Center for the Arts

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: A busy week in WNY

This week, Chicago-based dance pioneer Billy Siegenfeld and his dancers spent time with the Western New York community teaching master classes to UB dance students, performing at area schools, and bringing their high energy joy to patients, families, and caregivers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  Luckily, he already had a connection - dancer Amanda Benzin is an Orchard Park native and a UB dance alumna.

Amanda attended Holy Angels Academy and danced and taught at Mary Alice’s Dance Studio in Orchard Park. She graduated summa cum laude as a Renaissance Scholar from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a minor in Business Administration. During her time at UB, she performed with the celebrated Zodiaque Dance Company and the Zodiaque Studio Dance Ensemble. Throughout her career, Amanda has studied all forms of dance under many renowned teachers and choreographers, but after her first exposure to JRJP in their annual Chicago intensive, she was hooked. She is now in her fifth year as a performing and teaching artist with the company. As a company member with JRJP, she has performed and taught the renowned Jump Rhythm Technique at universities, schools and dance studios nationally and internationally. She received an Emmy Award as “Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence On Camera: Performer” for her work in the multiple Emmy-Award-winning documentary Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There, produced by HMS Media and aired on PBS. 

The company also spent some time performing at Amherst Middle School and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  Here is a video of part of the performance from RPCI's atrium:

The real icing on the cake for this week was the performance this evening, which began with Mr. Siegenfeld himself engaging the audience in a little rhythmic scat-singing and improvised noises.

The company then joined him onstage for the first piece "I Hear Music."

The entire dance series has been made possible by a major sponsorship from M&T Bank.  This week's residency activities have been funded in part by the UB Dance Alumni Concert and a grant from the Amherst Arts and Culture in Public Places Board. 

Student video production internships available for the spring semester

Student internships are available for the spring semester.

This spring the Center for the Arts, producer of award winning television and media programming such as the Bullseye, Music is Art LIVE @ the Center, the Your UB series and others, is seeking intern candidates to participate on a variety of Center for the Arts produced productions. This fall, it includes extensive involvement on our athletics television series “Bullseye” and media productions that serve the Center and University.

A Center Internship allows students to work in an innovative, progressive, fast paced & professional environment. Students are exposed to various levels of television production and mentored by leading media professionals in the field, which is an invaluable experience to individuals interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

An example of the type of videos students might be working on:

INTERNSHIP DUTIES
Production, lighting and sound assistance during the Bullseye tv series and on remote shoots

Post production responsibilities include some editing, digitizing, interview transcription and DVD creation/duplication

Potentially fulfill various positions on productions and on multi-camera shoots

INTERNSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
Internship positions are limited & candidates must be selected by the Center for the Arts for the internship program

Internships are non-paid, students must register for academic credit in the fall 2009 semester

Prior experience using SONY camera and editing on Final Cut Pro is preferred

AVAILABILITY/SCHEDULE
We are seeking interns to assist on the Bullseye series and candidates would need to be available on MONDAYS from 8:30A-1PM

During the semester, interns may be scheduled on a weekly (at least 3 hours per week sometime between 9a-5p Monday-Friday) and on a per project basis and will be required to submit hours in order to meet credit hour obligation

If you wish to be a part of making ground-breaking television, please contact Jamie Enser via email at jenser@buffalo.edu.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 1, 2009
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION


For more information on our media group, visit www.ubcfa.org/videoproduction.

Dance Alumni Concert Video

The Center for the Arts Video Production team produced this fantastic video about the recent UB Dance Alumni All-Stars concert and fundraiser for the dance residency program. 

The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo to host the Society for the Arts in Healthcare's 20th Annual International Conference

The Center's Arts in Healthcare program and partnership with Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute to be showcased before an international audience April 22-25, 2009

The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will host the Society for the Arts in Healthcare's 20th Annual International Conference. The Conference will be held April 22-25, 2009, with the majority of events scheduled to take place at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Designed to highlight best practices, innovative programs and cutting-edge research in the field of Arts in Healthcare, more than 300 students, educators, healthcare professionals and artists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe will convene in Buffalo. The conference will also highlight the work being done locally with the Center for the Arts' partner institutions - Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute - as well as the many assets of the Western New York community.

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare works to promote the arts in healthcare in order to humanize the healthcare experience and connect people with the power of the arts at key moments in their lives. A range of arts in healthcare initiatives supporting patients, families, caregivers and communities will be represented, including music, dance, drama, visual arts and literary arts programs.

Selected conference highlights include:

• A conference session entitled "Arts in Healthcare: The Next Decade, Challenges & Opportunities Ahead" will be presented as a panel discussion with: Donald L. Trump, MD, FACP, President & CEO Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Paul T. Hogan, Vice President, John R. Oishei Foundation; Paula Terry, Director of the Office of AccessAbility, National Endowment for the Arts; and Naj Wikoff, President, Creative Healing Connections. In addition, Cheryl Klass, President of Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Vice President for Kaleida Health will be part of a panel for the "Buffalo Arts in Healthcare Showcase."


• The conference will mark the launch of "Arts & Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice" published by the Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group in association with the Society for Arts in Healthcare.


