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Show lll*erslty Jaumill • Mondily, July ,, 1996 • 3 Burch Mann & SU dance: synonymous World-renowned dancer/choreographer dies at 87; services set for today on campus emorial services for the legendary dancer/ choreographer Burch Mann Holtzman will be held today at 1O a.m.in the Steve Gilbert Great Hall of the R. Haze Hunter Conference Center. Mann died Tuesday at her Cedar City home at the age of 87. With the strong encouragement and support of SUU President Gerald A. Sherratt, the already worldrenowned Mann moved the artistic headquarters of her American Folk Ballet to Cedar City in 1982 and began building a sterling dance program at SUU. The program, a part of the SUU department of theatre arts and dance, just last week was granted a major in dance by the Utah State Board of Regents, which will ultimately be a great tribute to Mann's work here. Each member of the current dance faculty, with the exception of Distinguished Artists in Residence Roy Fitzell, has been a member of Mann's troupe and trained under her tutelage. Fitzell also h~ had a long history as a guest artist with the AFB. Mann's daughter, San Christopher, who preceded her in death here in November, 1993, was a longtime artist in residence at SUU as well. Mann, who had been ailing for some time, leaves a legacy of excellence and creativity. Born Aug. 18, 1907 in Wise County, Texas, she traveled to New York City in 1928 to study dance from a succession of ballet masters then coming out of Russia including Bohm , Alberteri, Mordkin and Fokine. She performed as a featured dancer with the Michael M Mordkin Ballet Company and was among the first classical ballet performers to tour America. In the next decade she became one of the leading choreographers on the East Coast, working with the premier night club acts in such venues as The Martinique, Havana, Madrid, The Latin Quarter in New York City and The Mayflower in Boston. She was called to Hollywood where she choreographed for movies and television and worked extensively with the Disney Studios, creating and choreographing all of the Mouseketeers' productions in the first years of the Mickey Mouse Club. She produced dances for large pageants and special productions such as "Dixieland at Disneyland." She also choreographed the Disney feature film The Treasure of Matacumbe. In 1960 she founded a school of dance in Pasadena, Calif. , and there established what was to become the American Folk Ballet, which began touring extensively through the nation a nd the world, including stunningly triumphant trips to Israel and Russia. The group appeared five times on the Ed Sullivan Show and was featured on several Oscar telecasts. In 1971 Mann provided the choreography for the The West: America's Odyssey, produced by Sherratt at Utah State University as the showpiece of his Festival of the American West and there also operated Dance West, a dance workshop, for eight years. In 1982, Sherratt convinced here to move her rcontlnued on page 5/ Next on Concert Series: Tingstad and Rumbel ontemporary instrumental music which has reviewers struggling over how guitar, double reeds, ocarinas, keyboards, bass, and percussion. Their music to classify it will be performed July 7 on the Southern Utah University can be unusual, and it challenges any preconceived ideas by moving through sponsored Summer Evening Concert Series. different music styles of various cultures and countries." Tingstad and Aumbel began to work together in 1985, a year after they first Tingstad and Aumbel, a pair of musicians who have played in concert together extensively for the past 11 years and who have recorded 10 albums met at an Oregon music festival. He had already released two successful . . . , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , - - - - - - - - - - , albums of solo guitar together and others solo, will be featured in works, and she had Nll/1CY, Rurpbel & just completed five the free concert. The Eric n!"'stad years of recording and performance will begin ••· touring as a member at 7 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Performing of the Paul Winter Arts Theatre. Consort. It was a Eric Tingstad and shared interest in Nancy Rumbel have stretching their performed throughout instruments beyond the United States and traditional contexts Mexico for over a that drew them together. Today, the decade in a wide variety of settings. two artists and their They have played New families are nearby neighbors east of York City's prestigious Town Hall, the Federal Seattle. Auditorium in Mexico The duo makes it a personal policy to City, and in rural Alaskan fishing villages. perform benefit ''Their music has concerts for a variety of been described as a non-profit groups. unique blend of jazz, Each year, they donate ethnic folk, progressive several performances rock, and classical to help raise funds and elements," Marla public awareness for Bingham, manager of worthwhile causes the concert series for ranging from cystic the lectures/special fibrosis research to projects office at SUU, the nationwide Center for Plant said. ''They feature-in various combinationsConservation. C I |