Baltimore Dance Project returns to UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities Proscenium Theatre for its 33nd year with a dynamic program. The company will premiere several new works: Doug Hamby’s Square Breath for six women with an interactive sound score performed by Eliza Triolo and Christian Hartman; Hamby’s Letting Go, a meditative solo on loss and memory performed by Maia Schechter; Hamby’s Two Songs by John Cage with music performed live by mezzo-soprano Janice Jackson and percussionists Tom Bryant and Josh Miller; Carol Hess’ vibrant LightForest featuring five dancers, colorful projections and score by Timothy Nohe via wearable sound devices; and a new duet by Desiree Koontz-Nachtrieb.

The program also includes encore performances of 2016 favorites Lost, Sandra Lacy’s mysterious solo, and Image in Red, Carol Hess’ reconstruction of Janet Soares’ sumptuously beautiful solo choreographed on Hess in 1980. Hess re-constructed Image in Red and set it on Franki Trout. Trout ’13, dance, now teaches dance in Anne Arundel County’s first Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Program at Annapolis High School.

These works will appear on stage February 9–11. Integrating innovative sound and visuals through collaborations with artists such as Nohe, professor of visual arts, they reflect the company’s deep commitment to an interdisciplinary approach.

Baltimore Dance Project is a professional modern dance company dedicated to presenting the creative work of Doug Hamby and Carol Hess, professors of dance at UMBC who are described as “two of the most exciting choreographers in Maryland.” Formed in 1982 under the name Phoenix Dance Company, the company is known for its edgy collaborations with composers, directors, sound artists and visual artists, and for infusing visual media and technology into riveting dance performance. The company features outstanding professional dancers and has been honored with numerous grants and awards. Hamby, Hess, and company veteran Sandra Lacy have received a total of twelve individual artist awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, and their work has appeared in theaters and film festivals across the United States.

Complete performance information and tickets are available through the UMBC Arts & Culture Calendar.

Image: Franki Trout ’13 performing Image in Red in 2016. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC’s department of music will present its annual Livewire festival of new music, featuring concerts, discussions and lectures, October 26 – 29, in the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall and other venues across the university.

This year’s theme, “Livewire 7: The New York School and Beyond,” focuses on an artistic movement that emerged from a group of American composers originally centered in New York — John Cage, Morton Feldman, Earle Brown, and Christian Wolff — and features performances by UMBC faculty and special guest artists.

 
The post-World War II era of the early 1950s ushered in a turbulent and revolutionary period in American art that extended across the fields of music, dance, theatre, and the visual and literary arts. The visual arts witnessed the emergence of abstract expressionism, championed by figures as diverse as Jackson Pollack, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, and Robert Motherwell; the dance scene exploded with new works by Merce Cunningham, Anna Sokolow, and Paul Taylor; and poets such as Jackson Mac Low experimented with new forms.

In music, the creative focus began to shift from the major figures of pre-war modern music — Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, both by then living in Los Angeles — to a younger generation of composers based in New York City clustered around John Cage (1912 – 1992), including Morton Feldman (1926 – 1987), Earle Brown (1926 – 2002), and Christian Wolff (b. 1934). Along with pianist David Tudor (1926 – 1996), for whom many of their works were written, the composers gradually became known as the New York School, and were closely aligned with Cunningham and with artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.

In 1951, Cage began to explore the use of “chance operations” in his music, thereby freeing the compositional process from some of his personal likes and dislikes. Feldman experimented with graphic notation that might tell performer to play a high or low note, but not specify a pitch; Wolff wrote pieces in which one performer’s actions might influence another; and Brown constructed works with fixed modules in which the various pages or parts might be performed in different orders.

Throughout, the music explored silence and indeterminacy (although not improvisation), and performers such as Tudor translated this new aesthetic for audiences. For years, their work was subject to derision and ridicule from the classical music establishment, but by the time of Cage’s death in 1992, a couple weeks shy of his 80th birthday, his work and that of his colleagues exerted a profound influence, opening up pathways for younger composers.

