The University of North Carolina at Greensboro College of Visual and Performing Arts (formerly known as the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance or SMTD) is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing and visual arts that is a college within the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina. The College requires an audition on top of an application to the University for entry. The College is divided into four separate schools; Music, Dance, Theatre, and Visual Arts. The College offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Performances for the schools of Dance, Theatre, and Music are held at the black box dance theater, Taylor Theatre, Brown Theatre, the School of Music Concert Hall, and UNCG Auditorium (formerly Aycock Auditorium). The School is the largest and most comprehensive performing arts program in North Carolina and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States and the entire country.
Video UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts
About
The College of Visual and Performing Arts is home to over nine hundred student majors and over one hundred faculty members. The College was created on July 29, 2016 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with the unification of the discipline of art with the former School of Music, Theatre and Dance. The dean of the school is Dr. Peter Alexander. The School is separated into four units: the School of Visual Arts, School of Dance, School of Music, and School of Theatre. The University Concert/Lecture Series (formerly the Performing Arts Series) and UNCG Auditorium remain under the umbrella of the School.
School of Dance
Dance was first taught as part of the Women's Physical Education Program at UNCG when the university was known as the State Normal and Industrial School. In 1963, the university created a department comprising four divisions: Health Education, Physical Education, Dance, and Recreation. The Arts Forum had been created in 1943 which brought students and faculty together in painting, music composition, choreography, and writing. Virginia Moomaw was hired in 1945 and became a voice for dance at the Women's College. In 1949 the President of the University of North Carolina, Dr. Frank Porter Graham, approved the Graduate Creative Arts Program which established MFA degree programs in painting, music, writing, and dance. The major in dance was introduced in 1957. In 1970 the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation was formed. In 1980 it was renamed the School of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. In 1984 the instructional divisions were changed into separate departments. In 1989 the Dance Department moved into the Rosenthall Gymnasium and in 1991 became the School of Health and Human Performance. In 2010, the Department of Dance was combined with the Department of Theatre and the School of Music to create the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. In 2016, the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance merged with the Department of Art to create the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
UNCG's Dance Program was ranked the best dance school in North Carolina, the best dance school in the Southern United States, and in the top 5 best dance schools in the United States.
The School of Dance's facilities are located within the Mary Channing Coleman Building, formerly the Human Health and Performance Building. This includes five dance studios, a black box theater, dressing rooms, offices, a computer lab, and classrooms. Renovations on the Coleman building began in fall 2017 to convert the old swimming pool into an additional two dance studios, as well as to upgrade facilities within the building. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2018. Dance concerts are performed in the Dance Theater and at UNCG Auditorium, the University's opera house. The current Head of the School of Dance is Janet Lilly.
Annual performances within the School include:
- Fall Dance Concert
- Prime Movers Dance Concert
- Faculty Concert
- Spring Dances
- Delta Chi Xi Charity Concert
- BFA Thesis Concert
- Dancers Connect Concert
- MFA Thesis Concerts
- Graduate Showcase
Dance students also audition and perform in other productions within the School's other departments such as plays, musicals, and operas.
Students train with a focus in Contemporary Dance technique. They also train in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Capoeira, and African techniques. Somatic Practice courses are also offered such as Yoga, and Kinetic Awareness. Once a semester there is a technique review where students are observed by faculty in their technique classes to see whether or not they are eligible to advance in level.
The University has exchange programs for dance students at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the University of Cape Town and the University of Malta. Students from the department have also gone abroad to study dance in Ireland, China, and Italy. UNCG annually attends the National Dance Education Organization Conference, the Mid-Atlantic Regional American College Dance Festival, and the Dance and the Child International Conference where students present their research projects, teaching methods, original curricula, and choreography.
Audition process
Each student must complete a live audition in front of the Dance faculty. Undergraduate auditions are held in the fall and spring, usually in November and March. Graduate students and Undergraduate Dance Minors are not required to audition. The audition process includes ballet technique, contemporary dance, improvisation, and writing portions.
Degrees
The programs offered combine a liberal arts curriculum with professional preparation for further study or for a variety of dance careers. The School of Dance offers a Dance Education Program where students who are BAs, BFAs, MAs, and MFAs can receive their teaching license for kindergarten through twelfth grade in public school systems upon graduation.
- Minor in Dance
- Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography
- Master of Arts in Dance Theories and Practices
- Master of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography
Dance Education Students can obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with K-12 licensure. The Dance Education program prepares students to design and implement innovative dance education programs in public schools, private schools, and dance studios that promote dance literacy, the role of dance in diverse cultures, artistic and technical development, collaborative practice, and interdisciplinary learning. Dance Education is a concentration added to a four year dance degree program including coursework in dance pedagogy, choreography, improvisation, technique, history, stagecraft and technology. Upon completion, students are eligible for initial certification as a dance teacher in all grades. The School hosts Dancers Connect Community School, a program that provides free dance training and performance opportunities to children from the local community. Dance Education students work alongside faculty in teaching and choreographing for Dancers Connect.
