It is with much sadness that we inform you that Elizabeth Ann Walton LeBlanc, Associate Professor Emerita in the UMBC Department of Dance, passed away on November 17, 2017.

Liz was a founding member of the Dance Department from 1972-2016. She chaired the department for 20 years, from 1977-1997.  A member of the renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company (now called Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance) from 1959 - 1966, Liz originated roles in many of Taylor's seminal works including Aureole, Junction, Insects and Heroes, and Scudorama, and toured Europe, South America and the United States with the company. In 1981, she performed Taylor's choreography with Rudolph Nureyev and Friends in Honolulu. Liz's research remained focused on Paul Taylor's choreography and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She taught his works to student and professional companies across the United States, in Germany, China and South Africa. She produced three documentaries on Taylor and his work:  Conversation with Paul Taylor (1986), Understanding the Choreography of Paul Taylor (1996),and Paul Taylor: The Man Behind the Dance (2013).

Liz was featured in the film Aureole, by Matthew Diamond, shown during the 2012 season of the company.  In 2014, she reprised her role in Taylor's From Sea to Shining Sea at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. In 2015, she wrote three articles describing her experiences performing Taylor's dances, for Paul Taylor Dance Company: The Diamond Anniversary," published by Delphinium Books.

Liz founded UMBC's Phoenix Repertory Dance Company (now called Baltimore Dance Project) in 1983, for which she created several works. She succeeded in obtaining numerous grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences to support the work of the company.  Phoenix performed at many venues in Baltimore, the DC Metro area, and in New York City.

Liz is survived by her sister, Adrienne Price, her children, Michael and Rosalynde LeBlanc, and three grandchildren. A funeral will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, CA. on December 1 at 1:00 pm. Plans are under way for a memorial on the East Coast.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the UMBC Foundation (please include "Dance Department" in the memo line) Gifts may be made online at giving.umbc.edu. Please designate the Dance Department and note that your gift is in memory of Elizabeth Walton Leblanc. These funds will support awards to students for studies in dance."

Dance faculty and students are making their marks in Baltimore and Metro DC!

Coming up in March

Brian Jones, Technical Director, talks about lighting for dance as an invited panel speaker at the USITT Association for Performing Arts and Entertainment Professionals conference in St. Louis, Missouri, March 8 - 11.  

Students Sarah Schmitz, Kelly Detweiler and Maia Schechter present their choreography at the American College Dance Association's Mid-Atlantic Regional Festival, March 8 - 11.

Erica Rebollar, Visiting Lecturer, performs with her company Rebollar Dance at Baltimore Theater Project on March 17 and 18 on the final leg of a tri-city tour with companies Deep Vision Dance and RealLivePeople.

February Faculty News

Sandra Lacy performed her solo Lost on February 4 in the Maryland Choreographers Showcase at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Her dance was one of six selected from submissions by Maryland's best choreographers.

Dance faculty presented their choreography in Baltimore Dance Project performances at UMBC on February 9 - 11. Carol Hess premiered her new work LightForest, featuring five dancers amidst colorful projections, wearing portable speakers and sound designed by Timothy Nohe, funded in part by a CAHSS Summer Faculty Research Fellowship. Doug Hamby presented his riveting piece Square Breath to a new score composed and performed live by music students Eliza Triolo and Christian Hartman. Desiree Koont-Nachtrieb premiered a contemporary ballet duet In a Sea of Memory, and Sandra Lacy performed her solo Lost.

Doug Hamby is on sabbatical during Spring '17, editing archival video of the choreography of veteran Martha Graham dancer Helen McGeeHee. The project is funded in part by a CAHSS Faculty Fellowship.

Erica Rebollar, Visiting Artist for Fall 2015, has been selected by a panel of esteemed judges to receive the prestigious Pola Nirenska Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Dance."  She will receive this award in a special ceremony on January 23rd at the Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  We salute her accomplishments and are very excited that our dancers have the opportunity to learn her choreography this semester.