“Music and other art forms were practically redefined for me,” says Tom Goldstein, associate professor of music and curator of this year’s Livewire festival, as he described his reaction to discovering the work of the New York School as a young performer. “Here was a revolution, manifest musically in greatly varied notational systems, employment of chance operations, open instrumentation, the relinquishing of compositional decisions to the performer, frequent use and extended duration of silence and unintended sounds, the inclusion of ‘noise,’ experimentation with form (or the absence of it), and the influence of Zen Buddhism. I was so powerfully affected that, for some time, I believed that any late-twentieth-century composer whose music wasn’t filtered through the sensibilities of the New York School bordered on irrelevancy.”

In addition to performances of numerous works by Cage, Feldman, Brown, and Wolff, Livewire 7 includes presentations of music by Thomas DeLio, Malcolm Goldstein, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Ben Johnston, Stephen F. Lilly, Bunita Marcus, Andrew Rindfleisch, Christopher Shultis, James Tenney, and Steve Wanna.

Livewire 7 features special guest artist Malcolm Goldstein, who has been active in the presentation of new music and dance since the early 1960s in New York City. He co-founded the Tone Roads Ensemble and participated in the Judson Dance Theater, the New York Festival of the Avant Garde, and the Experimental Intermedia Foundation. His “soundings” improvisations have received international acclaim for extending the range of tonal/sound-texture possibilities of the violin and revealing new dimensions of expression.

UMBC faculty and staff featured in performances and events include affiliate artist Audrey Andrist; lecturer Matt Belzer; associate professor Lisa Cella; affiliate artist Hui-Chuan Chen; affiliate artist and adjunct professor Patrick Crossland; affiliate artist Nicholas Currie; affiliate artist Gita Ladd; associate professor Tom Goldstein; assistant professor Brian Kaufman; affiliate artist Jacqueline Pollauf; professor E. Michael Richards; affiliate artist Kazuko Tanosaki; professor Airi Yoshioka; associate professor of dance Doug Hamby; director of arts and culture Thomas Moore; and UMBC student performers.

Additional guest artists include violist Karin Brown; pianist Curtis Cacioppo; pianist Paul Hoffmann; visual artist Ray Kass; multi-instrumentalist Stephen Lilly; conductor Jason Love; soprano Stacey Mastrian; and percussionist Michelle Purdy ’10, music.

More information on the complete Livewire 7 festival schedule: http://wp.me/p2xNJ1-1wQ

Images: Header image is “Adam and Eve” by Bunita Marcus (courtesy of the composer). Portrait of Malcolm Goldstein is courtesy of the artist.

Five Linehan Artist Scholars from UMBC visited the White House last week to participate in a workshop led by William Allman, chief White House curator. Adan Rodriguez ‘17, film; Justyna Kurbiel ‘18, animation; Megan Clelan ‘19, graphic design; Sarah Miller ‘17, photography and interdisciplinary studies; and Emily Eaglin ‘17, video, attended the special event, accompanied by Doug Hamby, associate professor of dance and director of the Linehan Artist Scholars program.

The workshop was centered around a recently acquired painting by Alma Woodsey Thomas, an African American Expressionist painter and art educator from Washington D.C. (1891-1978). The students learned about Thomas’s painting, now on display in the White House’s Old Family Dining Room, and heard remarks from First Lady Michelle Obama on the significance of Thomas’s work. They also learned from Allman about the broader history of the White House art collection, how the pieces of art were selected and acquired, and how the president and first lady select art to display in the living area of the White House. Following the official remarks, the Linehan Scholars were invited to view and discuss the artwork with art experts on the second floor of the White House.

During another White House event in the same week, Kafui Dzirasa ‘01, chemical engineering, served on a neuroscience panel alongside President Barack Obama. The White House Frontiers Conference was held at Carnegie Mellon University and focused on advances in neuroscience and progress made by the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) and Precision Medicine Initiatives.

