Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 10/20/98
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   52L

Editors: Photo accompanies release   Please note local interest
LEGENDARY SWAN STARS IN SLU DANCEWORKS PRESENTATION
     HAMMOND -- Martie Fellom, coordinator of Southeastern Louisiana University's dance
program, has always been fascinated by the elegant swan.
     "I always remember the first time I read 'The Ugly Duckling,'" Fellom said. "I was
enchanted with the way the young bird, ridiculed for its appearance and clumsiness, ultimately
changed into one of the most beautiful and graceful water birds."
     Fellom has transferred her fondness for the swan to three Southeastern dance students,
Jennifer Molero and Heather Brown of Chalmette and Lillian Gray of Slidell.  Members of
Southeastern's Danceworks dance company, the dancers accepted Fellom's challenge to research
the graceful bird and choreograph pieces for Dancework's annual contribution to Fanfare,
Southeastern's October arts festival.
     The result is "Swan," four works by the three composers depicting the folklore or the
behavior of the beautiful birds.
     "Swan" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 and 29 at Pottle Music Building
Auditorium. Reserved seat tickets are $5, $3 for senior citizens, Southeastern faculty and staff
and non-SLU students. Southeastern students are admitted free with their university I.D.
     Fellom said the dancers designed their works based on their research, movement design
and invention. The dancers have been working on "Swan" since the fall semester began in
August.
     "Swan's" first movement, choreographed by Heather Brown, deals with swans' mystical
power in folklore and legend to transform into human form. The movement, danced to music
from the film "City of Angels," will be performed by Brown, Molero, Chandra Sanders of
                            (MORE) 
SLU DANCEWORKS' "SWAN"   Add One

Prairieville, Jill Munsch of Bogalusa, Tessa Merrill of xxxx, N.C., Beth Larson of Zachary and
Misty Burns of Gonzales.
     Gray's movement fuses the swan's movement patters with club dancing and techno
music. Dancers are Larson, Burns, Alison Maraman of Slidell, Grace Latino of New Orleans, 
Sharon Larroux of Metairie, Carolyn Fulton of Reserve, Amanda Gersch of Hammond, Donya
Chavanel of Laplace and Heather Breland of Abita Springs.
     Molero's third movement is based on the legend of the "swan song"   that swans sing
sweetly before they die. It will be danced by Molero, Sanders, Merrill, Fulton, Debbie Rodriguez
of Harvey, Jennifer "JB" Buck of New Orleans and Christy Breedlove of Baton Rouge.
     Gray's second piece, the fourth movement, is a series of duets, the partners never
changing, that symbolize swans' monogamy. Dancers are Maraman, Latino, Larson, Larroux,
Fulton, Gersch, Chavanel, Gonzales and Breland.
     While campus technical director Pete Pfeil is designing the lighting for "Swan," Fellom
said Woody Stevens, a visual arts student from Hammond, is helping the choreographers design
the stage, using lighting and fabric to create different "environments" for each dance.
     For more information about "Swan" and Danceworks, call Fellom at 504-549-2133. For
additional information on Fanfare, call SLU Public Information for a free brochure or visit the
www.selu.edu/fanfare web site. Fanfare tickets are available at the Fanfare box office at Gate 1
of the SLU University Center on University Ave., 504-549-2323. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30
p.m.
                            - SLU -
     This press release is available on the World Wide Web:
      www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsf98.htm