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Performance Ensembles
MOD kcawthon@ufl.edu
The Florida MOD Project is the University of Florida, School of Theatre
and Dance contemporary dance repertory ensemble. Celebrating the talent
of local and international artists, MOD is a fusion of dance, physical theatre,
art, and technology that reaches beyond the proscenium. The company presents
the creative vision of some of today's most outstanding choreographers,
and the spirit of the next generation of performers and designers. It engages
the audience with a new understanding of contemporary dance, and a new perspective
on their world.
A collective of ten University of Florida student dancers are the heart
of the MOD. Selected through an extensive audition process, student membership
in the company is for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years.
The program requires the imaginative and physical commitment to training
at professional standards; and it provides numerous creative and performance
opportunities, from outreach to professional touring.
MOD aims to challenge the barriers that divide this country's diverse artistic
communities and to foster innovative partnerships that reduce the geographical
and cultural isolation of artists from their peers and public communities.
We advocate:
Interdisciplinary explorations to create change
Responsibility
Collaboration
Audience education and growth
Dance as a vehicle for expression
The beauty of the human spirit in motion
We believe:
The arts have the power
Things are not always what they seem
mod., (mod), adj. 1. bold and unconventional 2. contemporary in style or
form-n. 3. a person of modern times 4. modern original dance.
GatorTones tmata@ufl.edu
GatorTones is the student song-and-dance troupe from the School of Theatre
and Dance and School of Music at the University of Florida. This group of
students, primarily from the College of Fine Arts, is under the direction
of Tony Mata and performs frequently at university events and throughout
the community.
Agbedidi Africa dacosta1@ufl.edu
or jfrosch@arts.ufl.edu
Agbedidi Africa was founded in the fall of 1995 during UF's Center for World
Arts inaugural African Artist-in-Residence project with celebrated Ghanaian
musician, Godwin Agbeli. In Ewe, Agbedidi translates as "long life:" agbe
meaning "life," and didi meaning "long." In addition to honoring Mr. Agbeli
("there is life"), the name Agbedidi holds promise of a long and prosperous
life for the performance of African dance and music in the New World. Indeed,
the ensemble's purpose is to impart human values through performance in
African dance and music. Using the dynamic processes of practice and performance,
students deepen their understanding of issues of internationalism, embody
cultural diversity and, through defined interaction and outreach, share
their growth with the greater community.
Agbedidi Africa's UF team collaborates with dancers and musicians at New
World School of the Arts (NWSA) each fall in the presentation of a mainstage
show for the University of Florida and the greater community, which tours
to Miami and NWSA. Since 1995, approximately 20,000 student and general
audience members have enjoyed the popular, fully-produced productions, which
have featured guest artists from Guinea, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana,
and more. In spring Agbedidi focuses its efforts on outreach to some of
the most treasured members of our community: our youth. Heartfelt outreach
to such schools as Sidney Lanier and Terwilliger Elementary are annual events;
hundreds of youngsters across Gainesville and Miami enjoy the reach of Agbedidi
annually. Mohamed Da Costa and Joan Frosch direct Agbedidi Africa; membership
is through enrollment in DAA 2381: World Dance and Intercultural Performance
(Gen Ed /I).
Theatre Jazz Rep rarose@ufl.edu
Theatre Jazz Repertoire is an ensemble of UF dancers dedicated to the creation
of original dance works that explore the use of traditional jazz dance forms
in exciting new formats. Directed by Associate Professor Ric Rose, the group
is selected through auditions identifying dancers with abilities to adapt
to new styles, diverse skills as performers, and creative flexibility.
Shadow Dance rarose@ufl.edu
Created by Associate Professor Ric Rose, Shadow Dance Theatre provides UF
dancers, actors and designers the forum to collaborate on a unique form
of storytelling, culminating in an original dance theatre production. Based
on the director's vision of how light and shadow perform as a metaphor for
various layers of reality, the storytellers take the audience on a journey
through the imagination to gain a deeper understanding of the human condition.
The ensemble trains in improvisation, yoga, dance and acting techniques,
and shares in the creative collaboration that has created four successful
full-length productions to date.
Theatre Strike Force
Theatre Strike Force is a student organization with the purpose of presenting
improvisational theatre which focuses on social concerns. The group performs
primarily in a street theatre context to reach an audience of those who
would not ordinarily think of attending a theatre.