The BRAIN Initiative supports research to advance the understanding of the human brain by developing technologies that show how individual cells and intricate circuits interact.

“I think the big opportunity is for us to begin to think of the brain as an engineered system,” said Dzirasa, now a prominent researcher at Duke University, sitting beside President Obama. He went on to describe the incredible number of steps that take place within fractions of a millisecond every time the brain receives, processes, and responds to input, which can easily be interrupted in conditions from Alzheimer’s to autism.

Even when discussing doctors’ and researchers’ “common enemy” of disease, Dzirasa focused on the positive. “The reason I’m optimistic is because I fundamentally believe that there is a seven year old sitting in a classroom somewhere that will take all of the investments and all of the work that we’ve made and will transform things for my family,” he said.

Dzirasa added that he hopes students in classrooms across the country will have “the opportunity for their ideas to bubble up and be nurtured, because at the end of the day, the solution to that common enemy that we all face [disease] might be sitting in that classroom right now.”

Watch the full video of the White House Frontiers Conference panel on the White House website.

Images: (1) A view from the White House, photo by Adan Rodriguez; (2) Linehan Artist Scholars in front of the White House, photo courtesy Doug Hamby.

The University Center Ballroom was humming on Wednesday, April 27, with the voices of hundreds of UMBC students presenting their research and creative work to proud long-time supporters and curious first-time visitors alike.

This year UMBC celebrated its 20th annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day, a particularly special celebration for a university so focused on student-led projects and engaged learning experiences. As Diane Lee, dean of undergraduate education, said, reflecting on the anniversary, “Indeed, we know of no other university where so many students, faculty members, and staff gather to come and learn from the voices of undergraduate students.”

URCAD programming included performances, film screenings, exhibits, posters, and talks from all disciplines, as well as a large number of interdisciplinary partnerships.

Aakash Bajpai ‘18, mechanical engineering, and three partners presented a collaboration with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works on research to anticipate when aging city pipes will fail before those incidents occur. Their research is also helping to determine why these pipes are failing and how the failures can be prevented in the future. Bajpai says that this project can save Baltimore millions of dollars by minimizing the disruptions caused by emergency repairs, moving toward a more proactive and cost-effective infrastructure maintenance approach.

Joel Tyson ‘18, biochemical engineering, is studying probes to determine whether they are compatible with the chemistry of the human body, under the mentorship of Gymama Slaughter, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering. The probes will be used to simultaneously sense neurotransmitters and monitor the electrical activity in the brain. Analyzing the safety of the probes and how they interact with the body’s chemical composition will be essential for when the probes are tested on mice and, later, in human models. The sensor is being designed as a more effective, less invasive way to continuously monitor neurotransmitter release and the brain’s electrical activity in people with neurological disorders.

Elise Donkor ‘16, computer engineering, is developing more personalized software to better diagnose and treat patients experiencing heart arrhythmia. Unusual patterns in heart activity can be signs of conditions like diabetes or heart attacks. Current software designed to track heart activity is mass produced, Donkor explains, and personalization could make it a more effective tool. The algorithms that she has developed to detect abnormalities have shown a 97.8% level of accuracy in identifying arrhythmia patterns.

Nerissa Vasconcells ’16, dance, presented her solo dance performance Limitless. Her primary research focuses on modern dance and methods developed by such masters as Graham, Horton, and Limon, but Vasconcells also has studied ballet. She was motivated to create a work that “emphasized beauty as a classical ballet choreographer, while using choreographic methods commonly found in modern dance.” Vasconcells says, “classical ballet has its origins in the 18th and 19th centuries, emphasizing elegance, beauty, and regimentation, and has a choreographic process directly related to a musical score. Modern dance, a product of the 20th century, is often abstract and uses a wide variety of choreographic processes not linked to the musical score. Combining these varied techniques has been a personal challenge and a pursuit of self-exploration.”

