MTSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance will celebrate the season of rebirth with its Spring Dance Concert April 19-21 in the University’s Tucker Theatre.

Performances are set at 7:30 each evening.

Featured performances include “Tangoed Web,” an adaptation of traditional Argentinian tango by Patty Foster, director of the Brooklyn Ballet, and the contemporary dance “Wii Play” by Atlanta’s powerhouse choreographer T Lang.

The concert also will showcase the development of the University’s nationally recognized program’s technical and academic training with a pointe piece by Kate Kastelnik and an exploration of John Cage’s work by Marsha Barsky. The creative undertakings by Emily Randoll and Fernando Ramos, two dance minors from the Honors College, will highlight the significant research done by students in the program.

This spring’s concert will be rounded out with a salute to Frank Sinatra by Erin Rehberg and an exploration of African-American culture by Madia Cooper, along with a work by Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of dance at MTSU, featuring eight graduating seniors. A multi-sectioned work, integrating text, quirky humor and movement and developed by company members under Nofsinger’s supervision, also will be performed.

General-admission tickets for the Spring Dance Concert are $10 for adults and $5 for non-MTSU students, as well as $5 for MTSU staff. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Tickets can be purchased at the door; the Tucker Theatre Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m. before each performance.

For more information, please visit www.mtsu.edu/dance.

Students United for Africa and the Study of Africa will display African culture through dance, music, food and fashion Monday, March 12, from 6 to 10 p.m. in MTSU’s James Union Building and Tom H. Jackson Building.

The cultural and educational demonstrations are planned for 6-8 p.m. in the JUB. A reception with food, poems and performances will follow in the Jackson Building’s Cantrell Hall from 8 to 10 p.m.

Tickets for both the show and reception are $15 per person or $12 with an MTSU student ID. Individual tickets are $7 for the cultural show and $10 for the reception. All proceeds and donations will go directly to promote educational efforts in Luila, a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to SUASA President Stephan J. Kabelu.

“Two SUASA officers will even be traveling to Luila this summer to see how our donations have made a difference in the lives of these children,” says Kabelu.

SUASA’s mission is to educate the MTSU and Murfreesboro communities about educational needs in African countries through organized student and/or sponsored activities.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Kabelu at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 615-968-5277, Iaetitia Muderwa at 615-995-6348, Beatrice Gatebuke at 312-285-5274 or Ukyeye Wilt at 615-410-6908.

You also may visit the SUASA Facebook page at on.fb.me/w5YziZ and listen to an interview with Gatebuke from the Feb. 27 edition of “MTSU On the Record” via podcast at bit.ly/MTChaosInTheCongo.

– Gina K. Logue ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

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Murfreesboro, TN - Local hip hop dance troupe “CAT CRU” will perform at the Business Education Partnership Foundation’s  and  presenting sponsor Nissan North America’s “Arts for Education: An Elegant Evening”, scheduled for Friday, February 24th from 6-9 pm at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, located at 3050 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro.

Founded and choreographed by Craig Watkins and Todd Johnson, creators of CAT Choreography, CAT CRU is sure to mesmerize the event’s guests.  Members’ ages range from 11 to 18; they were chosen by Watkins and Johnson from among their elite students. CAT CRU’s predominant musical style is hip-hop, incorporating lyrical work as well. Watkins and Johnson said, “They have very good chemistry together as a crew, and are some of the most hard-working, dedicated and passionate performers around.”

“An Elegant Evening” will also showcase The Tennessee Valley Winds as well as jazz by singer Kristen Hubbard and guitarist Sam Frazee.  Event dining will be presented by Smyrna High school’s award-winning culinary arts program.

A silent auction will feature art and specialty services as well as travel and entertainment packages.  Artwork shown and auctioned at this event will include the winning pieces from an all-county juried student art competition, as well as the works of local artists.  Additionally, a limited number of raffle tickets will be sold at $50 each for a chance to win a $5000 cash prize.

Proceeds from “Arts for Education: An Elegant Evening” will provide funding for BEP programming such as teacher mini-grants and professional development training for teachers in curriculum/work relevance to help bring the real world into the classroom.

The BEP is a 22 year-old 501(c)(3) foundation with the mission to foster interest in and to promote and to support programs in the public schools of the city of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County that will prepare students for the business world.  Programming includes BEP/Nissan Teacher Mini-Grants, State Farm Summer Business Camp, and Youth Leadership Rutherford, among others.

Sponsors who are helping the Business Education Partnership make “An Elegant Evening” possible are, of course, presenting sponsor Nissan North America, Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Yates Services, Textile Fabric Consultants, Inc., Quality Industries, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Pinnacle Financial Partners, and WWL Vehicle Services Americas, Inc.

Sponsorships are still available at these levels: Rembrandt ($5000); Van Gogh ($2,500); Picasso ($1,000); and Warhol ($500).  Individual tickets to “An Elegant Evening” are $75, and tables of eight are $600.  Tickets must be purchased by February 20th.

Additional information on the Business Education Partnership can be found online at www.rutherfordbep.org. For tickets and sponsorships, contact Gabi Brockelsby at (615) 556-1949, or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For information on the raffle, please call Jesse FitzGerald at (615) 278-2012.

