Area choreographer
nets N.C. Arts Council Fellowship Midgett will perform work at N.C. Dance
Festival Oct. 30
Valerie Midgett of Boone has been choreographing dances
locally and nationally for more than 20 years.
She is the recent recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council’s
Choreographer’s Fellowship, an award given to two individual
artists in their field every other year. The fellowship is awarded
not for a particular project, but instead on a history and body
of work over time. It provides an opportunity for artists to devote
time and energy to their creative process. Although Midgett enjoys
teaching very much — and wearing several hats has its rewards
— she admits it does complete with the amount of time one
can dedicate to creative work.
Opening to Grace, choreographed
by Valerie Midgett. Photo
submitted
Midgett is the co-founder and artistic director of X Factor Dance
Company, a nonprofit contemporary dance company, which found its
roots in Boone about 15 years ago. In that time, X Factor has
traveled nationally and internationally. Past performance venues
include New York City, North Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia,
Florida, California, Colorado, Guatemala, Austria and Lithuania.
Through her company, Midgett has received numerous grants from
the North Carolina Arts Council, the Watauga Arts Council, and
the most recent N.C. Choreographer’s Fellowship. She has
taught dance at Appalachian State University, Lees-McRae College,
UNC Greensboro, Meredith College, and Middlebury College.
Her most recent work, Opening to Grace, will be presented as part
of the North Carolina Dance Festival, which travels to five cities
in the state, and will be at ASU’s Valborg Theatre Oct. 30-Nov.
1. Opening to Grace will be performed on Thursday, Oct. 30, at
8 p.m.
“This work came out of a love for both dance and gardening,
and reflects the physical and spiritual qualities they share,”
said a spokesperson for the Dance Festival.
It is based on an original duet, Oswego Tea, by Midgett and Hilary
McDowell, after a summer spent together working at the Potting
Shed in Blowing Rock.
Midgett described her own process, “...As I continue to create
work, I’m striving to recognize its impact on my community,
feeling connected to its relevance and meaning. With regard to
my choreography, I am actively pursuing opportunities and exploring
new resources for generating creative material to help support
my ongoing investigation of the creative process, and the connection
between the psyche to the physique.
“I am interested in what I call ‘awkward-elegance’
— the discovery of beauty in the unexpected. However, my
work also stems from a powerful emotional base. I constantly strive
to produce intimate work that has universal appeal...work that
evokes vibrant images and explores movement as a vehicle for sensation,
perception and risk taking.
“I feel fortunate to be a part of this community, which has
so many wonderful dancers, many of whom have graduated from ASU
and want to remain in the area. It is my hope to produce work
that will allow many fine dancers to remain in our state. I value
their creativity, dedication and talent. I want to connect with
other dancers and artists with whom I share a creative vision,
and whose individual associations and interpretations are vital
to my artistic process.”
Over a 20-year period, Midgett has created more than 30 new works
and continues advocating dance through outreach programs, residencies,
commissions and performances. In addition to teaching and choreographing,
she is the owner of Neighborhood Yoga in Boone and the mother
of 5-year-old Max.
Tickets to the N.C. Dance Festival can be purchased at the Valborg
Theatre box office. Call (828) 262-3063 Monday-Friday from 2 to
5 p.m. or online at www.dance.appstate.edu.
Photo from Opening to Grace, choreographed by Valerie Midgett
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