Rachel Wolven ’16, visual arts, presented her time-lapse photography film, Light Inhibits Light, the culmination of a comparative study of the visibility of deep space objects and the Milky Way as affected by light pollution. Her film presented over a dozen night sky locations from Baltimore to Nova Scotia, with light pollution measurements and GPS coordinates noted to orient viewers. Her time-lapse photography captured sublime celestial movements across dark skies as well as starless, hazy summer city nights, highlighting both particle and light pollution. Wolven aims to “bring attention…to show what is missing from the skies above our cities.” She says, “To protect this natural resource, awareness must first be raised in order for people to want to make changes and work to fight the overabundance of light pollution.”

James Loy ’16, mathematics and physics, works with Matthew Pelton, assistant professor of physics, on “quantum dots,” which are nanoscale semiconductor crystals. The dots may eventually be used as a lower-cost alternative to silicon-based solar cells. Using “acceptor molecules” to grab the excited electrons released by the dots increases overall electrical current output. Loy’s work showed that more acceptor molecules increased the output linearly, which is encouraging for future work to optimize quantum dots for eventual commercial use in solar energy harvesting. “Working in Dr. Pelton’s lab was the best part of my college career,” Loy says, noting “I experienced research from the posing of the problem through to publication.” Loy will pursue a Ph.D. in physics at Princeton this fall.

Rebekah Rashford ’18, biological sciences, is studying how ribosomes, the cellular structures that build proteins, are put together. Ribosomes are made of both protein and RNA. The unnecessary parts of the initial RNA molecule need to be cut out before it can function in the ribosome, a process called “maturation.” Ribosomal proteins bind to the RNA throughout the maturation process. By taking snapshots of the RNA at different points in time, she’s creating a map of what happens when. This foundational research could eventually contribute to treating diseases caused by ribosomal defects. Rashford’s mentor, Lasse Lindahl, professor of biological sciences, has had a major impact on her UMBC experience and aspirations as a scientist. “He’s so excited about the research, and he gets me excited about it, too.” Rashford says. “When you’re motivated, your work will be that much better.”

Taisha Gainor ‘16,political science, and Asfiya Mariam ’16, biological sciences, researched how pop culture can influence citizens’ participation in politics. After coming across studies suggesting people who have read or watched Harry Potter are statistically more likely to participate in politics, they focused on exploring the series’ political elements. Gainor noted that she hopes her work will spur more engagement with the political system. “I think it’s a great way to get people involved in politics…relating it to something that they want to talk about and then showing how that actually relates to things in their everyday life.”

Deirdre Lohrmann ‘16,ancient studies and history, studied Roman glass production in antiquity with a specific focus on glassware from the Marie Spiro collection. Viewing a display during UMBC’s Ancient Studies Week sparked her interest in the project, and she says that studying artifacts from Ancient Rome has helped her develop a greater appreciation and understanding of the world around her. “We learn from our past,” she says, to understand the similarities between people in antiquity and people today.

Throughout the event, students shared the impact of mentors who served as guides through research and creative processes and as sounding boards on graduate school and career path possibilities inspired by their work.

Featured URCAD speaker Mark Reynolds ‘78, ‘82 M.A., psychology, picked up on these themes. Reynolds, now dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, shared how his undergraduate research experience paved the way for his career and how UMBC faculty mentors helped him develop a passion for teaching, learning, and supporting others.

“To students, please give back,” said Reynolds crediting his career success to the interest and mentorship of people who encouraged him during his student years. “It is so important,” he told the URCAD crowd, “…and you want to perpetuate that.”

Visit the URCAD website to access the full list of student presenters.

