Leah Brady is a Dance Performance Major and has performed in many faculty and student choreographed concerts, including Dance 2004-2007, the Kent Dance Ensemble (2006-2008), the Student Dance Festival (SDF) 2006 and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Choreography Concert in 2005.  Leah is a third year member of the Kent Dance Ensemble and the Student Artistic Director.  She has been honored as a performer by her peers and by faculty of the School as the recipient of the Samuel Stillings Memorial Award for Leadership.  This is Leah's second dance work to be presented at Kent State.  Leah would like to thank her family and friends for their unending support.

David Burrington is a Dance Performance major who began his dance training at age five at the School of Cleveland Ballet.  Five years later he was introduced to the world of figure skating, ultimately acquiring the title of 2004 National Collegiate Men's Novice Champion while skating for the University of Delaware. Barbara Allegra Verlezza inspired him to become a dance major. Dave has worked with  VerlezzaDance for the past three years while also performing at Kent and developing his costuming skills working in the KSU School of Theater and Dance costume shop.  He hopes to perform with a contemporary dance company infused with fashion and visual art. His BFA choreography was recently performed at the American College Dance Festival Association's Northeast Regional conference to positive reviews.

Jacqueline Herwig is a Dance Performance Major and a first year member of the Kent Dance Ensemble.  She has performed in Faculty Dance Concerts (2004-2007) and the SDF 2005-2007.  Jackie has also worked with guest artists Billy Siegenfeld, Gina Kohler and Tommy Parlon.  She was given the opportunity to represent KSU by performing at the American College Dance Festival adjudicated concerts in 2006 & 2008 and has performed professionally with Siren Dance Company (Cleveland).  Jackie is currently Vice President of the Kent Dance Association and was honored  with the Dance Faculty Outstanding Achievement Award in 2007.  This is Jacqueline's second work at Kent State; the first was shown in the 2007 SDF concert.  Jackie would like to thank her family and friends for all their love and support throughout the years.

Melissa Knestaut is a dual major in Dance Performance and Leisure Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation.  She is a second year member of the Kent Dance Ensemble and is serving her second term as Vice President of the KSU Dance Education Organization (KSU-SDEO), in which she also heads the Outreach Committee.  While at Kent, Melissa has performed in several faculty and student concerts and has had the honor of representing KSU by presenting research at the NDEO conference at Long Beach, CA in 2006.  She has performed at the American College Dance Festival regional conferences in 2006. 2007 and 2008.  Melissa is a member of PowerCorps where she teaches dance for adults with disabilities.  She thanks her family, friends and fellow choreographers for their gracious support and encouragement.

Amy Palmer is a Dance Performance Major at Kent State University.  Amy is from Pittsburgh where she began her dance training.  During summer and fall 2007, Amy was an intern for Cleveland-based Antaeus Dance, a professional modern dance company directed by KSU faculty member Joan Meggitt.  Through her internship, Amy had the opportunity to perform at Playhouse Square Center, Pilgrim Congregational Church and Allegheny College.  Amy has also performed in several faculty and student choreographed concerts since 2004.  In March 2007, her first choreographic project, Stem Level Function, was performed at the annual SDF Concert.  Amy is looking forward to entering the world of professional dance and would like to thank her family, friends, classmates and professors for their unwavering support of her and her work.

Anne Perunko is a senior Dance Performance Major and Business minor.  Anne began her training with Ballet Theatre Ohio, later Great Lakes Festival Ballet, under the instruction of Jill Niess and Richard Dickinson.  Anne has performed in many productions with GLFB, including fifteen annual productions of The Nutcracker: she was also rehearsal director in 2005.  Anne also performed in KSU faculty dance concerts 2004-2007 and student produced concerts and 2006, 2006.  Anne has been Secretary of the Kent Dance Association for three years.  In March 2007 her piece Mortal Transience was performed in SDF.  Anne is eagerly anticipating her journey as a professional dancer and would like to thank her family, friends and faculty for their continued support and encouragement.

Bernard Richards is a senior Dance Performance Major with a minor in Theatre Studies, and is a  member of the Kent Dance Ensemble.  Bernard has performed in Faculty Dance Concerts (2005, 2007) , the BFA concert 2006 and was featured in Honk! and Wild Party.  Her performed professionally with VerlezzaDance in Snow Tails and Other Favorites as a featured dancer in a restaging of May O'Donnell's "Dance Energies."  Other dance endeavors include the American Dance Festival summer intensive and choreographing Cochlear for the 2007 SDF.  Bernard is the  recipient of the Outstanding Level II Dancer Peer Award (2006) and the Darwin Prioleau Dance Scholarship Award, bestowed by the faculty of the School of Theatre and Dance.  He also served as an intern with the 2006 Ohio Citizens for the Arts in Columbus, OH.  Excited to graduate in May, Bernard hopes to pursue education in either medicine or graphic design.  He thanks the wonderful people in his life for their continued support, patience and humor.

SUNDAY

April 27, 2008

2:00pm 

7:00pm