Michael Foley has been involved in the professional dance world for over 20 years. He has performed internationally in the companies of more than two-dozen choreographers, and has received choreographic commissions throughout the U.S., France, Northern Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Cuba and Ireland. He also teaches technique and has set choreography for the Cirque du Soleil organization. His choreography can be found in the repertories of dance companies throughout the U.S., as well as in Cuba, Mexico, Ireland, Panama and Italy. He holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Washington and is currently an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of South Florida where he teaches modern dance technique, dance history and directs a yearly study abroad program in Paris. Michael was a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico in 2009 working with Delfos Danza.
What is Florida Dance Festival?
The Florida Dance Festival is a 10-day performance and workshop event that will take place on the University of South Florida campus starting June 16th. Dance students and professionals from across the state and around the globe will have the opportunity to study with some of the fields outstanding contemporary master teachers and choreographers, such as: Jennifer Archibald of Arch Dance Company, Douglas Scott of Full Radius Dance, Karl Rogers of David Dorfman Dance and Autumn Eckman of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. The public will be able to attend performances by these wonderful artists, and others. Also featured will be the Festival Finale, the high-energy student showcase choreographed during the workshop.
The Florida Dance Festival originated in Tampa and was held elsewhere for many years. What circumstances brought the festival back to Tampa?
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The festival was housed at USF for several years, but moved to Miami in the late '90's. I taught for the Festival when it was in Miami. I spoke to Bill Doolin, Director of Florida Dance Association, and said, Would you consider moving the festival back to USF? Heres what we can do for you. As a result, we had a motion to bring the festival back here, and last year the Tampa-based festival was hugely successful. We heard that people were really happy the festival had returned to Tampa. Well keep it here as long as audiences are coming to see it, and as long as the student dancers want to come here and take classes from the various artists.
Tell us about the faculty performance?
The Faculty Concert will take place on June 22 and will include professionals from across the United States. It will feature performances from choreographers Jennifer Archibald, Jack Clark, Karl Rogers, Autumn Eckman and local dance professional Courtney Smith.
What will dance students expect to experience in the workshops?
Theyll be able to immerse themselves in dance in one of the major annual dance events in the southeastern U.S. Participants experience a range of dance styles with some of the field's outstanding contemporary master teachers and choreographers. During the day theyll attend some great classes in Modern Dance, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Jazz. In addition, theyll have the opportunity to take classes in choreography, improvisation, dancing with disability technique, and teacher training. They will be able to attend up to five classes per day. Classes are limited in size to provide more individualized instruction. In the evenings the students will experience some wonderful performances by acclaimed guest artists. They will also have the opportunity of taking part in the Festival Finale, the high-energy student showcase choreographed during the workshop, which will be on June 25th.
This festival is a great networking opportunity for dancers. It functions as a message board of sorts for dancers to find job and dance opportunities in all phases of dance.
Why do you think this festival is important to the Tampa Bay area?
In my opinion, an urban area like Tampa Bay can be judged by its artistic community and the support it receives. If we hope to become a cultural capital, we have to think about what feels present, what feels like right now. We dont want to hide our pearls, we want to show our great talent to the world and build our dance audience. We want to see people immersing themselves in our exciting and progressive arts atmosphere. These dancers are working their hearts out, and they want people to see. Artists sometimes become reticent to promote themselves so we like to help them in that aspect. This will be a truly special event.
If you really want to add substance to your art diet, this is a tremendous opportunity to experience one-of-a-kind dance performances that will not only entertain but stimulate your mind. Florida Dance Festival is a huge asset to Tampas dance community and helps solidify the USF Dance Program's national reputation where students want to come and learn from the best.
Tickets to performances range from $6-$20; to purchase, go to: www.floridadanceassociation.org or call 305-310-8080. Registration is open for students with a minimum of 1-2 years of dance training, but space is limited. For information about enrolling in Florida Dance Festival visit: www.floridadanceassociation.org.
To read more of Sally Bosco's writing, go to http://sallybosco.com.