FY 1994 Annual Report to the Regents

Highlights from the Performing Arts, 1994

From Bill DeYoung's Firebird

In the performing arts, Gay Delanghe, associate professor of dance, reconstructed a work of well-known choreographer Lucas Hoving. Entitled "Satiana," the dance was performed during fall, 1993 at the Power Center and Alma College.

In February 1994, the department of dance presented In the Spirit of Diaghilev. The performances included:

• A reconstruction of Nijinsky's "Afternoon of a Faun" by Jessica Fogel, associate professor of dance, and Ann Hutchison Guest
• "The Vast Sky is Falling" by Guy Delanghe
• "Daughters of Isis" by Linda Spriggs, assistant professor of dance
• "Firebird" by Bill DeYoung, associate professor dance.

The latter three are new works inspired by Diaghilev's model of innovation and collaboration. De Young collaborated with Puerto Rican muralist Eduardo Torijano on the set design for "Firebird."

In the spring, Jessica Fogel, assistant professor of dance, Stephen Rush, and art school research fellow Jamy Sheridan collaborated on a project entitled "Dark Matter." It combined computer-generated images and mathematically derived patterns found in Persian rugs that were projected onto a floor area where a dance choreographed by Fogel was performed. Rush provided the musical component, which was performed by the UM Digital Music Ensemble. "Dark Matter" is a taste of the collaborative activity expected once the Information Technology Instructional Center on North Campus is completed.

"Travelogue" by Peter Sparling, associate professor of dance and department chair, is based on his sabbatical travels in Australia, Indonesia, and Italy. It was performed at the 1994 Ann Arbor Summer Festival. The work's development was supported by grants from the Arts Foundation of Michigan, UM Institute for the Humanities, the School of Music and the Rackham Graduate School.

A week-long symposium on the multi-ethnic complexion of America as reflected in the American theater was held in February, 1994. "The Colored Museum Project: Multi-Ethnic Theatre in the 21st Century" brought major theater artists of color to campus to participate in readings and public forums, and to meet and work with students. Victor Tan, associate professor of theatre, organized the event. The cornerstone of the symposium was the production of George C. Wolfe's award-winning play, The Colored Museum, a biting satire that exposes myths about African Americans in the United States.

Associate professor of theatre OyamO's play, I Am A Man, the true-life story of the 1968 sanitation worker strike in Memphis, was staged at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. It won raves from Chicago critics.

Peter Beudret, assistant professor of theatre, designed the scenery and lighting for the premiere of Jeff Daniels' The Vast Difference. Beudret is also conducting research on computer applications for scene design.

Martin Walsh, associate professor of theatre and lecturer in the Residential College, has co-authored a new edition and translation of the fifteenth century Dutch play, Mariken ven Nieumeghen, published by Camden House. He is currently working on a monologue on medieval folklife, art, literature, and drama.

Metropolis Symphony, composed by Michael Daugherty, associate professor of music, was given its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in January 1994 by the Baltimore Symphony. The Baltimore Symphony plans to record the work.

"Mr. Daugherty has followed one of the more inviting paths in recent American composing: a kind of high-tech, hyperactive approach to pop culture and urban noise, "according to the New York Times. Daugherty was inspired by the idea of Superman as a metaphor for the plight of the modern composer who fears revealing his true identity as someone interested in American pop music. The movements are entitled: "Oh, Lois!", "MXYZPTLK", "Lex", "Krypton", and "Red Cape Tango."