**Update: Dean Scott Casper and Provost Diane Lee invite the university community to a campus forum on Thursday, May 12, at noon in the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, where students Zoe Wang and Riley Auer will present their poster, “Illustrating the Unseen: Analogy and Metaphor in an Ancient Gynecological Text.” This event follows a decision made to move the poster before URCAD began and a thoughtful conversation that followed, regarding the important issues of the nature of artistic, humanistic, and scientific research and representation; the presentation of research to academic and public audiences; and the meaning and centrality of academic freedom. In addition to the presenting students, several members of UMBC’s faculty, including Carole McCann, Preminda Jacob, Molly Jones-Lewis, and Stephen Freeland, will reflect on the issues that the poster and its presentation raise for scholarship and our academic community, and audience members will be welcomed to join in the dialogue.

Images: URCAD 2016 posters, performances, and presentations by (from top to bottom) Taisha Gainor ’16, political science; Elise Donkor ’16, computer engineering; Nerissa Vasconcells ’16, dance; and Mark Reynolds ’78, ’82 M.A., psychology. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

As Baltimore Dance Project rehearsed for their upcoming performances at UMBC’s Proscenium Theatre, directors Doug Hamby and Carol Hess took time out to discuss the new program featuring premieres by both artists as well as Sandra Lacy. The new works that will appear on stage February 4–6 reflect the interdisciplinary approach the company is known for and a deep sense of connection among the artists, all UMBC dance faculty, built over years of collaboration.

“For this season,” said Carol Hess, “I decided to re-construct Image in Red, a beautiful solo that was choreographed on me by Janet Soares in 1980. It has been thrilling to revisit this work and set it on Franki Trout.” Trout ’13, dance, now teaches dance in Anne Arundel County’s first Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Program at Annapolis High School.

Doug Hamby created one dance with a commissioned score, Second Nature, by associate professor of music Anna Rubin. He will also will premiere Duet, which includes a live performance by Umbilicus, conducted by associate professor of music Tom Goldstein. He shared, “UMBC is a wonderful community of artists and I really enjoy collaborating with everyone here.”

The program also includes the premiere of Sandra Lacy’s mysterious new solo Lost and the company premiere of Untitled, choreographed by instructor Desiree Koontz-Nachtrieb ’11, dance, with music, Walk, by Ludovico Einaudi and performed by guest dancers Eric Holmes ’17, dance and biology, and Koontz-Nachtrieb. Additional works include Carol Hess’ Dolled Up, examining the interiors of five women in fancy dresses, with an original score by sound artist and visual arts professor Timothy Nohe; dance instructor Adrienne Clancy and Sandra Lacy’s quirky and playful duet, Stalked by Time; and The Lights from The Heavens are Called Stars, choreographed and performed by dance instructor Erica Rebollar with sound by Charlie Campagna.

Baltimore Dance Project is a professional modern dance company dedicated to presenting the creative work of Doug Hamby and Carol Hess, described as “two of the most exciting choreographers in Maryland.” Formed in 1982 under the name Phoenix Dance Company, the company is known for its edgy collaborations with composers, directors, sound artists and visual artists, and for infusing visual media and technology into riveting dance performance. This will be their 32nd annual performance at UMBC.

The company features outstanding professional dancers and has been honored with numerous grants and awards. Hamby, Hess, and company veteran Sandra Lacy have received a total of twelve individual artist awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, and their work has appeared in theaters and film festivals across the United States.

Complete performance information and tickets are available through the UMBC Arts & Culture Calendar.

Image: Baltimore Dance Project performance. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Dr. Hrabowski appeared on Dan Rodricks’ podcast to talk about his childhood in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, and his participation in the Children’s March, for which he was arrested at age 12.
• Doug Hamby, dance, says dance competition shows on TV have made competitive dance more popular and increased the number of men and boys participating.
• Men’s basketball coach Aki Thomas has been reunited with his former coach, co-worker, and mentor Frankie Allen, who is now UMBC’s assistant men’s basketball coach.

For more campus community news, visit UMBC Insights!

On February 5, 6 and 7, Baltimore Dance Project returns to UMBC for its 31st year, featuring choreography by Dance faculty Carol Hess and Doug Hamby, and performances by Sandra Lacy and the company, with guest artists Adrienne Clancy, Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, and Matthew Cumbie. All performances will be held at 8 pm in the Proscenium Theatre in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

Carol Hess presents a new evocative work for five women, and Lightfield, a multimedia event that fuses choreography with a mix of both live and recorded video manipulated by dancers interacting with an onstage Kinect camera.

