Free Performances and Workshop Part of Hancock Symposium 

As a part of the creative, imaginative aspects of the 2018 Hancock Symposium on campus, a music group, dance performance, and theatre workshop have been scheduled and are free and open to the public as well as the Westminster community.  

The theme for this year’s Symposium is Creativity and Innovation: Imagining Our Way Into the Future.  

The entire Symposium will kick off with a dance performance by Ashley L. Tate and members of Ashleyliane Dance Company from St. Louis, MO at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10, in Champ Auditorium.  

“We are excited to present a quick snapshot of our work at Westminster College in conjunction with the Hancock Symposium,” Tate said. “The theme of the event highlights creativity and innovation, which will certainly impact the future of the human experience.”  

The company’s first piece, Gender Stereotypes, a fusion of jazz, modern, and contemporary, explores the two contrasting views of male and female attributes, characteristics, and roles. One one hand, both sides should not be restricted from being able to express themselves fully by being restricted to the traits of one sex.  Yet at the same time, embracing gender stereotypes can empower people because they have embraced what makes them unique.  

The second piece, a modern and contemporary solo entitled I Am Human, is based on the concept that it is our responsibility to love, respect, and honor each other because that is what our souls were created to do.  

“I chose to present two pieces that aim to move the audience to not lose sight of the importance of self identity, as well as genuine human relationships and interactions,” Tate says. “Creativity and innovation can be key to a progressive society, if the focus remains to aid individuals in their quest for a healthy and happy life, as well as to build strong communities.”  

On Wednesday, Sept. 12, from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, co-founder and artistic director of GreenHouse Theatre Project, an innovative theatre company that performs in nontraditional spaces, will offer a theatre workshop in Champ Auditorium.  

Entitled Acting with Intention: The Present Approach, the two-hour actor intensive workshop will focus on a series of Viewpoints warm-ups and exercises originated by Mary Overlie, a New York choreographer, dancer, theatre artist, and professor who invented the Six Viewpoints techniques, and used today in performance prep by Anne Bogart’s Siti Company, an ensemble-based New York theatre which creates new works.  

These techniques help actors in the emotional and physical preparation for performance, build ensemble, and free the mind to explore and experiment in their work.  

The final performance is The Burney Sisters, a dynamic indie folk/pop sister duo from Columbia, MO who will perform at 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the Hunter Activity Center.  

Olivia and Emma Burney started singing when they were barely able to walk.  Olivia discovered her love of the ukulele when she found on at a garage sale for a dollar.  Older sister Emma picked up the guitar at age 9 and now also plays bass, banjo, keys, and the fiddle.  They were recently featured on the front page of the Riverfront Times, announcing they will be one of the acts for St. Louis’s most prominent music festival, LouFest.  

Visit wcmo.edu/symposium/ to learn about speakers, schedule of events and more.    

Follow #WCSymposium2018 on social media for the latest updates and conversation about the event.