Hillcrest Center for the Arts
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Convergence: A Choreographer’s Showcase with choreography by Jeanne Travers, Spencer Powell, Alex Jones, Heather Castillo, Beth Megill and other local dance artists, will take place on August 3, 2018 at 8:00 pm. at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Dr. in Thousand Oaks. The evening will include a diverse repertoire of pieces by individuals and dance companies, from dramatic to lighthearted, and from highly energetic to lyrical.
Jeanne Travers is Professor of Dance at the University of South Florida. Her choreography has been presented in Bolivia, China, Ecuador, France, Italy, Korea, Scotland, Trinidad, Tunisia and throughout the United States. Travers will present four pieces of choreography for the Showcase. Talisman is a powerful fast paced dance focused on the driving forces of nature, Tremor is a dramatic solo work about overcoming challenges, Snapshots reflects the many ways in which love, loss and friendship manifest in our lives and A Bridge Beyond incorporates highly physical and dynamic movement with lifts and partnering, to metaphorically suggest the many bridges one must cross to discover transformation.
Artistic Director of Visionary Dance Theatre, Spencer John Powell and Assistant Artistic Director Trixi Agiao will premiere excerpts from a new choreography titled “With Vivaldi”, which celebrates the master composer, virtuoso, and teacher. Also on the program, Visionary Dance Theatre’s award-winning Kidz Danz Kompany presents “I can’t believe that this is the land from which I came”. With music by Michael Jackson, this choreographic work is a poignant piece in the KDK’s traditional style of social commentary.
Alex Jones is the Director of Collective Soles Dance Company in Tampa, Florida and will present Running Blank; an exploration of the impact one’s anxiety can have, leading to physical and mental isolation. Dark Bliss/Burning Light, plays with the adage “Ignorance is bliss.” Five individuals carefully navigate their own personal journeys, while unknowably aiding each other along the way—but what happens when their truths come to light? This work challenges the ideas of living in the light and the dark.
Beth Megill is the Artistic Director of Megill and Company and will present a lighthearted tap piece. Local choreographers Heather Castillo, Miri Park, Margaret Paek and Erin Lewis will present excerpts from Mother-side. This piece is a collection of short works reflecting the joys and challenges that come with becoming a parent and employs visceral and anecdotal narratives to empathize with the diverse parenting experiences and perspectives.
Tickets for Convergence: A Choreographer’s Showcase are $7.00-$12.00 and can be purchased at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts Box Office or by calling (805) 381-1246 or www.hillcrestarts.com.
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DETAILS FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS
Convergence: A Choreographer’s Showcase
WHAT: Jeanne Travers, Spencer Powell, Alex Jones, Beth Megill, Heather Castillo and Miri Park come together to present Convergence: A Choreographer’s Showcase, a unique collaboration of choreographers from Tampa, Florida, San Diego, Moorpark and Camarillo, California.
WHEN: Friday, August 3, 2018 at 8:00 pm
WHERE: Hillcrest Center for the Arts
403 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA
HOW: (805) 381-1246 or www.hillcrestarts.com
TICKETS: Tickets are $7.00-$12.00
OTHER: Free parking is always available.
BIOGRAPHY OF JEANNE TRAVERS
Jeanne Travers (Professor/Co-founder and Coordinator of the USF-China Dance Exchange Program) is a choreographer, teacher performer and interdisciplinary international artist. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Choreography and Performance from the University of Utah where she graduated with honors.
Ms. Travers is deeply involved in interdisciplinary, multicultural choreographic collaborations. Her works have been presented in North America, South America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Jeanne has also taught master classes, seminars and dance workshops in Australia, Bolivia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Trinidad and Tunisia. She has conducted residencies and master classes at prestigious universities, conservatories and institutions such as Beijing Dance Academy, Beijing Normal University, Fujian Normal University and Minzu University in China, the Neiderheimer Conservatoire in Paris, the Mediterranean Center of Contemporary Dance: Ecole de Danse, and the Centre Culturel et Sportif in Tunis, Tunisia, Teatro el Centro de Arte in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Centro Artistica Pererya Dance Center in La Paz, Bolivia and other international institutions.
Ms. Travers has had the honor of being invited twice by the American Embassy in Tunisia to present an evening of her choreography in numerous cities and venues in Tunisia, including the very prestigious El Djem International Festival presented at the second oldest Roman Coliseum in the world. Her choreography, Visions of Peace was presented at the Theatre Dejazet in Paris, France under the high patronage of the Mayor of Paris and the President of the French Red Cross. Subsequently, she received an award for this choreography through the Images and Voices of Hope summit in New York. Her work has also been presented at the Fragmentos de Juno Festival in Ecuador, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the Celebrazione Festival in Italy, the Ties of Friendship International Dance Festival in La Paz, Bolivia and at International Dance Seminars in Beijing, China.
Ms. Travers has taught master classes or conducted choreographic/ residencies at colleges, universities and dance centers within the United States such as Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, Visionary Dance Theatre in San Diego, California, St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg Florida, Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida, University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma, Cabrillo College in Capitola, California, and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. Her work has also been presented at various venues such as the Florida Dance Festival in Miami, the Here Theatre and the Joyce Soho in NYC and the Brooklyn Arts Exchange in Brooklyn, New York.
Ms. Travers has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including funding through the American Embassy and the Minister of Culture in Tunisia, travel sponsorship from American Express for international projects in Ecuador, sponsorship from the Mayor of Paris for her Visions of Peaceproject, funding through Beijing Normal University in China, funding through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports in Bolivia, a Voices of Hope Award in New York, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Individual Artists’ Fellowships for Outstanding Choreography, Individual Artists’ Grant Award through the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs International Cultural Exchange Grants, University of South Florida Sponsored Research Grants, grants through the USF International Affairs Office, the Latin American/Caribbean Studies Program, a Best of the Bay Award for What the Heart Remembers-The Women and Children of Darfur and grants through the College of the Arts. She was also awarded a 2016 USF Outstanding Teaching Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, a TIP Award for outstanding teaching at USF, a USF Outstanding Academic Advising Award and a USF Diversity Award. Most recently, she was awarded an award through the USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy organization for her choreographic research.
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