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(04/20/10 4:40am)
After UNC-Pembroke held a drill last year to test the university’s response to a shooter on campus, school officials decided that sending text messages to alert students wasn’t enough warning.The school has since put in place sirens to use in the event of emergencies, said McDuffie Cummings Jr., UNC-Pembroke’s police chief.“We learned that we had to take our notification system up one more step,” Cummings said.
(04/12/10 3:58am)
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers dance with so much joy it’s infectious.It only took a few seconds of the first piece for the audience in Memorial Hall on Saturday to be drawn into that spirit, clapping, whistling and laughing with each movement of the performance.The company, which is based in New York, gave two different performances this weekend as part of the Carolina Performing Arts series. The group has performed on campus during three of the last four seasons.
(04/09/10 3:33am)
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed its classic spiritual piece, “Revelations,” for nearly 50 years. But dancer Hope Boykin said the company delivers the piece differently every year.
(03/30/10 4:26am)
When UNC-Chapel Hill wants to show how it stacks up against other schools in areas such as tuition, student graduation rates or faculty salaries, administrators make oft-repeated comparisons to the University’s peer institutions.But which institutions qualify as peers depends on who you ask.And as the UNC system looks for a new president and sets new goals, the peer lists UNC-CH uses for goals such as recruiting students and researchers could change.For the most part, the schools on the tuition and faculty lists correspond to a set of peers defined by UNC-system General Administration. That list includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Florida, Duke University and others.But for other purposes, UNC-CH administrators compare the University to flagship schools in other state systems — the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, University of California-Berkeley or University of Texas at Austin.There’s also a more elite list maintained by the UNC Global initiative. That list includes Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University and Brown University.“You try to find real similarities in terms of what they have, their stature, and where you are,” said Bruce Carney, executive vice chancellor and provost at UNC-CH.Having more options for comparison can create confusion and tension for UNC-CH and the UNC system, hindering understanding of which institutions are really held up against UNC-CH.Using our peersAdministrators use comparative lists to evaluate its standing on goals ranging from retention and graduation rates to community service, but arguably the most important issue to UNC-CH administrators is faculty salaries.The list of peer institutions with which UNC-CH compares tuition differs from the list used to evaluate yearly increases in faculty salaries.Since tuition makes up much of the funding for faculty salary increases, including the money the school uses to keep faculty members who have been offered other jobs, the choice of peers matters. Tuition increases also fund need-based aid and other programs. Administrators must reconcile a desire to keep faculty salaries high and tuition low.The University shoots for better salaries than 80 percent of its peers and boasts that it keeps tuition in the lowest 20 percent.But the schools UNC-CH uses for tuition comparison are often of lower caliber than those used for faculty salary comparison. UNC-CH tends to compete with different schools in recruiting and retaining faculty.And even other highly ranked public research institutions can be useful when lobbying the state legislature to identify funding needs.UNC-CH lobbyist Dwayne Pinkney said he contrasts the state support UNC-CH receives with struggling budgets at other schools. Michigan and California have drastically cut education programs.“It’s not necessarily a comparison in which we’re leveraging support by comparing to those institutions,” Pinkney said. “But we want to remind our legislators that they’re in the driver’s seat in terms of making this institution and public higher education in North Carolina a leader, because we’re really the last one standing.”The UNC system wrote the most recent UNC-CH peer list in 2006, about the time current President Erskine Bowles took over. He said the list took shape as a result of goals he set for the system.“We have four or five things that we’re really focused on trying to get done,” Bowles said. “I believe by the end of this year, we’ll get there.”His predecessor, Molly Broad, who led from 1997 to 2006, said picking peers involves sorting through a complicated set of characteristics.Considerations include whether universities are public or private, liberal arts or more specialized, graduate-study intensive or comprehensive. Factors such as religious associations, research status and size also play into that process, said Broad, who now heads the American Council on Education.New president, new goalsBroad said most institutions revisit peer lists every five years, which means the next review could coincide neatly with a new UNC-system president. The next leader will be appointed later this year.The goals of the president can affect the criteria for peers.Those goals could be defined by the new president’s background. UNC-system presidents have come from the political and public-policy sphere, as well as business and education backgrounds.But while a new set of peers could bring change for the UNC system, administrators said UNC-CH’s peers wouldn’t change much.