[411] MTSU DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS ITS SPRING CONCERT APRIL 16-18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Kim Neal Nofsinger, 615-898-

MTSU DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS ITS SPRING CONCERT APRIL 16-18

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Dance Theatre Spring Concert 2009 is the title of upcoming performance showcases that will be presented at 7:30 p.m. daily April 16-18 in the university’s Tucker Theatre.
Kim Neal Nofsinger, artistic director of the dance program, said the springtime performances “provide the perfect opportunity to culminate the end of the academic year and the beginning of the summer break.”
The upcoming dance concerts, he continued, will be presented to showcase the achievements of the 40-member MTSU Dance Theatre and highlight the many attributes dance has.
“The concert has works designed to tickle the funny bone, to celebrate the passage of time and to tap into the wealth of human emotions,” he said.
The April concert will feature the premier of “I’ve Read your Book, I Know that Look” by guest artist Stefanie Batten Bland. An American expatriate now living in France, Bland conducted a three-week residency at MTSU, wherein she interacted with students through classes, workshops and the staging of this high-energy repertory piece, Nofsinger said.
“This year is a hallmark in the dance program’s existence, as it has its first graduates with a dance cognate, a degree through the Department of Speech and Theatre that allows students to specialize in dance,” he noted. In turn, MTSU student Steven Prince Tate has been selected to present his work, “Keep the Fire Burning.”
Referring to the work, “This innovative dance fuses traditional and contemporary movement vocabulary,” Nofsinger said, “as it explores issues of domestic violence and provides a capstone project for Tate’s studies in dance and gender studies.”
Lighting design for the concert will be overseen by graduating cognate Faith Stevenson. As a component of her dance training, Stevenson has focused on lighting design for dance and will culminate her experience by designing for Bland’s aforementioned dance.
Dance faculty members Nancy Ammerman, Marsha Barsky, Elaine Husted and Nofsinger will round out the performances.
• TICKET INFO: Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the MTSU Theatre and Dance Ticket Office at 615-494-8810 or by visiting the ticket office in the lobby of Tucker Theatre from noon- 4 p.m. each Monday through Friday.
Tickets may also be purchased at the door prior to performance. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for MTSU staff and K-12 students. MTSU students are admitted free of charge with a valid ID.
For more information, please visit the dance program’s Web site at www.mtsu.edu/theatre.