Ohio Wesleyan Celebrates Opening of Jannuzi Dance Studio
Department of Theatre & Dance to Showcase New Facility Oct. 3
Ohio Wesleyan University’s Department of Theatre & Dance will celebrate the opening of its new Jannuzi Dance Studio with an Oct. 1 reception. The event will conclude with a showcase by Cleveland-based Inlet Dance Theatre, featuring OWU graduate Joshua Brown (standing) and company founder Bill Wade. (Photo courtesy of Inlet Dance Theatre)
DELAWARE, Ohio – The most frequent dance performed at Ohio Wesleyan University these days just might be the happy dance. The campus is celebrating the opening of its modern, spacious Jannuzi Dance Studio, located inside Simpson Querrey Fitness Center, 105 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.
The 2,425-square-foot dance studio is named in memory of Margaret Moltrup Jannuzi, OWU Class of 1933, and her husband, Eugene F. Jannuzi (both deceased). The Pennsylvania couple’s 2011 estate gift of $687,000 has helped to fund new lighting for the Main Stage at Chappelear Drama Center as well as support other fine arts and academics initiatives.
The Department of Theatre & Dance will showcase its new dance studio with a public reception at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 during OWU’s 2015 Homecoming and Family Weekend. The reception will conclude with a 5:30 p.m. showcase by Cleveland-based Inlet Dance Theatre, featuring Joshua Brown, OWU Class of 2004, and artistic director/founder Bill Wade. Admission is free for the 20-minute showcase, but seating is limited. While on campus, Inlet Dance Theatre also will hold a master class with OWU dance students.
Ohio Wesleyan’s new Jannuzi Dance Studio meets all facility standards of the National Association of Schools of Dance and was specially designed to approximate the performance area of Chappelear’s Main Stage so that students could easily rehearse in one venue and perform in the other.
The dance studio includes collapsible seating for 80 and a sprung hardwood floor that cushions the landings and protects the joints of OWU dancers. Wall mirrors and ballet barres, combined with extensive sound and video capabilities, make the studio a state-of-the-art venue for instruction and practice. Pipes in the ceiling and walls will allow adjustable lighting and other equipment to be added over time.
D. Glen Vanderbilt Jr., professor of theatre and chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance, said the studio provides an impressive – and permanent – campus home for the program.
“The dance program at OWU has existed above the laundry room in Monnett Hall, on the top floor of the former factory that is now Edgar Hall, and inside a rented storefront downtown,” Vanderbilt said. “We are delighted to finally have such a stellar home for our dedicated dancers and instructors.”
Learn more about the OWU Department of Theatre & Dance, including its schedule of 2015-2016 performances, at https://www.owu.edu/academics/departments-programs/department-of-theatre-dance/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.