Performing Arts

Anthony LaLena

masci — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:53:03 +0000

Anthony LaLena

Assistant Professor of Musicology

masci Thu, 09/04/2025 - 10:53

Brodie 123

(585) 245-5822

alalena@geneseo.edu

he/him/his

Dr. Anthony LaLena teaches courses on western classical music, jazz, and rock and pop. He also teaches upper-level seminars on musical modernism and critical theory, musicological approaches to aesthetic theory and historiography, and collaborations of music and dance in the 20th century.

His musicological research is focused on music and politics, and specifically the musical construction of identity and race in twentieth-century Spain. More broadly, his research interests include the aesthetics of fragmentation, failure, humor, and puppetry in modernist theatrical music. His most recent work concerning the guitar focuses on distance and longing in the music of composers of the Spanish diaspora following the Spanish Civil War.

Currently, he is completing a recording project of new solo guitar music by Gulli Björnsson and Mark Delpriora. A second recording project underway features historically-informed performances of music from the 1920s and 30s by Spanish exiles and Latin American composers.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
DMA, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
MM, Manhattan School of Music
BM, SUNY Fredonia

Sonia Dawkins: DfPA Fall Artist-in-Residence

masci — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:14:31 +0000

Sonia Dawkins: DfPA Fall Artist-in-Residence

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

masci Wed, 08/06/2025 - 14:14

Performing Arts News

The Department for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce its Fall 2025 Artist-in-Residence: Sonia Dawkins. Ms. Dawkins will host a series of master classes and rehearsals with the Geneseo Dance Ensemble from September 3 through September 7 at SUNY Geneseo, leading to the performance of an original contemporary work with the GDE at the spring concert. All rehearsals are free and open to the public.

Based in Seattle and New York, Ms. Dawkins is the founder and artistic director of SD/Prism Dance Theatre and was the first African-American female teacher at the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. During her 12 1/2 year tenure at the Ballet, she enhanced the modern dance program and served as choreographer. As a collaborative artist she has worked extensively as a choreographer for dance companies, plays, musicals, and operas, including Jacob's Pillow, Philadanco, and Seattle Opera. Ms. Dawkins choreography is deeply and socially engaged. As Ms. she describes, "My work is inspired by curiosity for the cultural facets of dance. I have a profound interest in capturing the artistic, social, and practical dimensions of the human experience."

She has also served as a choreographer at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre School and has been an Artist in Residence at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Oklahoma, Cincinnati Ballet School, and the Jones-Haywood Dance School.

Ms. Dawkins' residency is generously supported by the Dance Studies Program, Orchesis, The Office of the Provost, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Department for the Performing Arts.

Sonia Dawkins, Choreographer

Alissa Bachand

lamontagne — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:31:22 +0000

Alissa Bachand lamontagne Thu, 06/26/2025 - 15:31

Alissa Bachand grew up dancing competitively in the Southern Tier area, training in all disciplines of dance. She is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo where she received a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Dance. In her time at Geneseo Alissa was the recipient of the Nona Schurman Scholarship for Excellence in Dance Composition, the Sue Ann Kreutter Dance Award and received a variety of undergraduate research grants for dance performance. She eventually went on to produce, choreograph, stage, and perform a senior thesis in dance.

Alissa attended the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC on scholarship and while there studied with Douglas Nielson, Jeffrey Bullock, Lisa Race, David Dorfman, and “Bopi” Patterson with whom she performed repertory from Mark Morris’ “The Hard Nut”, She was also selected to work with Twyla Tharp.

Alissa’s professional and performing career started as a company member, and eventual soloist, for Shelter Repertory Dance Theater (MN). She was a company member with Ko-Motion Movement Theater (NY) and was a Co-Captain/ Choreographer for a Professional Lacrosse League Dance Team. Throughout her performing career she worked as an artist in residence at a variety of Midwest colleges and universities. Alissa became an Arts in Education Ambassador with Ko-Motion Movement Theater. She performed and worked collaboratively with school age children throughout the Hudson Valley.

Currently Alissa is in her 16th year as the owner and studio director of The Movement Box Dance Studio located in Syracuse NY. Her dancers have gone on to excel in collegiate dance programs and work professionally. Additionally, Alissa is an experienced Master Teacher and Adjudicator for a variety of dance competitions and conventions. She works for Empire Dance Challenge, Impact Dance Adjudicators, All Out Dance Competition, and Groove National Dance Competition (One Beat Brands). She spends her spring season adjudicating over 4000 routines across the United States.

Alissa’s approach to teaching is one of discipline, history, body awareness, and proper technique. She incorporates dance fundamentals with kinesthetic sense, and combines her science background with dance technique, to teach body placement, alignment, and injury prevention. She believes strongly in a well-rounded and highly versatile dance education with emphasis on all genres of dance styles, and techniques. Most of all she tries to inspire through passionate teaching, dynamic energy, and pushing students to aim for their highest potential, while embracing all that dance has to offer!

When Alissa is not in the studio she is hiking mountains, catching summer music concerts, or working on her health and fitness coaching!

Samantha Marchant

klinges — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:28:09 +0000

Samantha Marchant

Adjunct Lecturer in Theatre & Dance

klinges Tue, 03/25/2025 - 10:28

Brodie Hall 173B

(585)245-5842

smarchant@geneseo.edu

she/her

Samantha Marchant is a playwright and director based in WNY. She graduated from the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University with a concentration in Playwriting. Her work has been produced on both US coasts and has had readings all across the country and in Canada. Her plays have been produced or developed with Nickel Flour, Woven Theatre, Inkwell Lab, Workshop Theater, The Pulp Stage, The Skeleton Rep(resents), Theater Three, TMDT, Post Industrial Productions, Skull and Dagger, Alleyway Theatre, and Route 66, among others. She has attended the Sewanee Writers’ Conference as a Horton Foote Scholar in playwriting and was a DGF National Fellowship Finalist. Her writing has been published in Smith & Kraus The Best 10-Minute Plays, Go Play Outside, The Louisville Review, Sick Lit Magazine and Women Writing Letters Season 3 and 4. Her full-length script, Turtle Play (The Play About the Turtle), is now available from Next Stage Press. She is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild and BAWG Playwrights. She longs for what’s weird and a good laugh. Website - https://samanthavmarchant.wixsite.com/samanthamarchant

Geneseo Dance Ensemble Presents Dancing into View

patenaude — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:14 +0000

Geneseo Dance Ensemble Presents Dancing into View patenaude Thu, 02/20/2025 - 14:16

2024 Year in Review

barkan — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 14:00:27 +0000

2024 Year in Review barkan Tue, 01/07/2025 - 09:00

Geneseo Dance Ensemble Presents Journeys Unfolding

patenaude — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:00:21 +0000

Geneseo Dance Ensemble Presents Journeys Unfolding patenaude Fri, 11/01/2024 - 11:00

Korinne Marie Smith

masci — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:54:30 +0000

Korinne Marie Smith

Instructor of Flute

masci Fri, 11/01/2024 - 09:54

Esther Baker

masci — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:53:21 +0000

Esther Baker

Instructor of Cello and Double Bass

masci Fri, 11/01/2024 - 09:53

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year

rime — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:30:48 +0000

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year rime Fri, 08/30/2024 - 10:30