Beth Chepke has a BA in Dance with an emphasis in teaching from Columbia College in Chicago. She has been teaching, choreographing and performing for over 25 years. She has studied jazz with Jose Meier, Lea Darwin, Gus Giordano, Non Giordano, Marcus Alford and Joel Hall. She has toured with Bokor, Walnut Street Players, The Paul Caldwell Las Vegas Touring Show and has been a guest artist in numerous other companies and university programs. Beth was Artistic Director of The Dance Space (Ohio) and Magic Curtain Productions (Arizona) and has taught Jazz and Modern at Westminster College, Pennsylvania. Currently she teaches Jazz at UNCA, Asheville Dance Theatre and Future of Traditions.
Kelly Davis has taught in the dance program at
UNCA and Warren Wilson College since 1998.
Her background includes West African, modern, jazz and rhythm style tap.
She has studied and performed in Africa and France with Common Ground
African Dance Ensemble and Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre.
While working in Asheville, she has taught workshops for children and
teens at Project Steam, YMI Cultural Center and teaches a weekly class for
adults in downtown Asheville. Ms. Davis has studied West African forms of dance
and drumming under a variety of masters including Chuck Davis, Sherone Price,
Damaye Bountou Soumah, Kevin Meyame, and members of les Percussions de Guinea.
She is also a founding member of The Rebelles a touring company based in
Asheville.
Kathy Meyers received her BFA in
Performance and Choreography from Towson State University in ’84.
Her work has been showcased in Maryland Choreographer’s Showcase, North
Carolina Dance Festival, and in performances in Europe and Cuba.
She has been on the faculty at Stoneybrook and has taught in numerous
studios in the North East. In
addition to teaching at UNCA, she is a core member of Asheville Contemporary
Dance Theatre and is the director of the dance program at The Asheville School.
Connie Schrader has taught dance at UNCA since 1987. In that time the program has grown from two half-semester courses to a curriculum of 25 classes and four technique tracks. She is committed to encouraging students to integrate rather than specialize their interests in the art form, and directs the UNCA Dance Program, a program which offers a minor rather than a major in Dance. She received her MA in Dance from Mills College and BA in Psychology from Cornell University. She is certified in Pilates and is BCIA certified in Biofeedback. She is the author of the book, A Sense of Dance (2005: Human Kinetics). Connie also teaches in the Humanities program and the Arts and Ideas Program. She is the director of the University Stress/Biofeedback Lab.
“The Moving Canvas: Intersections between Painting and Movement” Mary LaBianca 2004
“African Influences on Contemporary Modern Dance” Elizabeth Russell, 2004
“Nomadism and Butoh” Julia Taylor, 2005
“The Body as the Locus of Both Aesthetic and Political Change” Ann Taylor, 2005
Kara Jasinski, ’01: Yoga Instructor, dancing professionally in Boston
Bonner Butler, ??: MA in Dance, Mills College, Dance Critic in San Francisco
Our students are frequently involved in dance activities in association with the numerous dance companies based in Asheville. Asheville boasts a rich variety of professional dance programs including touring and experimental programs and our students have been involved in every aspect of private sector arts from office assistance to teaching to performing.
Employment Opportunities Upon Graduation
This
minor is designed for students who wish to develop their skills and knowledge
because of a personal interest in Dance, and for those who wish to enhance their
career opportunities through acquiring a particular expertise in Dance.
Enhancement of career possibilities incorporating Dance exists for those
majoring in education, music, drama, management, sociology and psychology among
others. Career directions include
dance education, performance, production, studio or company management, public
relations, choreography, interdisciplinary arts, physical and psychological
therapy.
At the
very least, graduates with a Minor in Dance will be able to demonstrate to a
potential employer that they are individuals whose lives have dimension beyond
the specific domain of a particular major.
Careers in Psychology, Sociology, Art, Cultural Anthropology, Literature,
Arts Management, Fund-raising, and the Entertainment Industry are all be served
by an applicant who has a demonstrated understanding of the arts and the process
of artistic creation. Graduates who
intend to pursue careers in the movement arts will be recognized for their
understanding of “body ways” as they apply for advanced studies in health
careers, dance therapy, leisure studies, or specialized physical training.
Scot:
The requirements for the Minor have changed from the first publication of the brochure. Here are the revisions:
Minor in Dance
22 hours including a completed technical strand in one technique (Jazz:135-335 or Modern: 137-337 or Ballet:138-338), DAN 130, 215, 250, 310, 331, 345 and six additional hours from the electives below. Students are encouraged to take courses from each of the three elective areas to complete the minor requirements.
Technique Electives
Technique classes other than those in one’s chosen strand are considered electives.
DAN 230 African Dance II (2)
HW 131 Yoga (1)
HW132
Tai Chi (1)
HW 111 Pilates (1)
Related Arts Electives
DAN 231 Dance and Drumming (1)
DRAM 103 Voice Production Lab (1)
DRAM 105 Theatre Workshop (1)
DRAM 111 Introduction to Acting (3)
DRAM 121 Elements of Production (3)
DRAM 123 Design Interaction (3)
DRAM 325 Costuming (3)
MUSC 101 Class Piano (2)
MUSC 103 Class Guitar (2)
MUSC 105 Class Voice (2)
Dance In Context Electives
DAN 260-263 Repertory (2)
DAN 320 Composition II (2)
DAN 341 Teaching Dance (2)
HF 322 Kinesiology (3)
MCOM 380 Media Aesthetics (3)