Dance Major's Choreographed Dance Selected for West Regional Conference

April 1, 2020
Dance Students ACDA

The Department of Theatre Arts & Dance is thrilled to announce that SSU student Frankie Henderson’s dance Labeled Package was selected to represent the 2020 West Regional Conference at the American College Dance Association’s (ACDA) National Conference at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, CA, May 29-31, 2020!  

The day before the COVID-19 CSU travel restrictions were announced on campus, fourteen SSU students arrived to the four day ACDA West Regional Conference held at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona in early March.  

Participation in ACDA is a highlight of the spring semester for college dancers across the country. The conference is an opportunity for new experiences through an array of dance classes taught by faculty and guests from participating schools. SSU students took up to four classes per day and viewed over 60 dance pieces during six concerts. 

Three student dances were selected to represent the Sonoma State Dance Program at the ACDA West Regional Conference. Sierra Parkhurst's evocative group work Disturbed State was performed in the Informal Concert. The two works selected for the Adjudication Concerts were undergraduate student Giulie Bermudez's bewitching and mysterious Glitch, and Frankie Henderson's dynamic and athletic Labeled Package. Our students performed all three works, which received strong positive feedback from the adjudicators and audience members.

Frankie Henderson's Labeled Package was selected out of 40 dances to perform in the closing Gala Concert at ACDA West Regional Conference. The Gala Concert was comprised of ten pieces selected by the adjudicators as standouts for their artistic integrity, inclusivity and strength in performance. Out of those ten dances Ms. Henderson’s Labeled Package was one of two dances selected to perform at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach for the National Conference in May. The adjudicators stated that Ms. Henderson's work was “Subtly poking at gender norms through iconic gestural movement choices, forceful interactions, and equitable costume choices, this duet was performed by a pair of captivating and powerful dancers. Supported by the use of a simple and focused set, the intensity of their performance, as they peeled away their suit coats and moved masterfully through intricate partnering sequences, fostered a sense of both rivalry and interdependence. With its rich range of layers, Labeled Package told the viewers much about this relationship, while leaving ample space for audience imagination and interpretation.”
 

Congratulations to everyone who participated and performed at ACDA and special congratulations to Frankie and her dance partner, Justin Brown on this terrific achievement and national recognition.