Members of MTSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance are dusting off their dancing shoes to wow audiences with the Dance Theatre Fall Concert, set Dec. 1-3 in the Tucker Theatre.

Performances are set at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

This nationally recognized program, which focuses on research and creative activity by faculty and students, is bringing the fall 2011 season to a close with the Fall Concert. Performances will feature a variety of genres ranging from modern to contemporary ballet and everything in between, organizers say.

MTSU faculty, guest artists and students have all contributed to the event, and two pieces choreographed by Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of dance at MTSU, will be featured. Nofsinger’s works explore the beauty and natural instincts of migrations among animals in addition to darkening discussions relating to the holocausts and genocides.

General-admission tickets for the Dance Theatre Fall Concert are $10 for adults and $5 for children up to 12th grade, as well as $5 for MTSU staff. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.mtsu.edu/tuckertheatre via the “Purchase Tickets” button on the left toolbar. They also will be available at the door before each performance.

For more information, please visit www.mtsu.edu/dance.

And a good time was had by all! The spirit of the avuncular and aptly named Uncle Dave Mason was on display for all to enjoy this weekend at Cannonsburgh Village. I think he would have been proud. Musicians, artisans, craftsmen, and the general public converged on this Murfreesboro historical rural southern village on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to listen to Traditional Old Time Music, watch Clogging and Buckdancing, and see homemade wares. One could enjoy the contests on the main stage or the "shade tree" impromptu stylings of those who just came out to play. There was plenty for everyone to do and see and smiles were in abundance.

Along with the activities, you could quench your thirst and your appetite at one of the many spots offering anything from traditional hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken to shark or gator on a stick if you were feeling adventurous! Of course, you could also get home-made ice cream and kettle corn. Yum!

All in all, it was a successful 34th year for the festival and I can't wait for number 35. Hope to see you there!

MURFREESBORO TN - MTSU brings the funny beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6, when it launches the 2010-11 Theatre and Dance Season with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” in Tucker Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Auditorium on campus.

The award-winning one-act musical focuses on a middle-school spelling bee, where the perfectionists are on both sides of the microphone and the s-u-s-p-e-n-s-e can sometimes be cut with n-i-v-e … uh, k-n-i-v-e-s. 

Performances are set Oct. 6-9 and Oct. 13-15 at 7:30 p.m.

“‘Bee’ rehearsals are well under way, and I think the MTSU and local community will really enjoy this quirky musical,” said Professor Jeff Gibson, interim chair of the Department of Speech and Theatre. “The characters and the situations are hilarious!”

The Oct. 6 “Bee” show will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a “grand reopening” ceremony on the front steps of Tucker Theatre, which has just completed a $1.4 million, six-month renovation project.

“Bee” audiences, be warned: You can participate in the show, but using spelling apps on your phone is a no-no. Also, there’s some adult content, so it’s for M-A-T-U-R-E audiences only.

The season continues Nov. 17-20 with a new version of “A Flea in Her Ear,” the classic Georges Feydeau farce updated by David Ives. The Belle Époque tale focuses on a jealous wife’s attempts to nab her husband with a letter from an imaginary admirer suggesting a hotel tryst; chaos and hilarity ensue.

The Fall Dance Concert, showcasing the artistic works of MTSU’s Dance Theatre, is next on the itinerary. Performances are set Dec. 2-4.

The season resumes on a tragic note in February with performances of Euripides’ “Medea,” a seminal drama of love, betrayal and revenge. The powerful tragedy is scheduled for performances Feb. 23-26.

More Broadway comes to Champion Way March 30 through April 2 and April 6-9 with MTSU’s performances of the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera “Rent,” based loosely on Puccini’s “La Boheme.”

The show, whose signature song “Seasons of Love” has become a pop standard, follows a year with seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York’s East Village as AIDS and its physical and emotional complications begin to pervade their lives. 

Concluding the 2010-11 season April 21-23 is the Spring Dance Concert, where MTSU Dance Theatre members will perform.

All performances are set for 7:30 p.m. in Tucker Theatre.

“This is a dynamic season with plenty of music, comedy and drama for everyone,” Gibson noted. “We are confident our audiences will enjoy what they see and will want to return for more.” 

Tickets to all MTSU Theatre and Dance season performances are $10 for the general public and $5 for MTSU faculty, staff and students in kindergarten through 12th grades. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID. 

Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Tucker Theatre Box Office in the BDA, by calling 615-494-8810 or going online at www.mtsu.edu/tuckertheatre. Tickets may also be purchased at the door an hour before each show begins.

For more information about MTSU Theatre and Dance, visit www.mtsu.edu/theatre or call 615-494-8810.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. This fall, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

IN BRIEF: MTSU brings the funny beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6, when it launches the 2010-11 Theatre and Dance Season with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” in Tucker Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Auditorium on campus. The award-winning one-act musical focuses on a middle-school spelling bee where the perfectionists are on both sides of the microphone; performances are set Oct. 6-9 and Oct. 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. The Oct. 6 “Bee” show will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a “grand reopening” ceremony on the front steps of Tucker Theatre, which has just completed a $1.4 million, six-month renovation project. For ticket information or details on the complete 2010-11 season, call 615-494-8810 or visit www.mtsu.edu/tuckertheatre.