Students from The University of Texas at Dallas and Collin County Community College (Collin College) will have the opportunity to work with dancers from New York’s popular Battleworks Dance Company through a joint residency program.  At the conclusion of the residency, students from the two schools and four dancers from Battleworks will give a performance at 8 p.m. on March 29th and 30th in the UT Dallas University Theatre.

It is the second collaboration between the two schools. Participants will include the UTDance Ensemble, the Collin Dance Ensemble, the Battleworks dancers and Juilliard graduate and Battleworks Artistic Director Robert Battle.

Jennifer Mabus, a Dallas native and founding member of Battleworks, will be in residency from March 18 to March 30. The residency is hosted by UT Dallas and Collin College. Four other members of Battleworks, Robert Battle, Tyler Gilstrap, Samuel Roberts and Kanji Segawa, will participate in the performances, which will include the pieces Strange Humors, Takademe and Primate. UT Dallas faculty members Monica Saba and Michele Hanlon will work with Collin College faculty member Tiffanee Arnold and Mabus throughout the residency and performances.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Battleworks, which was formed in 2002, is renowned for its idiosyncratic works that look “so different and yet so good.”  The New York Sun claims that, as a choreographer, Battle “makes an audience sit up and take notice, marvel, even laugh.  His work reaches over the edge of the stage and communicates with people.”

At a show in North Carolina, critic Kate Dobbs Ariail stated of the performers, “particularly notable were Jennifer Mabus, who must be the Energizer Bunny of the dance world; Kanji Segawa, who danced exquisitely; and the radiant Samuel Lee Roberts, who floats without apparent effort through beautiful leaps and turns in air.”

UT Dallas and Collin College also will host a community master class with Mabus at the Spring Creek Campus Dance Studio from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 24.  Registration for the class ends Friday, March 16.  Space is limited, and individuals are encouraged to register early.  For more information about registration, contact Collin College’s Arnold at 972-881-5830 or tarnold@ccccd.edu.

Additional information about the residency and performances can be found at http://ah.utdallas.edu/season0607/battleworks.htm.

Tickets for the show are $15 for general admission and free at the door to UT Dallas and Collin College students with a valid identification.  UT Dallas ticket office hours are from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and at the door one hour prior to show time.  For advance ticket purchases using Visa, MasterCard or Discover, please call 972-883-2552. 

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UT Dallas, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu, or visit the School of Arts and Humanities’ Web site at http://ah.utdallas.edu/.  Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students.  The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores.  The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs.  For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.

About Collin College

Collin County Community College District (Collin College) serves more than 41,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs. The only public college in the county, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and work force development.

Contact Kristi Barrus, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2972, kristi.barrus@utdallas.edu