“I don’t think it will change for Chapel Hill because Chapel Hill in general has been benchmarking itself against the same group of peers,” Bowles said.‘Tension’ in the UNC systemDifferences between peer lists set by the UNC system and those drafted by the campuses can be problematic for administrators.Some variation is to be expected. Bowles said individual departments often pick their own peers.UNC-CH’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication uses five schools known for journalism programs as benchmarks, most of which aren’t on other UNC-CH peer lists.“It’s good to have one set of peers for most things,” Carney said. “But any time you want to get down into detail, we need internal groups for our own purposes.”Administrators said there were disagreements in past years about which schools should be used for comparisons.“There was enormous tension five years ago,” Bowles said in an interview. “There was no trust, and I think all that’s been broken down.”James Moeser, who was UNC-CH’s chancellor when Bowles took over, said the negotiation to develop a set of peers brought up differences between UNC-CH’s view of itself and the system’s.System leaders were hesitant to include private schools, but UNC-CH administrators insisted that the school competes with those schools for faculty and students.“There was always a certain amount of tension between Chapel Hill and the system over this,” Moeser said. “We didn’t initially agree, but we basically got 95 percent of what we wanted.”The current list has five private institutions, including Duke University, and 10 public schools.The private universities have much higher tuition and can also entice professors with better benefits than UNC-CH can offer.
(03/24/10 5:21am)
Christine Crowther doesn’t have a job lined up for when she graduates and said she doubts she’ll find one that provides health insurance.So Crowther said she’s relieved that, under the new health insurance legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday, she can remain on her parents’ health insurance until she turns 26.“I’m really glad that they passed something,” said Crowther, a political science major who has volunteered with Democratic campaigns.The new legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a 219-212 vote Sunday night, provides subsidies for insurance coverage and blocks insurers from excluding people with pre-existing conditions. It also requires employers with more than 50 workers to offer insurance or pay a fine.The House also voted Sunday to pass a separate bill that mediates some of the differences between the bill Obama signed and a version passed by the House in November. The Senate is expected to vote on that bill this week.
(03/22/10 4:33am)
Correction (March 24 1:46 a.m.): The clarification for this story incorrectly states that President Barack Obama can sign the health insurance reform bill passed by the Senate on Sunday. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Sunday. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(03/16/10 3:37am)
In an anticipated announcement, Chapel Hill’s representative in Congress said Monday that he plans to vote for health care overhaul legislation.“It won’t surprise you to know that I am announcing my intention to vote for it,” said U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., before the cheers of about 25 supporters swallowed his voice.Price, who held a press conference in Durham to announce his support, said the final legislation will expand health insurance availability and lead to a more sustainable health care system.Price said he is the first member of the North Carolina delegation to announce a ‘yes’ vote.He has been on board with the overhaul since its initial proposal and was one of 220 members who voted for the House of Representatives’ bill in November. “We need to get real about this. You either favor serious reform or you don’t,” Price said.Congress will use a process called reconciliation to pass the legislation. This allows the House to approve the Senate version — which passed with 60 votes in December — then send a corrections bill through both houses to clear up differences between the two versions of the bill.The plan is unpopular with Republicans and some liberal House Democrats who don’t like the Senate version, which they think doesn’t go far enough in reforming the health care system.Price said the reconciliation bill, which will be based off recommendations President Obama released last week, will do more to crack down on fraud and abuse, strengthen oversight of premium increases and add consumer protections.He also repeated Obama’s frequent assurance that people who like their health insurance will not have to change their coverage.House leaders have said they hope to vote on the Senate bill by the end of the week, said Andrew High, Price’s press secretary. Price said the House doesn’t have every vote for the legislation locked down, but he expects it will pass. Three N.C. Democrats — Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre and Heath Shuler — voted against the House bill.“We as a country, as a national community, owe this to ourselves,” Price said. “I don’t know anybody ... who thinks the status quo is sustainable.”He was joined at the press conference by three constituents who explained their support for health legislation.David Swanson of Durham said his 17-year-old daughter’s insurance premium rose 54 percent this year, and Libbie Hough of Hillsborough said she worries that her daughter won’t be able to get coverage after college because of a pre-existing medical condition.Blake Anderson of Durham said he can’t afford to provide health insurance to the four employees of the business he owns.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/18/10 5:01am)
Before Elizabeth Bennet met Mr. Darcy, she trained to become an accomplished zombie slayer.
