Columbia College presents the 2016 Annual Campus Tour of Dance and Art Friday, October 28th and Saturday 29th

The Columbia College Campus Tour of Dance and Art is a choreographed, inter-active walking tour that moves to different venues across the campus where attendees view showcases of live performance that can include dance, music, art, spoken word poetry, videography, film and improvisational theatre. Two tours are scheduled: Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 PM and Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2 PM beginning at Cottingham Theater on the Columbia College campus located at 1301 Columbia College Drive. The tours are sponsored by the Columbia College Dance Program’s CCdanceLAB and are free to the public.

This year’s tour line-up features an Aerial dance performance and an excerpt from the play HERS, a 2016 production by the Columbia College Players. The performance of HERS will take place backstage at Cottingham Theater, an area not usually accessible to the public.

In the weeks leading up to the tour, Columbia College student dancers, artists, musicians and filmmakers submitted proposals for showcases. Most of the work in the tour are site-specific or site-adaptive, while others are matched to locations on the campus.

Some exhibits and performances will already be created and even in progress when viewers arrive. Other performances will happen spontaneously as performers interact with audience members.

“This is the seventh year of the tour and what really drives this event is interaction with the community” said Marcy Jo Yonkey-Clayton, associate professor and dance program coordinator at Columbia College.

As a graduate student at Texas Woman’s College University, Yonkey-Clayton participated in the Zen Monkey Project. She used that experience to ultimately create Columbia College’s annual Campus Tour of Dance and Art.

“The night setting of Friday’s tour provides an added element of mystery,” says Yonkey-Clayton. “Ushers light the way with flashlights as the audience moves from venue to venue. You don’t know what you might see being performed and the element of surprise adds to the fun.”

Meredith Yuhas, co-producer of the tour and a junior dance studies major at Columbia College, loves the improvisational nature of the event and finds The Campus Tour of Dance and Art one of the most thrilling shows to perform in.

“These performances are experimental groundwork for our current interests and our most risky creative endeavors,” she says. “For the performer and the audience, the line of who is who begins to blur. The experience constantly changes my perception of the campus – where art can be created, who can create it. I think this year is going to be one of the best!

For more information about the Columbia College Dance Program please visit columbiasc.edu.

About Columbia College Dance Program

The Dance Program at Columbia College is a creatively rigorous community that encourages the student to investigate, generate, and articulate her unique artistry through dance. Degree programs in dance seek to prepare students for careers in the performance, education, advocacy, and administration of dance as a fine art. Students may choose from the Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education to certify as a teacher of dance in the Pre-K — 12 school setting or the Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies non-certification degree program.

About Columbia College

Recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a best value institution and ranked among the best regional universities in the South, Columbia College is a dynamic learning and living community known for its emphasis on leadership development and service. Founded 162 years ago by the United Methodist Church as a women’s liberal arts college, Columbia College also offers evening, graduate and online programs serving both women and men. The College is home to the McNair Center for Entrepreneurism, and a nationally renowned honors program led by the 2010-2011 United States Professor of the Year. Learn more at columbiasc.edu or connect with @columbiakoala.