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Curtain Call Dance Festival at Garland's Granville Arts Center is loaded with talent

12:00 AM CDT on Monday, September 29, 2008

By MARGARET PUTNAM / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Margaret Putnam is a Richardson-based writer who covers dance.

GARLAND – Oh, the pain of too many dances to write about and too little space. Saturday night at the Granville Arts Center was the perfect example, where Curtain Call Dance Festival unleashed far too many terrific dances.

Ballet Ensemble of Texas members (from left) Abbie Feller, Julia Nicholson and Allyson March perform the piece Festive Overture during the festival at Granville Arts Center.

The festival did triple duty, with the Dance Council offering awards to Sarah Nesbit, Keisha Breaker, Liz Gallego and Yvonne Lovell. Second, it gave student scholarship recipients a chance to show their mettle, and third, it showcased student companies, universities, pre-professional and professional companies. There were 16 dances overall.

Here's a few of the best:

A mother and son and seven friends ponder war with stoic restraint in Louisiana Dance Theatre's Mothers of War. Friends and mother in long peasant dress lunge with whiplash fury. At the end, the mother sits on her son's slumped body, her skirt stretched out to hide him.

With feet bounding and gourds shaking, Ms. Gallego brought Aztec dance to life on the fiery Mitote.

Tension seethed between Lauren Perry and Willis Johnson in Push/Pull, with Ms. Perry slumping over her partner, and Mr. Johnson pulling her back up.

In long, full white dress, Michele Gifford swirled around bereft with anguish in Elisabeth Gillaspy's Lorelei.

Metropolitan Classical has a new star in Shea Johnson, who made a dashing slave in Le Corsair, with looping, high barrel turns. His partner, Maiko Abe, looked a bit tentative.

Houston's Kingwood Dance Theatre's A Long Line of Goodbyes showed just how effective the use of a long line of 14 dancers can be, as they spill out into solos and groups, and end with all but one disappearing.

Tap dance at its jazzy best ended the show with a bang, as Austin's Tapestry Dance Company used just feet and hand claps to hammer down the rhythm.

Sunday featured some repeats and new works, with honors going to Acia Gray, Catherine Turocy and Charles Santos.

Margaret Putnam is a Richardson-based writer who covers dance.

Ballet Ensemble of Texas Dancers and Choreographer awarded Scholarships

COPPELL, TEXAS – The directors of the Coppell-based Ballet Ensemble of Texas are pleased to announce that many of their company members have received merit scholarships to various summer dance programs around the country. The Dallas-based Dance Council has awarded Ms. Brittney Dito its largest scholarship of $1000.00 to attend the Joffrey Midwest Workshop in Michigan in June. She also received a full scholarship to attend the Joffrey New York Workshop in July. Other Dance Council scholarship recipients were Meredith McDonald, and Rebecca McManis. Ms. Emily Brideau received a $500.00 scholarship from the Regional Dance America organization, which she will use to attend the Alvin Ailey Workshop in New York City this summer. Ms. Madilyn Hill received a full scholarship to attend the University of Oklahoma Summer Wind workshop, and Ms. Abbie Feller received a partial scholarship to attend the American Ballet Theatre workshop in Orange County, California. Receiving scholarships to the Glenda Brown Choreography Project were Coppell residents Madeline Sogar and Kelly Marshall. Ms. Julia Nicholson and Ms. Sidney Moore received scholarships to attend the Joffrey Workshop Texas in San Antonio. Company choreographer Darrell Cleveland received a full scholarship to attend the Regional Dance America Choreography Conference in Seattle in June. His ballet “Grace Under Fire” was selected to be performed at the recent Regional Dance America festival in Richardson, performed by the Ballet Ensemble of Texas, and is pictured here.

2007 Dance Council Scholarships awarded to the following Ballet Academy students: Ms. Emily Dixon (on left) received the Fred Kelly Scholarship. Ms. Kelsey Conrad (center, kneeling) received the Dr. Dan Pickard Scholarship and is a junior at Coppell High School. Ms. Katie Boren (right) received the Nadyne Legere Scholarship. All of the girls are members of the Ballet Ensemble of Texas pre-professional company, and are pictured here in a recent performance by the company of the ballet, "Reflections".

Meredith McDonald - Dance Council's Nadyne Legere Memorial Ballet scholarship of $ 500.00 in 2006.

Emily Brideau - Dance Council's Natalie Skelton scholarship to attend the Glenda Brown Choreography Project (full scholarship) in 2006.

Laurel Link - was a National Training Scholar with American Ballet Theatre and will be performing with Houston Ballet II for their 2007-2008 season.

Emily Dixon received a $ 500.00 scholarship from Regional Dance of America in 2005 to attend the Summer Workshop of her choice and was awarded the Caryn Halpern Sechrist Scholarship from the Dance Council in May 2003 for her performance of "Prayer" from Coppelia.

Diana Herrera was awarded the Fred Kelly Scholarship from the Dance Council in 2001. She is attending the University of Oklahoma as a Ballet Major on Scholarship for 2006-2007

Hannah Alexander - Full scholarship to Regional Dance America's Craft of Choreography Workshop for 2005 and 2006.

Katie Boren is an American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar for 2005 and 2006, who was recently awarded a full scholarship to ABT's exclusive JKO year-round school in New York
Julia Nicholson, age 11, appeared on 3 seasons of the "Barney" TV show. Her characters name is Laura.

Julia Nicholson (left) and Brittney Dito (right) appeared as "Clara" in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular performances in November, 2006 in Dallas. Brittney also appeared in the Houston performances in December of 2006.

Kate Butterfield - Full tuition scholarship to Beaumont Civic Ballet summer workshop in 2006

Melanie Auinbauh - Full tuition scholarship to Houston Ballet Academy in 2006

Tye Love received a full scholarship to attend the University of Oklahoma Dance Department in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Dance Council's Thom Clower scholarship of $ 500.00 for 2006.

Lindsey Yoes received a $500.00 scholarship to attend the Glenda Brown Choreography Project in 2006.

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Last Modified : September 30, 2008 10:06 AM