Doug Hamby presents Red Wings of Desire, in which the dancers’ actions bend Ferdinand Maisel’s sound score using wearable sensors, and a new work for four men.

Time and destiny are contemplated in a humorous and quirky new duet by Adrienne Clancy and Sandra Lacy. Lacy will also perform the silky and mysterious solo Slip, a collaboration with former Trisha Brown dancer Mariah Maloney performed to an original score by Timothy Nohe (Visual Arts).

Guest artists Jessie Laurita-Spanglet and Matthew Cumbie investigate the role and power of ritual in Ritual Cycle #1. How do we deal with change now, and how have those before explored the same question?

$20 general admission, $10 students and seniors, $7 UMBC students. To order tickets in advance by credit card, purchase online through MissionTix. Patrons who prefer to pay cash or check at will call may make a reservation by calling x56240.

Complete information: http://bit.ly/1IhXPLF

UMBC is always full of hard-working people who aspire to do great things, and the class of 2014 is no exception. Today, we wanted to share with you what some of our recent graduates are planning to do with their Retriever education.

For seven of her eight semesters at UMBC, Kat Schuster, theatre, dedicated her time to the costume shop on campus. A Linehan Artist Scholar, she has been recognized by the theatre department, local theatre companies and their audiences. While aiding younger students through UMBC Residential Life and the Wilde Lake High School Theatre Department, Schuster was awarded the Outstanding Departmental Service Award along with the Linehan Summer Award. She now plans to work in theatre administration and technician and costuming positions at Daydreams and Nightmares Aerial Theatre, Historical designs, and the Jim Rouse Theatre.

Mary Hester, dance and interdisciplinary studies, used her love of dance and advocacy to serve as president of the Dance Council of Majors, receive the Linehan Summer Research and Study Award, and perform at the American College Dance Festival. Her project “Arts Advocacy: Promoting Policy Change,” analyzed “the benefits of dance lessons and the political implications for arts education.” She now plans to complete an M.P.P. at UMBC.

A campus leader and driven student, Kwadwo “Kojo” Owusu-Boaitey, philosophy and biological sciences, was a Meyerhoff Scholar, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Scholar, and Salutatorian for the Class of 2014. He was greatly involved as a member of the club soccer team, president of the Meyerhoff Scholars, co-founder and treasurer of the Minority Association of Premedical Students, and vice president of Philosophers Anonymous. Owusu-Boaitey has completed breast cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has done research at MIT labs for two summers, and is now contributing to a research manuscript. He plans to earn his M.D./Ph.D. from Harvard and MIT after graduation.

Miss Baltimore 2014, Miss Maryland 2013 runner-up, and winner of two Miss America Academic Awards, Samantha Hawkins, cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, visual research methodology, was a member of the Honors College and received the Undergraduate Research Award. She has volunteered weekly at St. Francis Neighborhood Center, was a goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and interned at Maryland State Arts Council and the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Hawkins plans to earn her Ph.D. in socioanthropology with a fully-funded fellowship at Harvard University.

Learn more about the Class of 2014!

Two articles — which included interviews with Liz Walton, dance –were featured in the Washington Post and New York Times last week. The pieces, focused predominately around the history, success and upcoming reunion of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, featured discussions with Paul Taylor alumni, including Liz Walton on her involvement in the company during the 1950’s and 60’s.

Read the interviews, “A family reunion with the Paul Taylor Dance Company” and “Institutional Memory Onstage: Paul Taylor Alumni Return for 60th Anniversary Celebration”

Join the Department of Dance, Friday, May 3 at 8:00 p.m. in Studio 317 of the Fine Arts Building, as Dance students debut their first ever choreographic pieces for this First Works concert.

Admission to First Works is free.