Dance

  Ruth E. Granaas passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 11, 2011; just two months shy of her 101st birthday.  She was preceded in death by her husband William J. Granaas, her brother William E Harwood, her granddaughter Sandra Lee Frankel and her nephew Scott Harwood.   Ruth was born on July 18, 1910 in Lawrence, Kansas to E. Ernest Harwood and Elsie May (Hoskins) Harwood.  The family migrated to Glendale, CA when she was just 8 years old.  She graduated from Glendale High School in 1928, married Gordon D. Pippitt and had two children.

Lineage Dance opened this year’s Brand Dance Series on May 15 with works that displayed the Pasadena-based company’s tremendous athletic prowess and lyrical grace, making the free, Sunday afternoon performance a lovely way to celebrate Leslie C. Brand’s 152nd birthday at the Brand Library and Art Galleries. The artistic director-choreographer of Lineage Dance, Hilary Thomas, creates dance works that tackle issues that touch our lives — body image, aging, breast cancer, mental illness and the workings of the brain — in her abstract, modern dance vocabulary.

The Glendale High School dominated at the 2011 USA Dance/Drill Nationals at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend, winning six awards, including four first-place prizes. Glendale also recaptured the coveted co-ed title, its 12th win in the event in 13 years. “It feels amazing,” said long-time coach Kelly Palmer. “Obviously we were most concerned with the co-ed position. We told ourselves going in anything else would be icing on the cake, but I don’t think we expected to get so much icing.” The first place wins came in the junior varsity large military division, varsity small military and large military divisions, and the co-ed division.

They have dubbed themselves the “redeem team.” One year after losing the national title in the co-ed division to their rivals at Channel Islands High School, the Glendale High School dance/drill team is eager to take the floor at the 2011 USA Dance/Drill Nationals at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend. “We are very nervous, but still excited,” said head captain Daniel Kim, 17. “It is what we have been waiting for since last March.” Competing under the leadership of Coach Kelly Palmer since 1999, the Glendale High has seen more than a decade of wins.

It was “top o’ the morning to you” Thursday at Lincoln Elementary School in North Glendale, where staff, students and parents started the day off with the famous St. Patrick’s Day trappings. Students were welcomed to the campus by a bagpiper and a trio of Irish dancers, including current Lincoln Elementary student Sinead Martin, 8, and her sisters, Ciara, 13, and Sayla, 22, both Lincoln Elementary graduates. The dancers wore intricately decorated dresses and elaborate wigs in accordance with competitive Irish dance costume.

From the ethereal to the visceral, the showcase Celebrate Dance 2011 promises to reflect the full spectrum of dance in California on Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Executive producer Jamie Nichols has assembled eight contemporary dance companies whose compelling new works will explore how people communicate with each other. Deborah Rosen’s latest work, “The Space Between, Before and After,” is an example of that. Choreographed to an original score by Tom Moose, the piece is about the cycle of how we all make connections, Rosen said.

A 2008 Crescenta Valley High graduate has been nationally recognized for her work in developing an interactive game that encourages senior citizens to exercise by dancing. Sarah Ferraro, now a junior at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, has been awarded an honorable mention in the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awards 2011 competition for her work, which was backed by a $40,000 grant from Google. The recognition comes from the Computing Research Assn., which hosts the annual competition as a means to further promote its mission of strengthening research and education in the field of computer science.

Mark and Cathy Katz listened intently as “Dancing with the Stars” dance pro Tony Dovolani explained the finer points of executing the Viennese waltz during a group lesson at the recent Superstars of Ballroom Dance Camp at the Burbank Marriott and Convention Center. The Katzes, who traveled from their hometown of Greensboro, S.C., practiced the box step in three-quarter time, trying to perfect a move they will need when they return home. In spring they will perform in an exhibition dance for a fundraiser for their local charity, Operation Smile.

With the music pulsating, two dozen dazzlingly dressed women shimmied across the brightly lit floor. Gold and silver coins, dangling from brightly colored wraps fashioned around hips, chimed with each movement. It was a scene that plays out each night in fashionable clubs and restaurants throughout the Arab world. But this group of performers was composed of Glendale College Community students who were mastering the basics of raqs sharqi, or belly dancing. "I wanted to do something active, and belly dancing looked interesting to me," said dance student Jennifer Gaillard, 31, of Los Angeles.

Students will strut the stuff they've learned in class during the 16th annual Faculty/Alumni Dance Production. Dancers in the show — students enrolled in Dance Production and Jazz Performance Skills classes this fall — are able to develop their performance skills, technical operation and other aspects of putting on a production as a result of staging this event. This year, the alumni choreographers and dancers include Reonaldo Cho, Aliem Jiles, Joseph Gurrola, Parker Harris, Daniel Kim, Esteban Martinez, Patt Paczynski, Amanda Green Richardson, Michaele Shaffer and Ani Simonian.