Posting Date: August 25, 2010
Kennesaw State to host faculty from Shanghai Normal University
Visit will complete faculty cultural exchange program
For media inquiries: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Director of Public Relations,
770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
 |
Chinese Yi Dance entitled "An Ugly Duckling" Photo courtesy of Ming Chen |
KENNESAW, Ga.—Three Chinese professors from Shanghai Normal University will visit Kennesaw State University Sept. 5-10 to complete a faculty cultural exchange that started with three KSU faculty members traveling to Shanghai this past May. The visit will culminate in “A Night of Chinese Dance and Song” on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Stillwell Theater. The event will feature presentations of Chinese culture and dance by SNU professors Zheng Huihui, Miao Xiaolong and Wang Yukun.
The event, co-sponsored by the KSU Quality Enhancement Plan, the KSU Confucius Institute and the College of the Arts, has been in the planning stages since Professor of Theatre Ming Chen, Associate Professor of Dance Ivan Pulinkala and Professor of Voice Oral Moses visited Shanghai in May.
Zheng Huihui, artistic director of the Dance Company at SNU, will open the evening with a presentation on both traditional and ethnic Chinese dance. Moses will perform a Chinese folk song he learned from the SNU voice department during his visit. Xiaolong and Yukun will teach KSU dance students a Chinese folk dance which will be performed at the close of the event.
“We want the audience to appreciate the richness and variety of dance styles in China. It’s all about celebrating diversity and learning about Chinese culture through dance and song,” says Chen, who coordinated the cultural exchange. Chen also explains the importance of teaching ethnic dances to KSU dance students, specifically, “how each culture is uniquely represented through dance.”
Not only will the visiting SNU professors be teaching and observing classes during their visit here, Chen says they plan to take in as much Atlanta culture as they can, including Atlanta Ballet. “They have been excited to come to Atlanta since we went over to Shanghai,” Chen explains.
Tickets for the event are free and available at the KSU Program in Dance Office, located in Office Annex, Room 111. For more information, call 770-423-6789.
# # #
Kennesaw State University is the third-largest university in Georgia, offering more than 70 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education, business and nursing. A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 22,500 from 142 countries.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts departments.