COMMUNITY BRIEFS
By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica College’s Synapse Dance Theater — celebrating the college’s 75th anniversary and its own 30th anniversary — will present an eclectic program Dec. 4 and 5, featuring alumni from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and the 2000s. The program of innovative modern dance, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, tap, poetry and dance, video and mixed-media spotlights alumni.
Performances are at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the SMC Concert Hall, 1900 Pico Blvd. Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 students and senior citizens. Call (310) 434-3000.
The program will showcase world-premiere choreography by SMC dance professors, guest artists and students, as well as alumni.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talents of our alumni, many of whom have gone on to successful dance careers,” said SMC dance professor and Synapse artistic director Linda Gold. “It’s also been rewarding to have our current students work with our former students.”
Gold is the director of a video in the upcoming program that captures dancers in movement as they are being sketched by SMC figure drawing students in art professor Marc Trujillo’s class.
The guest choreographers include six alumni — Jeff Cum, Damien Davis, Ola Hudson, April Love Hughing, Tae Rin Kim, Martha Thomas — and Roberta Wolin- Manker, who is also an adjunct professor, as is guest choreographer Meri Bender.
The alum have gone on to successful careers in dance, teaching and other professions, or are recent transfers to four-year universities, where they are working on their degrees.
In addition, alumnus Jeremy Hale is co-choreographing a piece with current student Chanel Gold. The other student choreographers are Cortney Cantrell, Judith Davies, Sara Guevara, Nguyen Nguyen and Camion Wigfall.
Gold is a dancer/choreographer who has toured throughout the world, consistently winning critical praise from such publications as the New York Times. Her recent performances in Spirit Dances 6 and the World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles were commended by the Los Angeles Times. A member of Dance Films Association, Gold has been part of selection juries for the American Choreography Awards presented by the Academy of Dance on Film.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 26, 2004. Read the original PDF.