Miami, April 20, 2018- Miami Dade College (MDC) will present its annual Artistry in Rhythm Dance Conference (A.I.R. Dance Conference) on April 26-28 at the Kendall Campus in an effort to create an innovative training program for dance artists and a laboratory for choreographers.
MDC’s Dance Program, MDC Live Arts and the MDC Jubilation Dance Ensemble present the A.I.R. Dance Conference with this year’s theme: INNOVATION in SOLIDARITY: Reclaiming our Birthrights through Healing and Transcendence.
A.I.R. Dance Conference is a scholarly dance conference that seeks to explore the significance of community engagement through the vernacular of dance, encourage community growth and development, and enhance the academic environment. The conference will include a host of master dance classes, lecture/demonstrations, and performances. Participants will have the opportunity to take classes in social dance, somatics, body conditioning, ballet, contemporary modern, swing, Afro-fusion and hip-hop dance styles. Additionally, they will experience dance that is educational, rich in diversity, educational, engaging, and historical.
The event will celebrate social justice ideas of success, love, prosperity, and creativity. Participants will receive the opportunity to meet world renown dancers, artist, and choreographers while attending the conference. A.I.R. Dance 2018 honoree Anita MacBeth is a former member of the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble and Forces of Nature Dance Company, and a dance educator at Bethune Elementary School of the Arts in Broward County. She is also a certified yoga and Zumba instructor, an aromatherapist and the CEO of Creative Expressions. MacBeth has choreographed for the Bronx Council of the Arts and the New York Housing Authority, and performed in PBS Reading Rainbow. She joins A.I.R. Dance 2018, teaching one master class in yoga, and one master class in traditional West African dance.
Guest srtist Shani Collins-Achille is the director of dance at Connecticut College, former member of Ron K. Brown Evidence Dance Company and Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble. She will present a live performance, discussion, and teach three master classes grounded in traditional modern dance and African diasporic movement forms. Millicinet Johnnie, a visiting professor of Florida State College, is a recognized Broadway choreographer. She synthesis traditional and contemporary dance, hip-hop and social dance to create innovative ways of moving and seeing the world.
Trent Williams, director of the University of Florida Dance Program, will present three master classes based in Horton Modern Dance technique. Kat Hernandez, will premiere A woke ‘i’ makes a conscious we which centers around identity and political social hierarchy. Alex Revis, instructor at Pinecrest Brains and Body, will teach one body conditioning master class that address the wellness of the brain, regulates bodily functions, emotions, and promotes inner healing.
As part of their Ojala/Inshallah season dedicated to exploring arts of the Muslim world, MDC Live Arts is partnering with A.I.R. Dance 2018 to present West African dancer/ choreographer Souleymane (Solo) Badolo for two master classes, a lecture and a performance on Thursday, April 26- Saturday, April 28. Born in Burkina Faso and residing in Brooklyn, Badolo fuses traditional African dance with western contemporary technique, ever exploring the delicate balance between maintaining roots and beginning again.
MDC students, faculty and staff, Miami Dade County Public Schools, dance professionals, dance studios, colleges and universities are invited to participate in this educational, and exciting celebration of Dance.
Registration for A.I.R. Dance Conference is all inclusive and includes unlimited dance classes for 3 days, one ticket to the evening performance. The cost of the conference is $25 for students with a valid ID (DCPS, MDC, FIU, Barry, UM). It is $50 for all other guests. The registration fee includes three days of dance and one ticket to an evening performance. Daily rates are $15 and classes are $5. Classes will take place on April 26-28 from 9 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Nightly performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Michelle Grant-Murray, 305-237-2638, airdanceconference@gmail.com.
On-line registration for the A.I.R. Dance Conference is available at: https://tickets.completeticketsolutions.com/MDC/Online/default.asp