"Terrain Dance Project Choreographer Spotlight: Guest Artist, Jill Guyton Nee

“Sweetpotato Suite,” by Jill Guyton Nee, in collaboration with dancers, is a trio inspired by the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission`s mission and production process. With movement generated by choreographer and dancers, the work is a reflection of planting, growth, harvest, and storage of the orange vegetable. With thoughtful fun and pensive flair, the dancers swipe, dig, toss, carry, and glean the space around them in representation of the farmer`s tender care during a year in the life of the N.C. Covington Sweetpotato.

Come see Jill`s work April 17 at 2pm and April 18 at 7pm at The Corner on Centennial Campus! Free and open to the public."

Photo by:Christina McKinney
Link to the Event in Bio.

Whether you`re an experienced dancer or a complete beginner, the Master Class Series gives you the chance to learn from highly-trained dance professionals and try something new. This series offers free dance instruction to NC State students, staff and faculty.

🐺 The first class in our series takes place during #NCStateWWW on Thursday, Aug. 28: Afro-Contemporary is a high-energy class that fuses grounded, rhythm-driven movement with fluid, expansive phrasing for a dynamic, full-bodied experience!

👉 Swipe to see the full series lineup.

🔗 Learn more and register at go.ncsu.edu/masterclass

Planning to join an NC State Dance Company? There are a few opportunities happening during #NCStateWWW that you won`t want to miss!

✨ Thursday, Aug. 21, 5:30-6:45 p.m. - Dance Audition Orientation. Learn about our dance companies: Terrain Dance Project, Panoramic Dance Project, and State Dance Company, as well as the Repertory Class.

✨ Friday, Aug. 22, 3-6 p.m. - Dance Company + Repertory Dance Class Audition

✨ Monday, Aug. 25, 4:30-6 p.m. - Open Student Choreographers Audition

📍 Location: Carmichael Gym Dance Studio, RM 2307

Details at go.ncsu.edu/auditionartstech

We`re celebrating a successful Day of Giving so far! Now, it`s time to share why you love dance at NC State in the #GivingPack Passion Match Challenge! Swipe to learn more, and head to the Day of Giving highlight @ncstateartstech to get started!

Let`s show the strength of NC State Dance together! ❤️

Free NC State student tickets are available now for State Dance Company`s spring concert!

Two weeks from now, the company will present its concert which includes works by danah bella, Allison Beaty, Alexandra Burchette, student choreographer Savanah Buck, Tracey Durbin, Tara Z. Mullins, and Kassandra Taylor Newberry. The performance will showcase styles including modern, contemporary, modern jazz, and dance theatre. 💃

NC State Students:
To get your free ticket, visit: go.ncsu.edu/freeticket

Tickets for the general public can be purchased at: https://go.ncsu.edu/Concerts

Calling all student Choreographers! The deadline for the Arts NC State Creative Artist Award is next week!

Submit your concept or choreography for the opportunity to produce your piece in a variety of ways, such as in a departmental performance, as a screendance, or as a site-specific piece. The most recent recipients of the award, Layla El-Khoury and Kara Pawlowski, each presented their work in the 2024 Fall Dance Concert.

Check out the link in our bio for more details! The deadline for student submissions is Saturday, March 15, at 11:59 p.m.

For our Master Class series two weeks from now, we will have Brianna Forbes, who will be teaching beginner House Dance movements and techniques, which include fast footwork, intricate floorwork, and grooves, creating meaningful movement and adding to storytelling. This class, which is free to NC State students, staff, and faculty, will also teach participants a brief and beautiful history of House Dance and Afro-House Music.

Two weeks from now we have a Master Class with Frankie Lee III, who has danced as a commercial & concert Hip-hop dancer and taught Hip-hop for schools and studies in multiple states! This class will be teaching isolations, musicality, performance qualities, and movement textures all while emphasizing individuality!

For our Master Class next week, we have LaTissa Davis, who will be teaching Fusion belly dance, which merges traditional North African and Middle Eastern belly dance with a wide array of styles. This class, which is free to NC State students, staff, and faculty, will combine belly dance with movements of hip-hop, teaching participants the fundamentals of hip-hop dance and belly dance technique, as well as exploring the similarities in movement vocabulary and creative expression.

Our campaign for the Dance Enhancement Fund ends tonight! Thank you to all of those who have already given a gift! If you would like to support our campaign visit the link in our bio ❤️

#supportthearts #dancesupport #empowerartists #futureprofessionals #communityimpact #ncstatedance

Next week for our Master Class series, we have Bernadine Fields, who will be exploring the dynamic and ever-evolving world of commercial dance! This class, which is free to NC State students, staff, and faculty, will teach a variety of styles including hip-hop, jazz funk, and contemporary, with a focus on performance technique, musicality, and stage presence.

Master Classes are just one example of the many high-impact experiences we aim to provide our students with. You can help us continue to deliver these experiences by giving a gift to our crowdfunding campaign! To learn more, visit the link in our bio 🕺

Next week for our Master Class series we have Willie Hinton, who will be teaching a mixture of Jazz, Ballet, and Modern Techniques! This class, which is free to NC State students, staff, and faculty, is designed to help dancers think outside the box while maintaining a strong foundation of technique. It will also teach the fundamentals of Horton and Graham techniques.

Help our dance students reach new heights!

