Modern dance meets the Ackland’s finest in a performance by a UNC exercise and sport science class today.
The event, hosted by the Ackland Art Museum, features modern dance inspired by works of art from the museum’s permanent collection and choreographed by students in the class "Site-Specific Performance."
“We’ve been doing a lot of reading about its history, and the goal is to increase pedestrians’ awareness of their surroundings and highlight things they haven’t noticed before,” said Meredith Woodson, a senior biology major.
Heather Tatreau, the professor and creator of the course, said choosing the Ackland is the perfect place for a site-specific performance because it is an undervalued resource on campus.
“A lot of times students don’t make their way over to the museum, so this is a great way for the public to become familiar with it,” she said. “We’re going to be encouraging the audience to take their own tour and discover the dances that are taking place all over the space.”
The course is new to UNC this semester and was developed with support from the Ackland.
“We offer a course development grant that (Tatreau) used to help her carve out time and thought and create this class that is paired with experiences that she’s had elsewhere,” said Carolyn Allmendinger, director of academic programs for the Ackland. “It’s brand new to Carolina, but it’s not necessarily a new undertaking for her.”
Allmendinger said the Ackland uses its funding for course grants in hopes of finding connections between its resources and the expertise among UNC faculty.
Tatreau said the class has met at the Ackland for every class session so far.