Greensboro, NC — The UNCG dance department has been selected to perform at the American College Dance Festival Association’s 16^th National College Dance Festival, June 5-7, 2014 in Washington, DC. This is UNCG’s second invitation to the Festival.

This year’s performance will feature MFA in Dance students in alumna Renay Aumiller’s (BA, ’04) evocative and incredibly physical choreography, Acquiring Dawn.

For more information about the performance schedule and tickets, please visit acdfa.org. Tickets go on sale April 21, 2014

The National Festival, normally a biennial event held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, showcases dances selected by the adjudicators from each of the regional conferences based on their outstanding artistic excellence and merit. The primary objective of the National Festival is to highlight, on the national level, the outstanding quality of choreography and performance that is being created on college and university campuses. The National Festival provides this venue in three gala performances, presenting works from approximately 30 colleges and universities.

The American College Dance Festival Association’s primary focus is to support and promote the wealth of talent and creativity that is prominent throughout college and university dance departments. ACDFA’s sponsorship of regional conferences and the national dance festival provides the venue for students and faculty to engage in three days of performances, workshops, panels, and master classes taught by instructors from around the region and country. The conferences also provide the unique opportunity for students and faculty to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum. Culminating with the presentation of pieces selected for their exemplary artistic quality, the conferences are the primary means for college and university dance programs to perform outside their own academic setting and be exposed to the diversity of the national college dance world.

Pass by Room 110 in the UNCG Music Building on a Thursday evening, you’ll hear an unmistakable sound. Ukuleles. Lots of them.

It’s called UNCG Ukes. Dr. Sandra Teglas calls it a “y’all come hum and strum.” It’s community engagement with four strings. And no strings attached. Just show up and enjoy.

UNCG Ukes is every Thursday night at UNCG, starting at 7:45 p.m. Typically, 10-15 players show up to jam. Maybe some Beatles tunes. Maybe Sting. Invariably, someone will say “Let’s do ‘Rocky Top.'”

It began after music education doctoral student Jackie Secoy was asked a question last April, after the structured “Ukulele for Two” program ended for the semester. “Do you offer an ‘everybody come’ class”?

Now they do. And she’s the president of UNCG Ukes.

The informal session is immediately after the formal UNCG Ukulele for Two class. Uke for Two is for one child with one guardian/parent. Participants need an instrument, music and CD; otherwise there’s no cost to them. UNCG’s Music Research Institute, of which Teglas is program coordinator, uses it for research. They are determining what impact such classes have on the participants.

Why have ukuleles grown so popular in the last few years? You hear them on pop songs; you see them prominently displayed in music stores. Teglas believes whenever the economy is hurting, the inexpensive instrument has a resurgence.

Secoy pulls out her tablet to play Jake Shimabukuro’s performance of “While my Guitar Gently Weeps” on ukulele in Central Park. The video has gotten 12 million views, Teglas notes, and inspired more people to take up the uke.

Teglas and Secoy are both former public school music teachers. Teglas’ musical focus was trumpet; for Secoy it was bassoon. Now ukulele is a big part of their professional lives.

No one in UNCG Ukes has played more than three or four years on the instrument. Some have just gotten their instruments. “I hope more will come and play,” Teglas says.

One UNCG Ukes participant has purchased every one of her grandchildren a ukulele and a book of 365 songs, Teglas says. While this woman played piano as a child, her mother had played ukulele. The appeal spans the generations.

Ages 14 and up are welcome at UNCG Ukes. Just bring your ukulele. Questions? Email Dr. Sandra Teglas at [email protected] or Jacki Secoy at [email protected].

Interested in an upcoming formal Ukulele for Two class? Email Teglas for registration information at [email protected].

See UNCG Ukes and Uke for Two perform April 3, 7-9 p.m. at UNCG’s Spartan Trader, located across from Bojangles on Spring Garden. ($1 minimum purchase for concert admission.)

Story by Mike Harris, UNCG NOW (original article)

Rachel Briley, of Greensboro, NC, was selected by the Washington, DC-based Impact Center for its 2014 Women’s Executive Leadership Program after a highly competitive application and interview-based process to find the best and brightest women leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

The eighteen extraordinary women participating in this year’s class come from a diverse array of backgrounds, representing fields that include academia, healthcare, the military, business, law firms, and a variety of non-profits. Among the women in the class are those who have international experience, speak several languages, have made significant career transitions, attained higher degrees at prestigious universities, started successful new ventures, work at premier organizations, and represent the very best in an emerging generation of high-impact leaders.

According to Sonja Neiger, Director of the Women’s Leadership Institute, \”It is my great privilege to work with these distinguished women to maximize their leadership potential. All of these women have had impressive results in their careers. Our objective this year is to empower and equip them to take the next step toward realizing their full potential and making a positive impact on our society.\”

Ms. Briley recently returned from a research leave in Mexico City where she was working with the premier puppet company Marionetas de la Esquina on developing a new work for deaf and hearing audiences. She is fluent in American Sign Language and hopes to integrate her expertise in this new production. While in Mexico City, Briley also volunteered at the School for the Deaf, working with young people on a daily basis and learning Mexican Sign Language.

Rachel Briley is an Associate Professor in her twelfth year at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). She is the head of the M.F.A. program in Theatre for Youth and the Artistic Director of the North Carolina Theatre for Young People. She came to North Carolina from Michigan where she served as the Director of Theatre Education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to that, Rachel taught and directed at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

The Women’s Executive Leadership Program is designed to accelerate growth for women leaders at critical junctures in their careers. It includes two retreats that focus on building a leadership identity, embracing strengths as a woman leader, and building social capital. In between retreats, leaders meet regularly with an experienced executive coach and monthly with peers to incorporate and refine new skills. Building long-term professional networks with a diverse community of peers and accomplished leaders is a distinguishing characteristic of this program.

The Impact Center is a 501(c) 3 organization based out of Washington DC that provides leadership development for high-impact individuals and institutions. Their mission is to empower emerging and accomplished leaders with the knowledge, skills, and network they need to expand their impact on their organizations, communities, and our society.

To learn more about the Impact Center or the Women’s Executive Leadership Program, visit www.the-impact-center.org.