We strive to give our dancers access to high-impact experiences, such as travel to conferences, special workshops or master classes, guest artists and interdisciplinary research projects

You can help us reach our goal! A gift to the Dance Enhancement Fund can help provide more of these life-changing opportunities for the next generation of dancers! Check out all the ways you can support our dance students by visiting the link in our bio 💃
#dancesupport #empowerartists #futureprofessionals #communityimpact #ncstatedance

Welcome back - now join your pack! In all the #NCStateWWW fun, make time to audition for a music ensemble!

🎶 Friday, Aug. 15, 4:30-6 p.m. - Jazz Audition Clinic and Open Jam

🎶 Monday, Aug. 18 - Friday, Aug 22 - Choir Auditions (sign up for a spot between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

🎶 Monday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Aug. 20 - Orchestra Auditions (sign up for a spot between 7-9 p.m.)

🎶 Tuesday, Aug 19 - Friday, Aug. 22, and Monday, Aug. 25 - Jazz Auditions (sign up for a spot between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

📍Location: Price Music Center

Details at go.ncsu.edu/auditionartstech

One challenge down, one more to go! ❤️🐺🎶
We`ve already met our goal for the Music Enhancement Fund Gift Challenge! Now it`s time to share why you love music at NC State in the #GivingPack Passion Match Challenge! Swipe to learn more, and head to the Day of Giving highlight @ncstateartstech to get started!

Let`s show the strength of NC State Music together! 🎵

Today, the DPAT Through the Decades series, in celebration of 100 years of music at NC State, comes to an end as we highlight the 2020s. In this decade, the music program joined with the dance and arts entrepreneurship programs, with the addition of a new major in Music Technology, to form the NC State Department of Performing Arts and Technology. Stuart Benkert was named head of the newly formed department in 2024.

We have an amazing set of performances for you next week! Learn more ⬇️

🎤 Chordination and Acapology, co-ed a cappella student organizations, are both having their spring concerts

🎻 Later in the week, the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra will feature the world premiere of Dr. Nathan Leaf`s “The Way from Birmingham,” which focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, in collaboration with the State Chorale. This performance will also include works by Beethoven, Haydn, Niloufar Nourbakhsh and more, with NC State English Professor Jason Miller joining the orchestra to speak about King’s work and its continuing relevance. This program is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission #raleighartspartners

Be sure to check out these great concerts! Get your tickets at the following link: https://go.ncsu.edu/Concerts

In the 2010s, the Music program introduced new classes like, Introduction to the Music Industry and Songwriting using Digital Audio Workstations. In May of 2014, the State Chorale performed as the guest choir at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Also in the 2010s, the alumni magazine, Wolf Tones, was launched. Daniel Monek served as department head starting in 2016.

In the 2000s, the Power Sound of the South started performing the “Walk of Champions,” leading the football players from their buses into the stadium and playing the fight song. They also released their first compact disc! The 2000s marked the beginning of the Pep Band traveling to perform at every Wolfpack away game. Also in the decade, the New Horizons a capella group held 30 performances across the state and participated in the National Collegiate Music Conference! 🎶

Calling all student musicians! The deadline for the Arts NC State Creative Artist Award is next week!

Submit your original work (visit the link in our bio for all of the guidelines and criteria for your entry). The winners will have their piece performed and/or workshopped by a Department of Performing Arts and Technology music ensemble. Pictured above is Tyler Johnson, who received the 2023-2024 Creative Artist Award in music, for his piano duet, “Insomnia.”

Check out the link in our bio for more details! The deadline for student submissions is Saturday, March 15, at 11:59 p.m.

In the 1990s, Music Director Dr. Ronald J. Toering proposed a history book be written about the Music Program, and turned to Curtis R. Craver Jr., who worked for 45 years as an adjunct professor in the program, with the aim of publishing it in the 1999-2000 school year to celebrate NC State Music`s 75th anniversary. That book, “The History of Music at North Carolina State University” is available through University Libraries. Also in the 90s, Dr. Toering established the Music Minor, with the help of Craver, as well as the Music Alumni Newsletter. Dr. Rodney Waschka II, who was an assistant professor in the Division of Multidisciplinary Studies, created the Computer Music Studio and began offering a new course: Music Composition with Computers. When Dr. Toering left in 1994, Dr. Robert B. Petters took over as Music Director. Dr. Petters would often bring the Fanfare Band to local malls to gain exposure as well as provide the challenge of an off-campus audience for student performers. Additionally, in 1996, Dr. Washcka started the Arts Now Series, which continues today, bringing composers, performers, and other artists from around the world to campus.

For more information on “The History of Music at North Carolina State University,” you can visit: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU1465502

In 1983, the North American British Brass Band Association, which had formed the previous year, thanked Music Director J. Perry Watson for his influence in the British brass band movement and held its first competition at NC State. Also in the ‘80s, Ladies In Red, the all-women a capella group, was formed to give the women’s chorus the same musical education as the men had through Grains of Time. When Watson left, in 1989, Dr. Ronald J. Toering took over as Music Director.

Check out our roundup for next week`s events! We have some incredible performances for you, from Wind Ensemble to Jazz Orchestra and Lab Band, and Grains of Time 🎷

In the 1970s, Price Music Center, named after Percy W. Price, the Music program`s first director, was built to replace the space that was lost in the old Pullen Hall fire. J. Perry Watson, who served as Music director throughout the decade, added piano classes to the music curriculum, with these classes being taught for credit by Meredith College faculty. The guitar program also got started in the `70s. Additionally, in the `70s, the first woman was hired to the Music Program: Dr. Phyllis Vogel. Dr. Vogel taught the first music theory courses in the program, conducted the chamber singers, and also taught composition, women in music, applied piano lessons, and more.