Dance delights

JMU students in the dance program have been recognized for their choreography and performances as two dance pieces were accepted into the gala at the American College Dance Festival.

The American College Dance Festival, an annual event that brings together dance programs from universities across the United States, was held in March at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

The United States is divided into 10 regions, and a festival is held in each of the regions throughout the country. A university may select up to two pieces to be presented for adjudication. Universities are allowed to submit two pieces; however, in doing so, one of the pieces must be choreographed by a student attending that university, according to the American College Dance Festival Association Program. Pieces are then adjudicated by judges from the ACDFA.

JMU is represented in the Mid-Atlantic region of the festival, which is the largest and most competitive of the regions throughout the United States, said Shane O’Hara, coordinator of the dance program in the school of theatre and dance.

Sixteen pieces were selected for this year’s gala, out of 48; two of the selected pieces were from JMU. "Sometimes I Just…," choreographed by senior dance major Cynthia Marafino, and "Aria," choreographed by guest artist Mark Taylor were the two pieces selected for the gala.

O’Hara said that a university is lucky to have one piece accepted into the gala and a major accomplishment for both pieces to be accepted.

Marafino said, "It was an honor to represent JMU and their dance program. It’s prideful to work on a piece for an entire [school] year and accomplish an honor such as this."

Senior Avi Leighton was a cast member of Taylor’s "Aria," and also the choreographer for another piece entitled "Hierarchy," which was performed at the festival in an informal concert and was not judged.

"We had a great experience working with Mark Taylor on this piece," Leighton said. "He really molded the piece around our [Virginia Repertory] Company. I think that is what allowed this piece to be so successful."

The dance program at JMU offers a bachelor’s of arts degree in dance, while many of the universities attending the festival offer bachelor’s of fine arts degrees within their dance programs.

According to O’Hara, JMU is well-known for its student choreography, but achievements like this bring out performance qualities as well.

"You see that the quality of your training is as strong as other BFAs’," O’Hara said.