Choreographers Dooling and Feng in Shared MFA Dance Thesis Concert, October 18-19

Friday, October 5, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151

October 5, 2012College Park, MD – Choreographers Shannon Dooling and Xuejang Feng examine feminine ideals through the power of dance in their Shared MFA Dance Thesis Concert on Oct. 18-19 at 8 p.m. in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Dance Theatre.

Dooling’s piece, Like a Unicorn in Captivity, is a response to and interpretation of the work of writer and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In A World Apart… A Heartbeat Away, Feng compares the revered characteristics of strength, candor and outspokenness in the modern American woman with Chinese female archetypes who embody fragility, reserve and reticence.

Like a Unicorn in Captivity: Shannon Dooling

What happens when you realize that your idol isn’t perfect? Or, when you recognize her flaws in yourself? Inspired by these questions, Shannon Dooling created Like a Unicorn in Captivity after reflecting on the works of famous author Anne Lindbergh – particularly the poem “The Unicorn in Captivity” and non-fiction pieces Gifts from the Sea and Listen! The Wind. She notes, “My piece is a danced memoir, in which I search for answers, in and through Anne’s writing.” Trinette Singleton offers additional choreography.

A World Apart… A Heartbeat Away: Xuejuan Feng

Like a first language, one’s sense of ideal feminine aesthetic is embedded in one’s conscious and subconscious mind as one grows up. Xuejuan Feng developed the idea for A World Apart… A Heartbeat Away over time from the aggregation of first-hand dance experiences. Her work analyzes the difference in movement quality that results from an inner sense of culturally-constructed aesthetics. She says, “I had an opportunity to explore feminine ideals that are both intimately familiar and vastly foreign to me. There are so many similarities and differences between America and China — lifestyle, social consciousness, traditions, and values — that the topic was both interesting and troubling to me at the same time.”

Tickets

More information can be found on our web site. Tickets for this performance are $20/$10 (Students/Youth), and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).

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The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more about the Clarice Smith Center's donor support.