concert director Valerie Huston

Avian is a collaborative project directed and created by Valerie Huston (dance faculty) and guest artist Carley Conder. Carley Conder is Artistic Director of CONDER/dance, founded in Arizona in 2003. She is currently a full-time instructor for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Carley's creative work has been presented by White Wave at Dixon Place (NYC), Chez Bushwick at the Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), WestFest at the Martha Graham Studios (NYC), Wave Rising at the John Ryan Theater (Brooklyn), and the Cama-iDance Festival (Alaska). She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet and Master of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. Also joining the collaborative team are dance faculty member Monique Meunier and BFA candidate Colson Lynn.   

Avian is inspired by a large origami bird - we explore the mathematics of origami and then move to a mythical world of avian life tracing life cycles, metaphors created through bird images, satirical explorations of bird life, the joy of flight and group dynamics. The work includes a wide range of musical scores including works by Ryan Lott, Anna Meredith and Ken Nordine. Scenic elements designed by faculty member Greg Mitchell and lighting by Andrew Schmedeke, guest lecturer. 

This production is made possible by generous support from Dean John Majewski, College of Letters and Science