KENNESAW, Ga. | May 1, 2018

The Department of Dance at KSU has been selected among dance programs across the Southeast to perform at the National American College Dance Festival held biennially at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. This regional selection, marks the 5th time in a short 12-year history that the KSU Department of Dance has received this distinction, making it one of the most highly acclaimed dance programs in the Southeast U.S.

Prof. Lisa K.Lock’s choreographic work “Suspended Vision” was one of two works selected from among 44 works presented for adjudication at the Southeast regional conference held March 2-5, 2018 at Coker College.  Both works will be performed at the national festival June 6-9, 2018 at the Kennedy Center, alongside a celebrated group of choreographic works selected from across the country. National adjudicators praised Lock’s work as having a “refined sense of non-linear drama, daring theatrical design, striking costuming and seamless excellence...” With lighting and scenic design by David Tatu, and costume design by Jill Peterson, “Suspended Vision” uses a cast of eight dancers to present technically virtuosic movement that is thrilling to watch and exhilarating to perform.

Lock joined the faculty at KSU in 2014 as a part-time professor, and was hired as an Assistant Professor of Dance in 2016. She holds M.F.A. and B.F.A. degrees in dance from the California Institute of the Arts and is originally native to Switzerland. Lock has a celebrated professional performance career with companies such as La Danserie (LA), the Cleveland Opera, and Ohio Dance Theater. Her recent dance film “My Other Self” was presented at the Summe in Switzerland.

The American College Dance Association is the most prestigious venue for collegiate dance in the country, with a mission to “honor multiple approaches to scholarly and creative research activity” and “promote excellence in choreography and/or performance…” Regional conferences are held annually across the U.S., and every two years, works are selected from regional conferences to be presented at the national festival held at the Kennedy Center. KSU founding director, Dr. Ivan Pulinkala holds the national record of being the only choreographer in the over 40-year history of the American College Dance Festival to have choreographic work invited to the Kennedy Center in three successive national years (2008, 2010, 2012.)

This national recognition comes at a fortuitous time for the Department of Dance as it prepares to host the Southeast Regional American College Dance Conference in 2019 at Kennesaw State University. For more information about the Department of Dance at KSU, visit ksudance.com