(02/16/10 5:40am)
The inspiration for HBO’s show “True Blood” — the “Southern Vampire Mysteries” series — was a product of menopause, the books’ author said Monday.“I thought, ‘I’ll just write a book with everything I like. I’m going to write a sex scene before I forget,” Charlaine Harris said. Harris, the author of several other mystery series, was one of five writers to speak at the Orange County Literacy Council’s Writers for Readers fundraiser.The literacy council, a nonprofit organization located in Carrboro, helps adults improve their reading skills. Last year, the group worked with more than 300 adults.
(02/10/10 5:54am)
The company that already provides health insurance on 13 UNC-system campuses has been chosen to offer a uniform plan at all system schools.Pearce & Pearce, a South Carolina-based company that specializes in student insurance, will provide the optional systemwide insurance plan.Students at all schools must have health insurance by next school year, as mandated by the Board of Governors. They must enroll in the system plan if they do not demonstrate coverage through a parent or employer.In a decision that took about a month longer than originally expected, Pearce & Pearce beat out five competitors for the system plan, including finalist Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, which currently provides the campus health insurance plan at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University.Bruce Mallette, UNC-system senior associate vice president for academic and student affairs, said Pearce & Pearce was selected because of the company’s experience working with system schools.“They are a student health insurance company,” Mallette said.He also said that estimates for Pearce & Pearce’s premiums, the base payment for coverage, were slightly lower than those of BCBS and that premiums at the schools Pearce & Pearce serves have been consistent from year to year.During the bidding process, UNC-system officials estimated that the premium would be between $549 and $679 per year.Mallette said he expects about 60,000 of the system’s nearly 200,000 undergraduate students to purchase the plan.Pearce & Pearce wasn’t everyone’s top choice.Greg Doucette, Association of Student Governments president, said student body presidents from several of the schools currently served by Pearce & Pearce complained about its service.Josh Cotton, Student Government Association president at Western Carolina University, said students have had trouble finding health care providers nearby who accept Pearce & Pearce. BCBS, the largest insurance company in North Carolina, is accepted by most physicians.“BCBS was a little bit more expensive but clearly a better provider,” Cotton said.Mallette said system officials plan to address those complaints. He will hold a conference call today with health center directors and student representatives to discuss the decision.He also said Pearce & Pearce will launch a Web site in early April so students and health center directors can test the software.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/09/10 6:32am)
U.S. Senate hopefuls in North Carolina can now officially declare candidacy in a race that political observers say hasn’t yet made the public’s radar.Three Democratic frontrunners are expected to sign on to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., first elected in 2004.N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Iraq War veteran and former N.C. Sen. Cal Cunningham, and Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis have said they plan to run in a primary that is still wide open, according to polls of N.C. voters.Tom Jensen, director of Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, said the most important thing for all four candidates will be to raise money and attract public attention.“The first one who can raise enough money to get on TV and get their name ID high enough will probably win the primary,” said Chris Hayes, a senior analyst with the conservative John W. Pope Civitas Institute.None of the three Democratic candidates are well known in North Carolina, Hayes said. Marshall, who has been secretary of state since she defeated NASCAR legend Richard Petty in 1996, is the only one who has held statewide office.Cunningham, a former UNC student body president, served just one term in the state Senate. Lewis worked for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign but has never held office.In a Civitas poll of state Democrats released in January, 75 percent of respondents said they weren’t sure which candidate they preferred.Burr has a decisive lead in fundraising — his campaign reported more than $4.3 million on hand at the end of the year, compared with about $300,000 or less for the Democrats — but isn’t faring particularly well in terms of his public profile.Hayes said that the poll showed Burr at about 35 percent approval and that about half of those polled had no opinion of him.And in an election cycle that is expected to be tough on incumbent Democrats, Burr has been called one of the Senate’s few vulnerable Republicans.Ferrel Guillory, a UNC journalism professor who specializes in Southern politics, said a combination of factors contribute to Burr’s low profile and potential vulnerability.