Summer 2009 issue of "The Village"

The latest issue of The Village is now available. The Village is a newsletter for friends and alumni of the Department of African American & African Studies.

Inside the Summer 2009 issue:

• welcome from the community outreach coordinator
  
• faculty spotlight
  
• your thoughts: Gates arrested
  
• opening doors in North Minneapolis
  
• course spotlight
  
• building a better Tomorrow
  
• upcoming events
  
• quote of the month

U of MN Dance introduces African Diasporic Movement

University of Minnesota Dance is thrilled to introduce a new dance technique track in African Diasporic Movement, with the goal of providing students a deep knowledge of dance forms of the African Diaspora, emphasizing impeccable technique practice and critical analysis.

Led by faculty members Patricia Brown and Marciano Silva dos Santos, this sequence begins with levels 1 and 2, an introduction to West African movement, centering on traditional dance and movement inspired by Africa, the Caribbean and the African Diaspora at large. Students learn to express energy through movement and discover the connection between drum and dance. During the second year, levels 3 and 4, students focus on Afro-Brazilian dance. Jumps and turns, floor work and rhythmic sections develop flexibility, strength and vocabulary in polycentric movement. A harmonious relationship between body and sound illuminates the constantly evolving dynamics of coordination, relaxation, breathing, and undulation.

Fall Semester Course Offerings:

African Diasporic Movement 1, 1 credit
DNCE 1500 Topics in Dance, Section 060, Class # 58916
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:10 - 11:40 a.m.
Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Instructor: Patricia Brown, (CCE Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient)
Prerequisites: none; 10 seats reserved for dance major students

African Diasporic Movement 3, 1 credit
DNCE 1500 Topics in Dance, Section 010, Class # 53677
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:10 - 11:40 a.m.
Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Instructor: Marciano Silva Dos Santos
Prerequisites: audition and department consent; 10 seats reserved for dance major students

To be considered for level 3, participate in the major and technique placement audition on Wednesday September 2, 2009, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Studio 100 of the Barbara Barker Center for Dance. Prior movement experience is not required to participate in the audition. Also pre-registration is not required, but please arrive by 8:30 a.m. More information on the audition process is online at dance.umn.edu/auditions.php. For more information about this curriculum sequence or University of Minnesota Dance please visit www.dance.umn.edu, call 612-624-5060 or email umdance@umn.edu.

Black in America 2

CNN will air two new shows in the series Black in America on July 22 and 23, 2009.

2009 Black Non-theism Conference

The first annual Black Non-Theism Conference will be held August 7-8, 2009, in Atlanta, GA. African American pantheists, deists, agnostics, and atheists will gather to discuss what it means to be an African American non-theist in the United States.