• A performance by Julia Sweeney in a special staged reading of her one-woman show "God Said Ha!" on Thursday, April 23 at 8:00pm in the UB Center for the Arts co-sponsored by the Society for the Arts in Healthcare. Julia Sweeney is best known for her four hit seasons on "Saturday Night Live," and many will remember her androgynous character "Pat." (note: conference registration is not required to purchase tickets to this event).


• Erie County Executive Chris Collins and UB President John B. Simpson will welcome the Society's delegates at the Opening Plenary Session on April 23.  

This Arts in Healthcare initiative was established by the Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo to bring the performing and visual arts into healthcare settings at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. This is the first comprehensive program of its kind in Western New York, and is made possible by the John R. Oishei Foundation, Seymour H. Knox Foundation, and Bank of America Foundation. Support for the program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute comes from: Samuel Son & Co., Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group, and The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation.

The Center for the Arts is dedicated to the cultural enrichment of the University at Buffalo and its surrounding communities through the presentation of public arts and cultural events of the highest quality. Celebrating the creative process through innovative programming, the Center crosses socio-economic, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries. The Center nurtures excellence and innovation in the arts through education, presentation, community service, and research in the visual and performing arts, while broadening the base of understanding, appreciation, and support for the arts through meaningful community partnerships.

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located in Washington, DC. Founded in 1991, the Society is dedicated to advancing the arts as integral to healthcare. With over 1,700 members from around the globe, the Society advocates for the arts in healthcare through partnerships with arts and healthcare providers and related organizations; provides technical assistance through a national consultant service; convenes conferences, symposia and webinars on cutting-edge topics; offers information about model programs and best practices, including research and evaluation; and manages grant and awards initiatives that support innovative program development.

Attendance at conference events is open to the general public, but registration is required. For more information, please visit www.thesah.org. For more information on the Center for the Arts' Arts in Healthcare program, please visit www.ubcfa.org. ####

Arts in Healthcare Initiative in the Buffalo News

The Arts in Healthcare program was the cover story in Sunday's Buffalo News
"Spotlight" section.

You can read the story here:
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/467772.html

The News also put together a nice audio slideshow:
http://www.buffalonews.com/webextras/story/467945.html

Readers are also leaving comments on the ArtsBeat Blog:
http://buffalonews.typepad.com/artsbeat/2008/10/the-healing-pow.html

Cirque du Soleil professionals visit UB theater class

Adam Miller (Artistic Director), Pierre Luc (Sound Technician), and Alain Gauthier (Asst. Production Director) of Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco visited a tech theatre class at the UB Center for the Arts today.  The gentlemen spoke about what it is like to work for Cirque du Soleil, what they do in their jobs, and how Cirque grew from 125 employees in 1990 to nearly 5,000 today.  

Miller has been a dancer and choreographer for 20 years before joining Cirque du Soleil for this tour of Saltimbanco.  Pierre started as a technical intern, helped the company in an emergency, and was hired shortly thereafter.  Returning to Montreal after playing hockey in Europe, Alain began as an usher for the show in Montreal at its beginning.

Saltimbanco continues this weekend at HSBC Arena. 

Explore the Arts This Week

The Center's annual summer program for kids entering grades 5-8 is a great time for kids interested in the many aspects of theatrical arts.  Participants learn technical concepts and get practical hands-on experience in lighting, stage design, sound and sound design, costume and textile design as well as performance, improv, and movement. 

Support Summer Program Scholarships with UNO Chicago Grill Gift Cards

Trying to make lunch plans?
Not sure where to meet for Happy Hour?

The Center for the Arts has partnered with UNO Chicago Grill on Maple Road in Amherst for a special project, and you can help!  You can help raise money to send a deserving child to our Explore the Arts Summer Program just by eating and drinking at UNO!! 

All you have to do is stop by Suite 103 at the Center (directly behind the Box Office) before your next visit to UNO, purchase special Center for the Arts UNO Gift Cards, and use them to pay for your order ($10 and $5 increments are available). When you use these cards to pay for your order, 20% of your total bill will be donated to our Explore the Arts Scholarship Fund!

Click here to learn more about the Explore the Arts Summer program.

Hudson Vagabond Puppets visit Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo

As part of the pilot year for the Center's arts in healthcare outreach program, puppeteers from the Hudson Vagabond Puppets performed and played with patients and their families in the playroom at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo.  Puppeteers performed three interactive stories with costumes and props, using the entire playroom as a set. 

Tango and Robert Bluestone

Last night was a very busy night at the Center for the Arts.  Before the performance by professional Argentine dance company Tango Buenos Aires, the Buffalo Argentine Tango Society gave demonstrations and tango lessons in the Atrium.  Barbara Cavanaugh led the lessons with volunteer members of the Society available as dance partners.  Everyone was invited to join in  - and they did! 

Check out more photos at:

http://buffalo.myspotted.com/pages/gallery.php?gallery=297387

Meanwhile, the smaller Drama Theater was a venue for a much different performance.  Classical guitarist Robert Bluestone performed soft, ancient music for a small crowd of Center patrons.  Bluestone is in Buffalo working with the Center's pilot program of Arts in Healthcare, a new initiative based on the concept that artists and performers will engage hospital patients as part of the healing process.  Bluestone is actively engaged in these types of programs all over the country and has experience performing for and engaging patients and their caregivers in treatment centers, in the public spaces of the hospital, as well as in individual rooms.