Francine Ott Makes NC State Panoramic Dance Project Concert Debut March 22-23

March 22 and 23, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Stewart Theatre I Talley Student Union

The Panoramic Dance Project –– an NC State academic dance company dedicated to exploring diverse dance styles –– will present its annual spring concert performances March 22-23, 2018, at 8 p.m. in Stewart Theatre inside Talley Student Union. This will be the company’s first performance under artistic director Francine Ott.

Getting to Know Francine Ott

Francine Elizabeth Ott, a native of New Orleans, joined the NC State Dance Program as Dance Lecturer and artistic director of the Panoramic Dance Project in August 2017. Ott received her B.F.A in Dance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and studied at many dance intensives, including the American Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow, where she received scholarships. She has worked, studied and danced with Camille A. Brown and Dancers, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company, Brian Green, and Tony Kundu among others.

Ms. Ott has been featured in the July 2011 issue of Dance Magazine in the article, “When Words Hurt,” and the February 2011 issue of SHAPE Magazine, in “Confidence Queens.” Ott received her master’s degree in mental health counseling at Nyack College and was an Administrative Assistant at Nyack College’s Manhattan Campus for the Alliance Graduate School of Counseling.

Ott uses all of these unique elements from her background to help the students of the Panoramic Dance Project take what they do in the studio and implement them in real life.

What Ott Says About the Panoramic Dance Project

Ott teaches her students that it is important for them to build a community within the company. How close the group is with one another completely effects how the performance comes off on stage.

Ott uses dance to help the students with their other classes. If a student is having issues with testing, Ott will try to find a way to help them through dance. Whether that means they need to relax more or study the same way that they learn choreography.

“When people see the students dance,” Ott explains, “they can see that something is different.”

James

One of the pieces the students will be performing for the Spring Concert is Ott’s piece entitled James. Ott wrote the piece in 2011 for the UNCG School of Dance. Recently, James was selected for the American College Dance Association Mid-Atlantic South gala concert.

Ott describes the piece as a physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional exploration of one’s internal dialogue. The intangible hybrid of hip-hop, house, modern and African diaspora dances, along with scriptural references, has given the dancers a uniquely diverse form of storytelling.

James is a “transformative experience that has not only been therapeutic, but has also allowed each person to seek, find, and deepen their understanding of self, relationships, people, and the world around them”, Ott says. Music is by Frank Ocean, Ebrahim, Mali Music, and Nicholas Ryan Gant.

More About the Panoramic Dance Project Spring Concert

Themes of self discovery, emotional exploration, relationships, independence, and individuality will be featured in choreographic works by guest artists, including Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and Matthew Wright, and Artistic Director of the Panoramic Dance Project & Dance Lecturer Francine E. Ott. NC State Panoramic Dance Project will present two performances, March 22 and 23, in Stewart Theatre at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for NC State students; $10 for NC State faculty/staff, Seniors, and non-NC State students; and $12 for general public. Purchase tickets online at http://bit.ly/2F1GgFu, by phone at 919-515-1100, in person at Thompson Hall (2241 Dunn Ave.), or at the door.

We hope you will come out to experience Ott’s Panoramic Dance Project concert debut with us!