Student and faculty dancers from SUNY Brockport's Department of Dance will perform at Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's January 1 inauguration. The college's participation in the inaugural festivities also will feature a performance by SUNY Brockport Professor Emeritus Garth Fagan's Dance Company. "The college is honored to be part of this historic occasion," said John R. Halstead, PhD., SUNY Brockport president. "The invitation speaks volumes about the quality of our world-class dance program and will give Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer an opportunity to see first-hand the tremendous talent of our students and professors." The Brockport students will be accompanied to the event by Darwin Prioleau, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Dance. The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) presented Prioleau its Leadership Award this year. "We are all very excited - especially the students. It is an incredible experience for them to contribute to this momentous occasion, "showcase their talent," and to share the stage with Garth's dancers," Prioleau said. Brockport dancers will present excerpts from pieces choreographed by Bill Evans, visiting professor and guest artist. The modern dance duet "Alternating Current," choreographed in 1982, will be performed by Roy Herrington Tracy and Daniel Walczak. Evans will join students Courtney Andrews, Marisa Ballaro, Leah Fox and Abbey Germano in tap piece "Suite Rhythm." Evans received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) in 2005, and was named one of the nation's three favorite tap artists in the most recent "Dance Magazine" Readers' Poll. The January 1 inauguration will take place at noon outside the Capitol Building in West Capitol Park, the first outdoor inauguration in New York's history. The inclement weather location is the Albany Times Union Arena. Inaugural festivities will include a number of public events. SUNY Brockport will participate in the reception celebrating New York state, 1 to 5 p.m. in the underground concourse of the Empire State Plaza. The concourse accommodates 10,000 people and will feature displays of New York's cultural highlights. There will be art shows, dance exhibits and children's performers, and performances by SUNY Brockport, Garth Fagan Dance and members of the cast of the Broadway show "Wicked." December 24, 2006 |
