Performing Arts Dance Faculty and Students Attend the American College Dance Festival

The American College Dance Festival (ACDA) held its Region of the South Conference at Auburn University, March 9-14, 2017. The focus of ACDA is to support and promote the wealth of talent and creativity that is prominent throughout college and university dance programs.

UL Lafayette dance faculty members Marie Broussard, Classical Ballet Instructor and Sonia DeVille, Adjunct Professor of Dance Science along with seventeen Performing Arts students with a concentration in dance represented UL Lafayette at the conference. During the five-day event, UL Lafayette dance students attended a diverse array of master classes in various dance techniques, engaged in panel discussions, observed presentations, and attended adjudicated formal and informal dance concerts performed by university dance programs from the region. The Region of the South is composed of university and college dance programs from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri. Over 400 students representing the region attended the conference.

The ACDA conference is a primary means for college and university dance programs to perform outside their academic setting and be exposed to the diversity of the national university dance world. For the adjudicated formal concert, Adjunct Professor Sonia Deville presented Threading Memories, a solo performed by student dancer Riley McCallum.  Threading Memories premiered in the 2016 Production of State of LA Danse. Mr. McCallum also presented Rouge Gambit, for the formal concert. Rouge Gambit is a duet he choreographed that premiered in the 2016 production of An Evening of Dance. For the informal showing of works in progress, Nicole Curtis presented Curves of You, a new work that will premiere in the 2017 production of An Evening of Dance April 6-9, 2017. ACDA’s sponsorship of regional conferences provides a unique venue for students and faculty to engage in an open and constructive forum in support of college and university dance programs.