“One is that he’s in his first term; this is his first re-election,” Guillory said. “Second, this is a state that since Sen. (Jesse) Helms died … we’ve not had a senator stay up there very long recently.”Burr has kept a fairly low profile in Congress, Hayes said.In 2008, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., ousted incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole with considerable fundraising assistance from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Guillory said that the committee has been paying some attention to Cunningham but that each candidate still must prove that they can connect with voters.“You have a female candidate, a young up-and-coming Democratic candidate with a little bit of soldier experience, and then you have a black candidate in a state that Obama won,” Guillory said.“To some extent, the field of Democratic candidates is symbolic of where the Democratic party in this state is right now. It’s not dominated by any one well-known person.”Jensen predicted that the general election will focus on issues such as the struggling national economy and health overhaul legislation now before Congress.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/02/10 6:14am)
Federal funding for research projects will continue despite President Barack Obama’s efforts to reduce the federal budget deficit, Chapel Hill’s representative in Congress said Monday.U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., said during an informal presentation in Gerrard Hall that the president and Congress are committed to protecting research, which he said is one of North Carolina’s major competitive advantages.“We are dealing with some real budget challenges,” Price said. “These things will receive at least moderate increases.”Price said research, which has benefited greatly in the last year from federal stimulus funds, brings jobs and contributes to the state’s economic development.Science and education programs were among the winners in Obama’s proposed 2011 budget, released Monday morning.The $3.8 trillion budget included cuts for some programs but increased funding for the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.A total of $61.6 billion is recommended for civilian research and development programs, an increase of $3.7 billion in that area, according to materials released by the White House.Congress does not have to adopt the president’s budget, and Price said he hoped to change some things — such as reversing a funding decrease for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been involved in pandemic research related to H1N1 influenza.But Price said he expects the president’s emphasis on science initiatives to remain.“Since the president took over, he’s emphasized higher education and research, and I don’t think he’s done anything to change that,” Steven Leath, UNC system vice president for research, said in an interview.“We actually are very optimistic about the future for research.”Stimulus grants, the bulk of which goes to research-related activities, have provided more than $152 million for projects at UNC-system schools, according to data from UNC General Administration.Every school but Western Carolina University reported receiving stimulus funding as of the end of December, and UNC-Chapel Hill reported receiving $94 million.UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp said while introducing Price Monday that the University has put forth about 850 stimulus proposals.“I think the overall picture is one of UNC-Chapel Hill seeing its opportunities and seizing them,” Price said.Leath said the UNC system has focused its research goals on projects that improve health, including cancer research and nutrition programs, environmental issues such as climate change and water quality, and factors that affect economic development, including green energy and nanotechnology.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/26/10 5:12am)
After leading the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics through 10 years of changes, Chancellor Gerald Boarman announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the year.In a letter to faculty and students, Boarman said that he will leave the school July 31 in order to spend more time with his family.“I will continue to work relentlessly with you to see the school through a difficult budgetary process, selection of the incoming class and other challenges of the transition ahead,” Boarman’s letter stated.He led NCSSM through many changes, some of which — including the decision in 2006 to join the UNC system and the switch from the semester system to trimesters — have been controversial.“A lot of people didn’t agree with a lot of the things he did,” said Gabriel Whaley, who served as NCSSM’s student body president during the 2007-08 school year.Boarman was chancellor in 2003 when the N.C. General Assembly created a grant that paid tuition for NCSSM students attending UNC-system schools and when the legislature decided in 2009 to do away with it.He was criticized in 2006 for a raise that elevated his salary above those of chancellors at six UNC-system schools. Critics said administrative costs outpaced enrollment.But former students said Boarman will also be remembered for positives, such as creating a distance learning program, expanding the campus and focusing on safety.Cierra Hinton, now a UNC sophomore, said she met with Boarman several times as an NCSSM student.“You can’t really say Dr. Boarman has not helped to improve that school,” she said. “He’s one of the main reasons I’m here at Carolina. I’m very sad to see him go.”Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/19/10 5:19am)
Health care overhaul legislation passed last month by the U.S. Senate lacks protections that allow colleges and universities to offer more affordable student insurance plans, several prominent education groups announced last week.
