Everything Nac

New choreographic works created by the Stephen F. Austin State University dance faculty and guest artists Torens Johnson and Amy Wright will be featured in the program “Ex/Posed Em/Power” presented Feb. 16 through 18 in the Norton HPE Complex on the SFA campus.

“The Repertory Dance Company will take the audience on a rollercoaster ride of empowerment, strength and personal reflection, and their performances will expose viewers to pertinent topics within today’s society,” said Heather Samuelson, coordinator of the dance program and an assistant director within the SFA School of Theatre and Dance.

The Repertory Company consists of 14 talented dance majors and minors who will perform the works of each faculty member and each guest artist. In addition to the Repertory Dance Company, Dimensions Contemporary Ballet (DCB) will be featured in the concert. DCB consists of current SFA dance students, SFA dance alumni and Nacogdoches community dancers.

All works presented in this concert are original works of choreography created this year. Dances presented will include jazz, tap, contemporary modern, and elements of improvisation and acrobatics. This past fall, the Repertory Company had the opportunity to work with two guest artists, including Torens Johnson, a former Ailey II dancer, and Amy Wright, a professional tapper and director of dance at New Mexico State University.

“Our students learned choreography during two days of each artist’s residency,” Samuelson said. “These works will enchant and entertain the audience with technical skill, athleticism and lots of energy.”

A number of pieces in the concert depict and address topics in today’s society, according to Samuelson.

“Some exhibit political statements of empowerment and others address the importance of self-care and reflection,” she said. “The title was created based on a common theme presented throughout the concert and seen within the works. Although not all of the pieces have a deep and thought-provoking storyline, they all connect to each other through one common element – the posed power within the human body. The dance faculty wanted to ‘rip off the band aid’ and expose what actively fuels their art, sharing with the audience their thoughts, reticence and desires.”

Samuelson described members of the Repertory Dance Company as “so talented and fun, and we are so proud of their hard work and dedication.”

“It has been wonderful working with the Repertory Dance Company on the choreography in this concert,” she said. “Several works from this concert will be presented in the upcoming American College Dance Association Conference (ACDA) this March. The Repertory Company will represent the dance program, the School of Theatre and Dance and Stephen F. Austin State University at this conference.”

“Ex/Posed Em/Power” performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 16 and 17, and at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Norton HPE Complex, Room 201.

General ticket prices are $10 for general admission; $8 for seniors (62+); $8 for SFA faculty and staff; and $5 for non-SFA students. SFA students are admitted for free. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit boxoffice.sfasu.edu. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Cash or checks are accepted. Light refreshments will be sold after each performance to raise money and support study abroad for the theatre and dance students traveling to Scotland this summer.

For more information, contact Samuelson at samuelsoh@sfasu.edu or the School of Theatre and Dance at (936) 468-4003 or sfasu.edu/theatre-dance.

Dr. David Creech, Stephen F. Austin State University professor emeritus of agriculture and director of SFA Gardens, will discuss plant grafting techniques during a workshop from 9 a.m. to noon March 11 at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building, located at 2900 Raguet St.

“There’s an art and a science to budding and grafting, and I learned both looking over the shoulder of an old nurseryman in Roans Prairie,” Creech said. “He was proud of his talent and said he could graft two fence posts together and make them stick. Both grafting and budding depend on the quality of the rootstock and scion, timing and the skill of the grafter. Once you do several thousand you can count yourself as skilled.”

The seminar will have a brief PowerPoint overview and then participants will get to try their hand at grafting with most of the needed supplies, including rootstocks, scions, grafting tape and rubber budding strips. Attendees should bring a small, sharp pocketknife. Participants will practice on a variety of plants and will take home their own grafted Japanese maple tree.

Register by calling (936) 468-4129 starting after 1 p.m. Feb. 6. The workshop is limited to 25 participants. The cost is $30 for SFA Gardens members and $40 for nonmembers.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business hosted a dedication for the Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship, or ACE, Sunday. The center is named for Greg Arnold of Dallas, who received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from SFA in 1987. Arnold is CEO of TAC – The Arnold Companies, a multi-business company built on a foundation of wholesale petroleum distribution and aviation services. Celebrating at the ribbon cutting are, front row, from left, Dr. Steve Westbrook, SFA president-elect; Ashley and Greg Arnold, ACE benefactors; Karen Gantt, SFA Board of Regents chair; Jennifer Wade Winston, board secretary; Brigettee Carnes Henderson, regent; Paige Vadnais, student regent; and Robert Flores, regent. Back row, from left, are Dr. Tim Bisping, College of Business dean; David Alders, regent; Judy Larson Olson, regent; Nancy C. Windham, regent; and Lauren Rectenwald, regent. For more information, visit sfasu.edu/ace.

Photo by Hardy Meredith.

The deadline for Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art’s call for entries in the 2023 Texas National Competition and Exhibition has been extended through Feb. 6.

Texas National features an assortment of art from various media, according to Erik Ordaz, exhibition coordinator for Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House where the exhibition will show from April 14 through June 30. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third best in show at the juror’s discretion.

The School of Art’s annual juried competition and exhibition attracts entrants from across the United States, providing artists an opportunity to have their work juried by highly acclaimed curators, artists and critics, such as this year’s juror, William U. Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Texas National entry information may be accessed at art.sfasu.edu/competitions.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.