Morgan State University Hosts 27th Annual Dance Festival

- MSU's Modern Dance Ensemble and Invited Dance Companies to Perform -

Under the direction of Dr. Iantha Tucker, Morgan State University's Modern Dance Ensemble will be hosting its 27th Annual Dorothy P. Stanley Scholarship Fund Dance Festival on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15, 2003. The festival will be held at the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center in the Gilliam Concert Hall. The performances begin at 8:00 p.m.

The annual dance festival is named in honor of Dorothy P. Stanley, founder and director of the Modern Dance Ensemble at Morgan from 1953-1972. Monies raised from the festival will enable members of the dance ensemble to attend professional dance schools during the summer. Scholarships are given to students who show potential and are demonstrating leadership in the dance ensemble. Over the years, Morgan students have attended prestigious dance schools including Alvin Ailey and the Dance Theater of Harlem in New York City, and the Philadelphia Dance Company, Milwaukee Center for Performing Arts and the Bates College Dance Festival.

Aaron Lewis, a 1982 recipient of the Dorothy P. Stanley Scholarship, has developed a professional career in the industry and has created his own "liturgical " (religious) dance company called Prophetic Praise. He will be performing, along with his dance company, at MSU's festival this year.

More than 15 dance companies throughout the region have been invited and will perform with the MSU Modern Dance Ensemble. The price to attend the dance festival is $5 children, and $10 general admission. For tickets and additional information, call Dr. Iantha Tucker at 443.885.3463.

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a coeducational institution offering more than 60 academic programs leading to bachelor's degrees as well as programs at the master's and doctoral levels. As Maryland's public urban university, Morgan serves a multi-ethnic and multi-racial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information on Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.