(01/11/10 2:07am)
With her North Carolina Senate seniority on the rise, Ellie Kinnaird announced last week that she’ll seek an eighth term as the area’s representative.
(12/08/09 5:43am)
Student health insurance premiums in 2010 would be about one-third the current rate at UNC-Chapel Hill under projections presented Monday for a plan to be offered on all UNC-system campuses.All students in the system will be required to have health insurance by the next school year, as mandated by the Board of Governors.BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina and Pearce & Pearce, the two finalists to provide the plan, gave presentations Monday before representatives of the system’s general administration and campus health services.Student leaders said projected premiums were roughly comparable to officials’ early estimates, which set rates between $549 and $679 per year. The estimates were determined based on a set of benefits stipulated by system officials.Premiums at UNC-Chapel Hill were $1,565 for the 2008-09 school year.BCBS and Pearce & Pearce also took questions from participants in the room and via video conference.“This is unscripted. It’s kind of like ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Bruce Mallette, UNC-system senior associate vice president for academic and student affairs, said during the afternoon session, prompting laughs around the room.“There will be no singing in the introduction though.”Participants quizzed representatives from the companies on how they guard against security breaches, what Web services would be available to students and whether they could handle the high volume of students enrolling in or waiving out of the new plan next fall.The plan will serve students who do not demonstrate creditable coverage from another source, such as a parent or employer. Students who already have coverage can choose not to switch to the campus plan.Representatives from both companies said their organizations have experience working with schools that require students to have insurance.Pearce & Pearce, which specializes in student insurance, provides the plans at 13 UNC-system schools.Eleven of those schools require students to demonstrate coverage.“There will be no system change because the system works,” said Carolyn Pearce, chief operating officer at Pearce & Pearce.BCBS, the largest insurance company in North Carolina, provides the plans offered at UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University and Appalachian State University. Those schools don’t require students to have insurance.But Dan Hill, BCBS director of service and administration, said his company worked with Duke University when the school began requiring insurance in 1979.Hill also said he has a team that is separate from the rest of BCBS that manages student insurance plans.Five insurance companies submitted bids to provide the new campus plan, said Joe Rippard, risk manager for the N.C. Department of Insurance.Aetna, United Healthcare and University Health Plans vied with the two finalists for the contract, Rippard said.Officials plan to choose a provider for the campus plan by mid-January.Rippard said seven companies submitted bids for a voluntary dental plan. The group will hear from finalists for that plan today.Contact the State & National editor at stntdesk@unc.edu
(12/07/09 5:41am)
4 out of 5 stars
(12/07/09 5:17am)
UNC-system and campus officials will hear presentations today from two companies selected as finalists to provide a health insurance plan that will be offered on all campuses next year.The finalists — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Pearce & Pearce — will also participate in a question-and-answer session with representatives from the general administration of the UNC-system and health services of the schools.Bruce Mallette, the system’s senior associate vice president for academic and student affairs, said each vendor will introduce its proposals and answer prepared questions in the first presentation.“We gave each vendor the same set of questions to answer,” Mallette said. He said meeting participants — some of whom will attend via video conference — will use a group lunch to brainstorm questions for the afternoon session.The UNC-system Board of Governors in August approved a plan to require all students to have health insurance by fall 2010.Mallette said officials plan to choose a provider for the campus plan — a voluntary option that will replace the various plans campuses currently offer — by mid-January.The two finalists already offer health insurance to some UNC students.BCBSNC, the largest insurance company in North Carolina, provides the plan currently offered at UNC-Chapel Hill.Pearce & Pearce, which specializes in student insurance, provides the plans for 13 other UNC-system schools.“We want to know how this will improve on our current health services,” said Jasmin Jones, UNC-CH’s student body president. She said she will attend Tuesday’s sessions with finalists for an optional dental plan.Mallette said details of the two finalists’ bids will be released after the presentations.Officials have said insurance premiums would likely be between $549 and $679 — less than half the cost of the current campus plan.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(12/02/09 5:35am)
