There are a variety of ways of getting involved in Brown dance performances, some of which require committing to a student- or faculty-directed performance group, many of which do not. Dance performances occur in a variety of contexts- faculty directed or faculty sponsored annual shows (e.g. Parents Weekend Dance Concert), student group annual shows (e.g. Fusion or Badmaash, to name a couple), showcases (e.g. Movement), fundraisers, benefits and cultural group shows (e.g. Awaaz-a-palooza, which is a fundraiser for Awaaz, South Asian Journal of the Arts). Most of these, with the exception of student group annual shows, can and often do include contributions of indendent (not group-affiliated) dancers and choreographers. In addition, most TSDA dance courses have final shows to which students can invite friends and family. The final performance for TSDA 32: Mande Dance, Music, and Culture sells out Stuart every year. I've put together a listing of annual shows and how one can get involved:

FACULTY-DIRECTED/SPONSORED

Parent's Weekend Dance Concert- Annual show in Ashamu for Parent's Weekend which is organized and run by TSDA faculty.The show includes pieces from New Works/World Traditions, Dance Extension, and whatever visiting faculty may have been invited to choreograph for the show. To be in the New Works or Extension pieces you need to be a member of one of those groups, but guest choreographers hold open auditions, which anyone, independent or from any student group, can attend. Sometimes this concert may also include student-choreographed pieces at the discretion of the faculty. This year, faculty are looking for a student-choreographed piece, and interested parties are invited to contact Julie Strandberg.

Fall Dance Concert -- Produced by Body & Sole. Features all student choreography. Mentored by theatre faculty and staff - Ashamu Dance
Studio. This show is meant to be a showcase for orginal student choreography, and anyone can contribute a piece. There are three meetings throughout the fall- an informational first meeting, a first showing where choreographers can get feedback on the work in progress from the Fall Dance Concert Board, and a final showing in which the Board selects the pieces that will appear in the concert. The Fall Dance Concert Board consists of the Body and Sole Board, some faculty members, including masters-graduate in choreography Annamaura Silverblatt, and any other students who want to be part of the selection team. The only limitation is that choreographers who are auditioning pieces for the concert can't sit on the Board for that concert.

Spring Dance Concert - Features works by faculty, guest artists and select students. Performers include Dance Ensemble, Dance Extension,
and New Works World Traditions.

American Dance Legacy Institute Annual Concert - Features Dance Extension performing with guest artists.

STUDENT GROUP ANNUAL SHOWS

Most of the student dance groups have annual shows in a variety of venues, including Sayles, Saloman, and Ashamu to list a few. Some groups have been known to tour other campuses nationally and internationally.To be in one of these performances, one generally needs to be in the group in question. For a listing of when these will perform, see Calendar. For a listing of all the dance groups at Brown and profiles of each, see Groups. In addition to dance groups, some student groups centered around culture or heritage, such as the South Asian Students Association or African Students Association, will have shows including dance performance, and the performers may or may not be part of a dance group, or necessarily the hosting group either.

SHOWCASES, BENEFITS, FUNDRAISERS

Movement- An annual charity dance show usually organized by Attitude Dance Company, featuring performances by a variety of student groups. Because it is a showcase of many different styles and contributers, organizers may be open to using independent dancers or choreographers, though this would necessarily be decided by the individual organizer.

Awaaz-a-Palooza- An annual fundraiser show for Awaaz, the South Asian Journal of the Arts. In past years this has shown performances from a variety of sources including independent dancers and choreographers, various dance groups, as well as spoken word artists and martial arts performers.

Other groups may have similar shows that aren't listed here, and may vary in what they will include, but are worth looking out for. Also, one-time shows and benefits happen from time to time and usually include a variety of performers and choreographers. Nora Blackall '08 organized a benefit called 'we breathe..." in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to raise money for survivors of the hurricane, which brought together many different groups, choreographers and styles.

MAKE YOUR OWN!

You can use any space you can book for a performance, provided that you comply with regulations about how many people are allowed in the space, etc. Some spaces are better than others for performance, depending on how formal a stage set-up you want, and generally to get a space you need to book far in advance, but those limitations aside, anyone who wants to can put on a show. For information about spaces and how to book them, see Facilities.

CLASS PERFORMANCES

Most classes offered through the TSDA Department include a final performance to which you can invite friends and family. The choreography classes and modern dance classes all have this, as does the Mande Dance, Music and Culture class. How seriously the final performance is taken as a performance opportunity depends entirely on the individual participants and as with most things, the more you put in the more you get out.

OFF-CAMPUS STUDIOS

It would be unusual for an undergraduate to join a professional company, but often professional companies do hold auditions along with master classes when they travel through Providence, and there are many Providence-based companies besides. Jed Resnick '07 took time off Brown to play Mark in the RENT's touring company, and probably there have been dancers to do similarly amazing things. Auditions for professional companies will be announced on the Body&Sole Listserv, and on the bulletin board outside Ashamu dance studio.