Rockin' Downtown

Photo of the Week

The Department of Dance brings its popular show -- Dance Downtown Rocks! -- to the Riffe Center's Capitol Theatre this weekend (Thurs, May 3-Sat, May 5 at 8 pm), and welcomes acclaimed New York City guitarist and composer Vernon Reid (right) as guest artist. OSU dancers including Chris Havner, Ashley Mcgill and Amy Campbell (l-r, above) will perform in the evening event, which spotlights The Vernon Reid Project and Trisha Brown's Set and Reset/Reset. The Vernon Reid Project is rock and roll, up close and live, with 27 dancers and the musicians in Reid's New York band Masque giving a powerful performance. An intertwined sequence of choreography is featured, with works by Bebe Miller (Dance), alumna Kathleen Hermesdorf, Nicole Stanton (Dance) and visiting faculty member Ming-Lung Yang. Set and Reset/Reset is a variation of Brown's original choreography using Laurie Anderson's score. It is directed by visiting faculty member Abigail Yager with 11 dancers from OSU. The design team includes Jeff Haase (Design) and Dave Covey and Nadine Spray (Dance). Tickets are available from CAPA (469-0939) and Ticketmaster (431-3600). For details about the program, call 292-7977. (top photo, Stephanie Matthews)

Notable News

At the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences Spring Reception last week, Joy Reilly (Theatre) was presented with the Rosalene Sedgwick Faculty Service Award and Charles Massey Jr (Art) received the Honors Faculty Service Award. Certificates were presented by Dean Karen Bell at the event, which was presided over by Jackie Royster, executive dean. In addition, 26 students from the College of the Arts were honored with Excellence in Scholarship Awards.

The University Libraries' weekly ReadAloud program on May 3 features Karen Bell, Dean, and Vickie Blaine (Dance, emeritus) with an adaptation of their dance theatre program Heel Talk. The program is at 3 pm Thursday, May 3, in the Wexner Center Cafe and is free to all.

Robert Ladislas Derr (Art) exhibited Intellectual Economy, a two-channel video installation, in the Athens Video Art Festival in Athens, Greece, April 27-29.

The School of Music's new ensemble, OSU Fifes & Drums (above, l-r, Dave Wolf, Amy Garapic, Justin Bunting, Maria Finkelmeier and Joe Spurlock) show off their amazingly authentic uniforms stitched with skill by Louella Powell, faculty member at the University of Milwaukee's Theater Department (and mother of Music faculty member Susan Powell). Last Saturday evening, the ensemble presented a concert of historic music from Army Camps, Marches and Battles covering the years 1588 to 1865. The fifes and drums were joined by two choral ensembles from the School of Music, the Statesmen and Ladies First.

Sarah Weinstock (Art) will exhibit works in the back gallery of Camelot Wine Cellars, 958 N. High St. Stop by during the gallery hop -- opening reception is 6-9 pm May 5.

Vesta Daniel (Art Education) will be recognized as an award winner for Excellence in Community Service and Scholarship on May 10 at the Frank Hale Black Cultural Center.

A flute composition competition was held during the recent Johnstone Woodwind Master Series at OSU. Five pieces for flute and other instruments, written by composition students Antoine Clarke, David Nelson Tomasacci, David Morneau, Yoojin Kim and Matthew Saunders, were performed and judged. The winning piece was Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon by Yoojin Kim. Finalists were pieces by Tomasacci and Clarke. In addition, a performers prize went to flutist Morgann Davis.