 or at boxoffice@apsu.edu

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