May 14, 2007 - Estrella Mountain, a Maricopa Community College, offers students and the community a renaissance of the arts, including theatre, visual arts, dance and music during the Summer 2007 semester. As part of its continued commitment to making the arts available to all, the college has expanded its arts offerings during the summer season to give students and community members access to increased opportunities for personal growth and exploration. Both summer sessions will now offer increased classes in visual arts, arts humanities, creative writing, dance, music performance and humanities, storytelling, and theatre performance. The following are a few specific areas of interest the college will offer for the first time during the summer semesters:Theatre Performance / Production: 365 Days/365 PlaysEstrella Mountain Community College has received six consecutive weeks (seven plays per week) in the 365 Days/365 Plays cycle to be performed June 18 - July 29, 2007 as part of its summer school curriculum. 365 Days/365 Plays is a collaborative effort by playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and producer Bonnie Metzgar, the result of a personal goal of Parks to write one play a day for a whole year. The plays range in length, style, and subject matter. The 365 Plays University Network has gathered together a widely diverse cross-section of schools to participate in this project. Throughout the year, the selected schools, including Estrella Mountain, will perform these brief snapshots from the imagination of one of America's leading playwrights. Performance spaces will depend upon site logistics as well as keeping to the integrity of the scripts. Estrella Mountain hosted its first round of auditions in March, and has cast some students and community members in roles. Those cast will enroll in the summer course and participate in the two-week training workshop (June 4th - June 14th) and then perform in two to three weeks of the six-week (June 18th - July 29th) series. Students will receive college credit and have an opportunity to work with fellow high school students, currently enrolled students, local actors, and directors from around the valley. Additionally, video documentation of this project will be sent to the 365 Project website to be webcast globally. All performances will be free and open to the public. Dance Performance: Modern Jazz DancePart of the college's arts offerings this summer include a chance to discover new interests in the world of dance while also getting physically fit in a fun, friendly environment. Estrella Mountain faculty Tanisha Johnson Maxwell will teach course in Hip Hop and Modern Jazz dance during the first summer session. Modern Jazz Dance has its roots in the African-American vernacular dances, jazz music, and tap. Modern Jazz Dance is a part of the same movement that rebelled in the early 20th century against the traditional Western European constraints of ballet, yet still has infusions of ballet in the techniques of the dance. The courses will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12:30 to 3:00 pm, beginning May 29. To register, call (623) 935-8888 or visit estrellamountain.edu for a full listing of classes and online registration service. For more information about 365 Days/365 Plays, contact Christopher Miller, at [email protected]. For more information about Modern Jazz Dance offerings, contact Tanisha Johnson Maxwell, at 623.935.8934. For media, contact Nicole DeLeon, Coordinator, Marketing and Public Relations, at 623.935.8056.Estrella Mountain Community College is located on Thomas and Dysart Roads in Avondale and offers transfer-ready academic courses and job-specific occupational training to more than 13,000 students annually. Estrella Mountain is part of the Maricopa County Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in the nation. For more information visit www.estrellamountain.edu or www.maricopa.edu .
