My Time In Arizona: NDEO Conference

From October 20-24, 2010 I attended the National Dance Education Organization National Conference in Tempe, Arizona. This was my second time attending the conference (the last one was in NYC) and each time I have had a wonderful experience. During the previous conference I had been voted to be the incoming national student representative that would sit on the board for the following conference. This year was what you might look at as my introduction to my position and duties. Working alongside former KSU Dance Education Professor and NDEO Board Member Melanie George, I began to learn some of the inner workings and administrative aspects of the organization.
I also, for my second time, got to participate in the Passing on the Legacy workshop in which I got to work with renowned dance educator and choreographer Bill Evans. We worked with self made compositions as well as repertory Bill gave us and put them together into one large piece. The workshop culminated in a performance which was presented at the closing reception for the entire conference. It was truly an exciting experience and I met many other wonderful students from colleges and universities around the nation. I would truly suggest anyone interested in the elements of dance education to attend this conference. The organization does a great job of bringing so many wonderful master artists from around the country into one location. Below is a photo of the closing reception performance where I had the chance to partner with a student from Brigham Young University in Utah.


--Sabatino A. Verlezza (BFA Dance Major)