Students Showcase Work at ACDA Conference
From left: Iyun Ashani Harrison, Sadé Jones and Tristian Griffin at the American College Dance Association. (Photo courtesy Iyun Ashani Harrison).
In March, the Dance Program made a strong impression at the Mid-Atlantic regional conference for the American College Dance Association (ACDA), held this year at the University of Maryland. MFA in Dance candidates Sadé Jones and Tristian Griffin, along with Associate Professor of the Practice Iyun Ashani Harrison, represented the Program.
“ACDA offers an invaluable platform for artists to share their research and engage with the work of their peers,” Harrison explains
Jones and Griffin co-created and performed “UBUNTU,” a compelling duet that resonated with audiences and adjudicators alike. Selected for the conference gala and invited to perform at the National College Dance Association gala at Georgetown University this month, “UBUNTU” was acknowledged by adjudicators Seán Curran, Alexandra James and Juel D. Lane as “a thoughtful, tender, and complex dialogue, invoking Black ancestral memories about love, connection and time.”
Harrison served as stage manager for the work and further contributed to the conference by teaching an open advanced ballet class to more than 30 students from across the region.
“For MFA students, many of whom aspire to academic careers, ACDA provides a crucial opportunity to connect with leaders in the field,” says Harrison. “This may be their introduction to the broader academic dance community, potentially opening doors to future employment and commissions — as it did in my professional journey.”
