Dear Friends of Dance,

Happy New Year! The start of 2023 has been rich with artistic collaboration throughout the School of Dance. Our dancers have worked with incredible visiting artists in order to bring the choreography of Robert Battle, Rafael Bonachela, and Manuel Vignoulle to life, and all before the start of the spring semester. All of our majors were welcomed back to a very full roster of classes and rehearsals on January 23rd. Our talented young artists are back to work in the studios dancing, creating and collaborating. In addition to training and studying with the School of Dance world-class faculty, our majors will also experience a variety of master classes this semester with incredible artists such as Rena Butler, members of the Mark Morris Dance Group, Doug Varone and Dancers, and more. We continue to prepare these talented pre-professional dancers with numerous connections with important dance artists in the professional field.

We have a full slate of master classes, engagements, and performances this spring. On February 18, eight of our dancers will perform with Doug Varone and Dancers, during the company’s performance at the Center for the Arts in a work entitled Double Octet. Our dancers are thrilled to share the stage with this world-renowned company.

Later in the month, members of the Mason Dance Company will perform in a new work by Associate Professor Lawrence Jackson in collaboration with Dr. William Lake, Jr. and the Mason Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band (School of Music) to a score entitled Come Sunday, written by Omar Thomas. We are very excited for this special collaboration between the School of Dance and the Dewberry Family School of Music.

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography.

As our University takes a pause during Spring Break, ten majors and three faculty members will travel to the American College Dance Association Mid-Atlantic South Conference at Sweet Briar College. We are proud to have choreography by Assistant Professor Shaun D’Arcy and senior dance major Rosa Allegra Wolff represent the Mason School of Dance at the conference this year. This is quite an honor!

At the culmination of Spring Break, we head into the theater for the 2023 Mason Dance Company Gala on March 24th and 25th, and see these young artists at the beginning of their careers dancing the works of important choreographers of our time. 

Please be sure to join us for this wonderful concert and the Dance Fête on March 25th, graciously co-chaired by Kimberly K. Eby and Julia G. Morelli. 

This important, annual event celebrates the School of Dance, providing behind the scenes insights into the Mason Dance Company Gala works as well as time to mingle with visiting artists, faculty and friends of dance. Funds raised during the evening festivities directly support School of Dance student scholarships.

In the beginning of May, we will present numerous new works by both faculty and students. During Spring: Dance Innovations, we will share two separate programs of original choreography in Harris Theatre. 

A few days later, we will share another evening of dance in the Studio Series, located in our more intimate Dance Performance Space as well as live-streamed for family and friends. As the semester closes, we will celebrate our Class of 2023, as they head out into the world to pursue their dreams and continuing their lives in dance! We have so much to share with you during these first months of 2023. Come – join the dance!

8pm, Concert Hall, Center for the Arts

“The Mason Gala will enthrall you. It is one of the many reasons I fell in love with the Dance program. The whole process from top to bottom simulates a day in the life of a professional dancer. Starting with the audition. Each dancer must stand out in hopes of being hand selected by the choreographer leading the audition. After dancers are selected, they must endure an intense, but unforgettable week in residency. From there, a faculty member is assigned as rehearsal director to help the dancers continue the process. Each dancer pours their heart into rehearsals, which clearly translates to opening night. The Mason Dance Company is nothing but professional, impressive, and awe-inspiring.“ 

  - Sydney Lastorino, BFA 2020

The extraordinary talent of the Mason Dance Company will be on full display during the Gala concert weekend Friday March 24 and Saturday March 25.

The Gala concert is the crowning event of the 2022-2023 season featuring the work of world renowned choreographers Robert Battle, Rafael Bonachela, Doug Varone, and Manuel Vignoulle, performed by the talented Mason dancers, the next generation of professional artists.

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography

The Mason Dance Fête
March 25, 2023

5:30pm, Donald and Nancy deLaski Performing Arts Building & Concert Hall

"Of the countless amazing memories I have from my son Marcel Mejia's ('19) journey at The George Mason School of Dance, attending the Mason Dance Fête is one of the finest.  

 With student-led presentations, Q&A sessions with legendary figures in the dance world, and conversations with faculty members, this event truly shines a light on those in attendance on the importance and beauty of dance as well as the undeniable quality George Mason brings to the dance program. 

 A proud recipient of a scholarship at The George Mason School of Dance, I know for sure that my beautiful son, Marcel, is thriving as a professional dancer and leader as a result of the opportunities created by the program and the privilege of being an ambassador during The Mason Dance Fête."

Amanda Noboa-Mejia, mother of Marcel Mejia, BFA 2019 
now a member of Ballet Jazz de Montriel

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography

We hope you will join us on Saturday, March 25 at the Annual Dance Fête Celebration, to raise much needed scholarship money and experience the joy of dance.

Proceeds from this exclusive event provide scholarship funds for the talented Mason dance artists and enable students from a variety of backgrounds to excel and pursue their dreams.

The fabulous Dance Fête will precede the Saturday evening Gala Concert as faculty and students share captivating behind the scenes insights into the magical world of dance. Patrons will enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and beverages with fellow dance lovers, while wandering through the beautiful dance studios.

Afterwards, guests walk down to the Concert Hall to see the Gala Concert and experience the professional mastery that these young artists embody as they perform works by the world-renowned choreographers.

