The second week of the Contemporary Dance Theatre's tour in India began with a special treat. The group was able to give one of the first firesides for the Hyderabad Stake, the first stake in India.The second night in Hyderabad included an interactive family home evening with the BYU group and the young single adults from the stake. It was an exciting privilege for the BYU students to help celebrate the new stake in India, and many of the members later attended the performance of 'The Rhythm of Life'.

Equipped with an eight-foot trampoline, benches, and mattresses, Contemporary Dance Theatre will travel this summer to India to perform The Rhythm of Life. The show explores the rhythm of the world interpreted through dance and music–from the simple rhythm of a heartbeat to the rhythm of the street. The last group traveled to India in 2001. The company will be performing for audiences in Delhi, Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, and Goa–to name a few. Members of the company are excited to share the experience of dance with the people in India. “I am most excited to be exposed to a totally new culture,” said group member Kristin Brown. “I can’t wait to dance and share our light with so many amazing people in India. I know I am going to learn so much about myself and be changed for the rest of my life.” One of the dances, “Chakra,” is choreographed by Ivan Pulinkala, originally from New Delhi, India. The dance applies the principles of balance and energy as a metaphor for the human struggle to regain equilibrium in modern society. The word chakra is derived from traditional Indian medicine, which identifies seven energy craters that reside in the human body. The dance requires an eight-foot, wheel-shaped trampoline that rolls across the stage, symbolizing the cycle of life from birth to death. Each of the members of the company has a favorite. For Jeneca Frederiksen that number is “Woman the Pioneer,” a tribute to women of faith and courage everywhere. The dance depicts a woman who has suffered the loss of a child as she travels across the plains with the Mormon pioneers. “The piece shows her grief and sorrow over losing a child and the process of moving forward despite that,” Frederiksen said. “It is a very moving piece, and one that is difficult emotionally to perform and see. But it is by far my favorite.” Although the tour to India is months away, the group practices 12 hours a week. Contemporary dance is a conglomeration of dance genres molded into one. It requires dancers to move their torsos, fly through the air, and communicate through intricate and abstract movements. Logan McGill considers storytelling a key component of contemporary dance. “Contemporary dance is about allowing the audience to become a part of the dancing experience,” McGill said. “It is about the audience and performers giving and taking from each other to create an experience that is fun, emotional, and, most important, unforgettable.” Source: Performing Arts Management

The Brigham Young University Chorale will perform its final concert of the summer term Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission to the event is free.

Brigham Young University’s Contemporary Dance Theatre will perform “The Rhythm of Life,” Friday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Richards Building Dance Studio (169 RB). The concert is a preview of what the company will perform on their upcoming tour to India.

Mary Sauer, recent graduate from Brigham Young University’s Illustration program, has found that hard work and perseverance have paid off in her education and career. She recently won Best of Show in the Portrait Society of America Annual Competition. Although Sauer applied to BYU’s Illustration program twice and was rejected both times, as mentioned in her convocation speech, Sauer later was accepted into the Studio Arts Program, and was soon accepted into the Illustration program as a transfer student. As a student at BYU she received various talent awards scholarships and worked hard in various workshops with prominent artists. In the years since she has graduated, Mary Sauer has worked with contemporary artist Jeff Koons and has continued in post-graduate work at the Art Student’s League and the Grand Central Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited in several shows in New York City and her work was recently selected to be in the Collector’s Choice Show, at the Sylvia White Gallery, in California. She was also awarded a Northern Manhattan Art Alliance Grant for 2012 and will be attending graduate school in the fall at one of the three graduate schools she was accepted into. By Cami Wilson

Congratulations to The Daily Universe for receiving ten awards from the Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The competition included submissions of articles from 2011, from all across Utah. Along with taking third place in its own category for best newspaper, ten individual submissions from The Daily Universe, now known as The Universe, won first place in their respective categories.

Project from professor Ryan Woodward gives birth to new genre of graphic novels Having done storyboard work on the past two Spiderman movies, BYU animation professor Ryan Woodward remembers anticipating the opening weekend of the summer blockbusters.

Not many people can say they’ve designed a costume for Kool-Aid Man, Tarzan’s gorilla friends and a flying fish for The Little Mermaid.

Brigham Young University student Stephen Tanner was a finalist in the Broadcast News category of the the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s 2012 Journalism Awards Program. In addition to Tanner’s recognition, the BYU broadcast journalism program ranked fifth overall in the nation, up from its sixth-place ranking in 2011.

The Brigham Young University School of Music will present a guest performance by pianist Keith Kirchoff Tuesday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The concert will feature works composed by BYU music professor Michael Hicks.

Douglas McKinlay, a professor in the Communications Department, will give an address titled “The Approachable Master: Life's Critical Relationship” at the weekly Brigham Young University devotional Tuesday, June 19, at 11:05 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. It will be broadcast live on KBYU-TV (Channel 11), BYUtv, KBYU-FM (89.1), BYU-Radio and at byutv.org, as well as on campus in the Joseph Smith Building auditorium and the Varsity Theater in the Wilkinson Student Center. For rebroadcast and reprint information, visit byutv.org or speeches.byu.edu. McKinlay graduated from BYU in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in mass communications. McKinlay moved to New York and found work in the advertising department at General Electric. While working there he also taught courses in mass communications at Schenectady Community College. After leaving General Electric, McKinlay became the executive vice president at Keiler Advertising, an agency bringing in $50 million a year in the late ‘70s. In 1980, McKinlay separated from Keiler and started McKinlay Advertising, which later became McKinlay and Partners. For the next 16 years he directed the company as it grew into a solid agency in the Connecticut market. As an associate teaching professor, he helped design a creative track in marketing communications. The track consists of seven courses, two of which had never been taught before at BYU. McKinlay teaches a class on writing for various media and a class designed to polish a portfolio. For more information, contact Douglas McKinlay at (801) 422-8030. Source: BYU News

First major study to examine Weir family's collective artistic production Marian Wardle, curator of American Art for the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, has received the W.E. Fischelis Award from the Victorian Society in America for her work as editor and co-author of the book, 'The Weir Family, 1820-1920: Expanding the Traditions of American Art.'