Union College’s dance program took a great leap forward May 19 with groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Henle Dance Pavilion, a home for classes, rehearsals, workshops, performances, and other events.

“The Dance Pavilion not only will provide an appropriate home for our thriving dance program but also will complete our vision for the campus’s vibrant arts complex,” said president Stephen C. Ainlay of the $3 million facility, to be built adjacent to Yulman Theater and completed next spring.

Artist’s rendering of Union College’s Henle Dance Pavilion (Image courtesy Union College)

The new building will revitalize a currently underused courtyard and create an “arts town square” that also includes the Visual Arts Building, the Taylor Music Center, and Yulman Theater at the Schenectady, New York college.

The pavilion will replace the current 1,200-square-foot studio in Visual Arts with a 2,200-square-foot dance studio and 1,000-square-foot lobby that will double as rehearsal space. Both new spaces will have 20-foot ceilings that will safely permit lifts and aerials.

Under the direction of Miryam Moutillet, Union’s dance program enrolls nearly 150 students each term, many of whom combine a dance minor with majors in other fields. The program features multilevel technique classes in styles from ballet to Broadway dance, as well as classes in choreography, performance and dance history, plus workshops, master classes, and dance residencies taught by major dance companies and artists.

To see the full press release, visit http://www.union.edu/news/stories/2012/05/dance-to-step-into-new-home.php.

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