Baltimore Dance Project returns to the Proscenium Theatre for its traditional winter performances, February 8–10. Co-directed by UMBC’s Carol Hess, professor and chair of dance, and Doug Hamby, associate professor of dance, the contemporary dance company will present a blend of new, recent, and repertory works. Performances will include the premiere of Unravel, choreographed in 1995 by the late Eric Hampton and reconstructed by Alison Crosby, and an excerpt from Framework, one of the company’s earliest works, choreographed by the late Elizabeth Walton, the company’s founding artistic director, who was a member of UMBC’s dance department for more than 40 years.

New works include a solo by Sandra Lacy, instructor of dance, and Tipping Point by Ryan Bailey ’16, dance. The program also includes encore performances of Hamby’s Square Breath, a tour de force of intensity and desperation, and Hess’ LightForest, a venture through breathtaking images of nature.

“For this concert, Baltimore Dance Project is honoring memory of Elizabeth Walton, the founding director of the company and the dance department’s first chair, by performing an excerpt from her piece Framework,” says Hess. “When I arrived at UMBC in 1982, I saw a performance of Framework in UMBC’s old theatre and loved it. In 1984, I suggested to Liz that she present the piece again. There were three dancers in the 1982 version, but Liz decided to expand the cast to six. Both Sandra Lacy and I were in that 1984 cast.”

Hess explains, “In order to re-mount the piece, I used an archival video of the piece, and my memory of Liz’s directions. I found a reel to reel master tape of the electronic score, composed by William John Tudor. The department of music’s Alan Wonneberger used his amazing expertise to process the old tape so the sound could be played and then digitized. Teaching the piece to the dancers brought back so many memories of Liz, and I am so thrilled to be able to share her work on this concert.” Walton, an associate professor emerita, passed away in November 2017.

Hamby views the restaging of Square Breath, originally choreographed in 2007, as an opportunity for exploration. “When awakening a dance from the past, I get to rediscover it with fresh eyes, often adding to my understanding about the essence of the dance,” he explains. “A dance is a living, breathing thing, so new dancers bring new ideas and new kinetic exploration to the work. The musical score for Square Breath incorporates live sounds made by both the dancers and musicians. This allows the movement and the sound score to interact in a new and surprising way, with each restaging.”

Baltimore Dance Project infuses visual media, sound, light and technology into riveting dance performance. Known for its edgy artistic collaborations between choreographers, composers, sound artists, visual artists, engineers, and technologists, the company presents the creative work of Hamby and Hess, performer and choreographer Sandra Lacy, and guest artists.

Formed in 1982 under the name Phoenix Dance Company, BDP features outstanding performers from the Baltimore/Washington area and has been honored with numerous grants and awards. Hamby, Hess, and Lacy have received a total of sixteen individual artist awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, and their work has appeared on the streets of Baltimore and in theaters and film festivals across the United States.

More information about the upcoming performances is available on UMBC’s Arts and Culture Calendar here.

Images by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC’s Retrievers officially moved into a new Dawg House Saturday, sharing the excitement of their first Event Center ballgame with a sold-out crowd of fans bedecked in black and gold. But despite a disappointing loss to rival Vermont (81-53), the stadium couldn’t contain the enthusiasm of the more than 4,700 Retriever Believers who helped usher in a new era of UMBC athletics.

“I thought it was awesome! It was really crowded and the facilities were great, and…it felt like we were coming together as a campus, as a school,” said Marissa O’Connor, a sophomore soccer player who enjoyed the men’s basketball game with her friends.

As the players’ sneakers squeaked across the wax of the shiny new court, fans in commemorative “Game 01” t-shirts cheered loudly, blowing horns and whipping colorful balloons to fill the stands with motion. One student held up a huge cut out of men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom.

Women’s Basketball will host their first game at the Event Center this Thursday, facing Binghamton. In addition to basketball and volleyball games, the Event Center will host outside concerts and will allow UMBC to bring spring Commencement back to campus.

Members of every part of Retriever Nation showed up Saturday to cheer the team on, including alumni athletes like Guy Cottman ’84, INDS, who played point guard on the men’s team as a student.

“This is really nice,” said Cottman above the roar of the crowds behind him. “We used to fill it, too. It’s always nice when you have a crowd.”

Juan Holcomb ’82, American studies, a longtime member of the Alumni Association board, and a former guard for men’s basketball, said he’s pleased to see UMBC embracing its athletic side.

“It’s good for the school, it shows growth, and sports is always a great way to bring people together, so this is an exciting time for UMBC,” he said.  “I’m glad our president is embracing sports – academics first, of course, but sports are important, too.”

Learn more about upcoming events at the Event Center here.

Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.

Global investment management firm T. Rowe Price is supporting cybersecurity research and students at UMBC through a new sponsorship of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity. The funding reinforces UMBC’s strength in cybersecurity research and talent development, and T. Rowe Price’s leadership in advancing cybersecurity for financial services.

“We are delighted to be working with T. Rowe Price,” says Anupam Joshi, director of the Center for Cybersecurity and chair of computer science and electrical engineering. “This new collaboration with T. Rowe Price’s security team will provide great opportunities for our students to be exposed to cybersecurity in financial services and prepare them for promising careers protecting critical infrastructure.”

The sponsorship from T. Rowe Price will support a graduate student conducting cybersecurity research relevant to financial services and will also support undergraduate cybersecurity students through UMBC’s Cyber Scholars Program. This collaboration will enhance UMBC’s efforts to cultivate new cyber talent and increase diversity in the field. The students will have opportunities to meet, interact with and learn from members of T. Rowe Price’s security team.

“We have built a strong partnership with UMBC over the past few decades that has provided us a robust talent pipeline for the firm. We currently have over 200 associates who are UMBC alumni,” says Tom Quinn, head of information security at T. Rowe Price.

UMBC and T. Rowe Price have built a strategic partnership spanning several decades that provides support to students across disciplines and a highly skilled workforce for the company. T. Rowe Price is a top employer of UMBC graduates and student interns in areas from investment research to technology development.

“For many years, UMBC has consistently provided our firm with hundreds of exceptionally talented students that we have hired across all areas of our business. UMBC students are well-rounded and diverse in their experiences and skills, which make them strong assets to our firm year over year,” said Mindy Silverman, talent acquisition leader for university relations at T. Rowe Price.

Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Attention all aspiring entrepreneurs! Do you have an idea for a company that you just can’t shake? Are you ready to try out something new, take risks, and be your own boss? Then you’re going to want to hear about CBIC, a competition exclusively for UMBC students that gives out up to $5,000 in cash prizes!

Announcing the Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition (CBIC) – Prizes up to $5K!!!

What is the CBIC?

Prizes:

After a 6-month review, an additional $2,000 is available to one of the top 3 winners.

Who Should Participate?

Why Participate?

APPLY TODAY!  Deadline for submittals is March 7th at 1:00pm
Applications can be found here. More information about this competition, including past winners, can be found at umbc.edu/cbic