Scholarships and awards
Talent-based scholarships awarded in the School of Dance include:
Undergraduate Scholarships
- Dr. John T. and Mary Louise Lowe Burns Memorial Scholarship in Dance and Musical Theatre
- Chauns Dance Scholarship
- Cheney Scholarship in Dance Choreography
- Melanie Feinstein Memorial Scholarship in Dance
- Kimberly Renee Goodman Scholarship
- Virginia Moomaw Dance Scholarship
- The Phoebe Pegram Baughan - Phoebe Baughan Barr Scholarship in Dance
Graduate Scholarships
- Melanie Feinstein Memorial Scholarship in Dance
- Graduate Assistantship in Dance
School of Music
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, in 1912, was the first in the Southern United States to offer an undergraduate degree in Music Education. The North Carolina Music Educators Association was founded at the School in the 1920s. The School of Music has been fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1938. The School offers the only comprehensive music program from undergraduate through doctoral study in performance and music education in North Carolina.
The current Head of the Music Performance Department is Dennis AsKew. The current Head of the Music Education Department is David Teachout. The current Head of the Ethnomusicology Department is Gavin Douglas.
The Music Departments have their own library, the Harold Schiffman Music Library.
The Ensembles of the Music Program are Choir, Symphonic Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, Opera Theater, String Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and University Band.
The Music Program at UNCG was ranked as the best music school in North Carolina, 13th best music school in the Southern United States, and in the top 50 best music schools in the United States.
Degrees
Degree Programs offered include:
- Bachelor of Music in Composition, Jazz Studies, Music Education, Vocal or Instrumental Performance
- Bachelor of Arts in Music
- Master of Music in Music Theory, Composition, Music Education, Vocal or Instrumental Performance with specialties in Accompanying, Conducting, Early Keyboard Instruments, Piano Pedagogy, or Vocal Pedagogy
- Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying, Conducting, Vocal or Instrumental Performance
- Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education
UNCG Opera Theatre
Notable Opera performances by the UNCG Opera Theatre include:
- Amahl and the Night Visitors
- La Bohème
- Cavalleria Rusticana
- The Consul
- Dialogues of the Carmelites
- Don Giovanni
- Hansel and Gretel
- Little Women
- Orpheus in the Underworld
- Picnic
- Susannah
- Trial by Jury
Scholarships and awards
Talent-based scholarships and awards in the School of Music include:
Undergraduate Scholarships
Graduate Scholarships
- Joel R. Adams & William P. Carroll Scholarship For Graduate Study In Music
- Doris Huffines Bernhardt Graduate Award In Music
- William F. Black Scholarship In Jazz Studies
- Burlington Industries Music Scholarship
- Todd Owen Carter Music Fund
- Dorothy Buchanan Collins Fellowship In Music
- Richard Cox Vocal Arts Scholarship
- Hermene Warlick Eichorn Music Scholarship
- A.J. Fletcher Scholarship
- Roslyn Southerland Harris Music Scholarship
- Lawrence E. And Alma Louise Knuckey Hart Graduate Fellowship In Music
- Ila A. Hensley, Virginia Jeter Sneed & Virginia Elizabeth Sneed Music Scholarship
- Cramer and Rebecca Taylor Little Music Scholarship
- Joy Culbreth Morrison Graduate Fellowship In Music
- Graduate Assistantship in Music
School of Theatre
The current Head of the Theatre Department is David Sullivan.
Notable performances include:
- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
- The Velvetine Rabbit
- Pinocchio
- Hairspray
- Hot 'N Throbbing
- Cabaret
- Pride & Prejudice
- Spamalot
- Junie B. Jones
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts offers degrees in Art History, Art Education, and degrees in Fine Arts such as sculpting, painting, and design.
Scholarships and awards
Talent-based scholarships and awards in the Theatre Department include:
Undergraduate Scholarships
- Dr. & Mrs. Edward Gerock Boyette Theatre Production Scholarship
- John and Mary Burns Scholarship
- Herman Middleton Scholarship
- Raymond Taylor Scholarship
- Betty Jean Jones Professional Development Fund
Graduate Scholarships
- Kay Brown Barrett Theatre for Youth Scholarship
- John and Mary Burns Scholarship
- Kathryn McA. England Scholarship
- Betty Jean Jones Professional Development Fund
Student organizations
Student Organizations include:
- Redemption Arts
- UNCG Prime Movers
- Paradigm Dance Company
- IDance Company
- Graduate Student Association in Dance
- Collegiate Music Educators National Conference
- American Choral Directors Association
- American String Teachers Association
- Graduate Music Student Association
- Society of Composers, Incorporated, Student Chapter
- UNCG Spartones Acapella group
- UNCG Sapphires Acapella group
- UNCG Chariots Acapella group
- UNCG Seraphim Acapella group
- UNCG Divine Harmony Acapella group
Greek organizations
- Alpha Psi Omega
- Delta Chi Xi, Alpha chapter
- Mu Phi Epsilon, Alpha-Xi chapter
- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Iota Epsilon chapter
- Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Gamma chapter
Notable alumni
- Andy Cabic, lead singer of Vetiver
- Emmylou Harris, Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter
- Beth Leavel, actress and singer
- Sam Norman, actor and internet celebrity
- Tom Smith, Jazz musician
Notable faculty
- Robert Blocker, classical pianist
- Janet Lilly, former principal dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
- Jan Van Dyke, dancer and choreographer
- B.J. Sullivan, dancer and choreographer
- Craig Walsh, composer
- Fred Wesley, Jazz & Funk musician
Maps UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts
External links
- SMTD Facebook
- SMTD Twitter
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia