Leroy Jenkins and Felicia Norton

Leroy Jenkins and Felicia Norton have combined their talents to create an innovative fusion of contemporary dance and jazz violin. The duo began performing together in 1988, and has since performed at a variety of venues throughout the county including the Whitney Museum of Art, the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, and the Metropolitan Artists Series.

Leroy Jenkins is one of the most important artists to emerge from the seminal Chicago jazz musiciansÕ organization, the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Music) and a leading innovator on his chosen instrument. JenkinsÕ approach to jazz violin combines classical influences with a deft sense of improvisation and innovation. A distinguished composer, Jenkins has received commissioning grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and Mutable Music. He has also been commissioned to create new works for the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and the Kronos Quartet. His previous dance projects include Mother of Three Sons, a dance-opera collaboration with Bill T. Jones.

The New York Times describes Felicia Norton as Òan extraordinary dancer,Ó Òa soft, sweet, luxurious moverÓ, and her collaboration with Leroy Jenkins as ÒmagicalÓ. Like Jenkins, Norton has performed widely as a solo artist throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S. She has performed as a guest artist with Muna Tseng Dance Project, Alice Farley Dance Theater, Tamar Rogoff, Mark Dendy, and many other companies. She has also had an active teaching career, including positions at the University of Chicago, Omega Institute, United Nations International School, and Marin College.

In addition to their performance, Jenkins and Norton will also be giving a workshop at Mercyhurst College danceSpace as part of the Dance Consortium Workshop Series on Sunday, March 28, 2004, at 1 p.m.