Join faculty members, University leadership, business and philanthropic leaders, and Dance enthusiasts at the Fête and support the wonderful School of Dance!

Tickets for the Fête include the inside-the-studio exclusive demonstrations, delicious hors d'oeuvres and beverages, and admission to the Dance Gala Concert. Sponsor or purchase individual tickets today to make an impact on the next generation of dance artists with a charitable donation.

Parents of current Dance students and Dance Alumni receive a special at-cost ticket rate.

Registration is open now!

Questions? Learn more here or contact Amanda Snellings at asnelli@gmu.edu or 703-993-1593.

Self-Portrait Photo by Jessie Ferguson

Jessie Ferguson is not only a talented dancer at the GMU School of Dance but is a gifted photographer as well. 

Jessie is a junior from Houston, Texas, majoring in dance with a special focus on choreography. During the summer months she teaches dance and choreographs for local studios in her hometown. 

Jessie also serves as the School of Dance's photographer, documenting the day to day activities in the classroom, rehearsals and guest artist experiences. Her interest in photography was developed in a dance photography course offered at her high school. Through this course, she learned how to see dance through a new lens.  Fast paced dance movement requires an even faster camera shutter speed, and Jessie has an exquisite sense of timing and is able to anticipate the perfect shot.  She may take hundreds to thousands of photos in a single photo session which she then reviews and narrows down to about a hundred, which she edits to find the perfect shot. 

In the future, she plans to pursue a career as a teacher and freelance choreographer building her choreographic repertoire alongside her photography portfolio.

Take a look below to see some of Jessie's work with the camera!

Photos by Jessie Ferguson

Meet Associate Professor Lawrence M. Jackson, one of the newest faculty members of the School of Dance. 

Upon meeting Lawrence one is immediately struck by his warm and generous presence, and when observed dancing in the studio, his long elegant limbs. Before coming to Mason, Jackson served on the faculty of the University of Alabama as Associate Chair of Dance and the University of Wyoming as Associate Professor of Dance.

As a versatile and highly regarded artist and scholar, Lawrence can be can be found in the traditional 

classroom teaching the research intensive Dance History I and II, as well as in the studio teaching technique and choreographing. See School of Dance seniors performing choreography by Lawrence in pieces created in collaboration with Dr. William Lake of the Dewberry Family School of Music at the Mason Wind Symphony Concert on February 28 at 8 pm in the Concert Hall.

Lawrence will be interviewed by President Washington during his monthly podcast in February. The discussion will be about scholarly research, particularly his contribution as co-editor to the special edition on Black Dance in The Journal of Pan African Studies. Stay tuned for the release date of the podcast.

Doug Varone and Dancers
Saturday, February 18, 2023 8:00pm
Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
Featuring the Mason Dance Company

Doug Varone and Dancers returns to the Center, bringing a program brimming with the vitality of highly charged choreography which also touches the human heart. The program will feature Somewhere (2019), Short Story (2001), Aperture (1994), and... Read more

A pre-performance discussion will be held on Grand Tier III 45 minutes before the performance. Doug Varone will participate in a post-performance discussion from the stage.

Mason Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 8:00pm
Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
Featuring the Mason Dance Company

In collaboration with Dr. William Lake Jr and the School of Music, members of the Mason Dance Company will perform a premiere by Lawrence Jackson to the score "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas.

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography.

Mason Dance Gala Concert
Friday and Saturday, March 24 & 25, 2023 8:00pm
Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campu

The Gala Concert is Mason Dance Company’s crowning season event featuring a program of works by contemporary professional choreographers. The 2023 program will feature Awakening by Robert Battle, Variation 10 by Rafael Bonachela, Double Octets by Doug Varone, and Black & White by Manuel Vignoulle.

Prior to the Saturday performance, the Mason Dance Fête will feature an exclusive event for sponsors and donors. Proceeds from the event support School of Dance student scholarships. Tickets to the event include hors d'oeuvres, beverages, inside-the-studio demonstrations, and a ticket to the Gala Concert.

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography.

Spring: Dance Innovations
Friday, May 05, 2023 2:00pm
Friday, May 05, 2023 8:00pm
Saturday, May 06, 2023 2:00pm
Saturday, May 06, 2023 8:00pm
Harris Theatre, Fairfax Campus

Mason choreographers showcase new works performed by the Mason Dance Company.

Tickets: $15 General Public; $10 students, faculty/staff, and seniors, $7 Groups 

May Studio Series
Tuesday, May 09, 2023 7:00pm
deLaski Performing Arts Building, A301, Dance Studio, Fairfax Campus

Studio Series is an intimate black-box experience showcasing new dances by George Mason University's School of Dance.

Tickets: $10 General Public

Tickets will be available at a later date.

Photo by Tim Coburn Photography.

The Friends of Dance at Mason is a group of dedicated supporters who love our School of Dance program and students. They ensure the success of the next generation of dance artists through community engagement, audience participation, and philanthropic support for student scholarships. Everyone is welcome. A gift of any amount to any School of Dance program, event (including the Dance Fête), or scholarship qualifies you as a member and entitles you to the benefits like invitations to rehearsals, master classes, and other special events, as well as regular updates from the Director of the School of Dance.

To make a gift online, visit https://dance.gmu.edu/give. 

If you'd like to become more involved with the Friends of Dance or Dance Partnership Council as a volunteer leader, please contact Amanda Snellings at asnelli@gmu.edu or 703-993-1593.