The N.C. Department of Justice is trying to determine if the state’s largest insurance company violated state law with automated phone calls opposing federal health care overhaul legislation.BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina — which has 3.7 million customers and provides the campus health plan offered at UNC — asked call recipients to tell Democrat U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to vote against creating a government-run insurance plan.The government option is included in the legislation up for debate in the U.S. Senate.State law only allows automated calls in certain circumstances. Calls from insurers to customers are permitted if they provide information related to health care, medication or other benefits.The justice department began investigating last month after receiving complaints from people who received the calls and were not BCBSNC customers, said department spokeswoman Noelle Talley.Twenty N.C. legislators sent a letter last week to N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin claiming that BCBSNC used robocalls for political purposes.“These robocalls had nothing to do with providing care to patients, but were instead used to advocate a specific political stance,” the letter stated. “We do not believe that policy holders intended for their relationship with blue cross to be used in this manner.”Lew Borman, BCBSNC spokesman, said the company — which is a unique nonprofit because it pays taxes — has complied with the attorney general and that the company stopped the calls before the investigation began.He said BCBSNC has been transparent about efforts to communicate its stance on health legislation.“We believe we have the right and the responsibility to communicate with North Carolinians and tell them what kind of impact this would have,” Borman said. “If we were not involved, we’d be the only ones not involved.”N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, one of 20 lawmakers to sign the letter, said she was concerned because the state health plan is administered by BCBSNC.“A nonprofit should be working for the common good,” she said. “Are they abusing this public trust?”BCBSNC is one of two finalists for a plan to be offered on every UNC-system campus next year. BCBSNC and the other finalist, Pearce & Pearce, will present to General Administration next week.The 20 lawmakers also questioned whether the company violated lobbying laws with other efforts, including a postcard that provided a way to contact Hagan.Because BCBSNC pays taxes, it follows a different set of lobbying rules than most nonprofits.The Department of Insurance asked BCBSNC last week to address the complaints but has not received a response, said Kristin Milam, director of public information.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(11/20/09 5:54am)
Flamenco began as a outlet for cultural expression for repressed ethnic and religious groups during the Spanish Inquisition.Martin Santangelo, the artistic director for touring group Noche Flamenca, said that emotional experience is still central to the music and dance style now performed around the world.“It was a way to go on, to wake up the next morning and keep going,” Santangelo said. “If you’re really watching carefully, in each piece there will always be a cathartic moment.”Noche Flamenca will perform a sold-out show tonight at Memorial Hall as part of the Carolina Performing Arts series.The group — which Santangelo formed about 15 years ago with his wife, New York Dance and Performance award winning dancer Soledad Barrio — includes dancers, singers and guitarists. The group works with several different artists but some have been with Noche Flamenca for years.The company’s members are based in Spain, but they have performed around the world, including a tour in Australia last summer. They also regularly perform in New York.Santangelo said flamenco was created by dozens of marginalized groups living in Spain, including gypsies, people of Arab descent and Jews.“Like any cultural movement when there’s a gigantic repression, people screamed out. The scream became flamenco,” Santangelo said.“The thing that’s so explosive about flamenco is that ... it really touches upon almost any human being anywhere in the world.”Marian Hopkins, a dance instructor in UNC’s department of exercise and sport science, said audiences should look for intricate rhythms and the interaction between the dance and music.But Santangelo said while flamenco requires technical skill — most of the dancers are ballet trained — it also focuses on conveying both male and female performers’ strength and intensity.He calls this quality “emotional storytelling.”Kara Larson, director of marketing and public relations for CPA, saw Noche Flamenca perform in New York earlier this year and said that their emotional intensity engages audiences, even those who are new to flamenco.“Flamenco is one of those art forms that doesn’t bother with small emotions,” Larson said. “It’s all about life and love and loss and passion and danger.”Noche Flamenca has not performed at UNC before, she said, so it came as a surprise that tickets went so quickly. The show sold out several weeks ago.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.