SMU Forum -

SMU authors: Tell us about your new books published in 2017

Faculty, staff, students and alumni: Did you publish a general-interest book in 2017? SMU News is seeking information on your publications for possible inclusion in its end-of-year holiday book list.

Please complete this brief web form to submit your book information, and send a high-resolution electronic cover image to the SMU Books e-mail address. Please include in the web form a site address where News and Communications can find more information.

Questions? Contact book list editor Cherri Gann, 214-768-7657. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 1, 2017.

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-15T15:27:20+00:00 November 15, 2017|Categories: News, Save the Date|Tags: alumni books, faculty books, holiday book list, staff books, student books|

Celebration of Lights opens SMU’s holiday season Monday, Nov. 27, 2017

As Thanksgiving Break ends, SMU ushers in the holiday season with one of its most beloved annual traditions: the Celebration of Lights. Sponsored by the SMU Student Foundation, the 2017 ceremony will take place Monday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. on the Main Quad.

The ceremony features thousands of decorative lights, luminarias lining the sidewalks, seasonal songs performed by student musicians, and SMU President R. Gerald Turner reading the Christmas Story. The public is invited to attend and to share cookies and hot chocolate with the campus community before the ceremony begins.

The Student Foundation will livestream the event from 7-8 p.m. via Facebook Live. Tune in: facebook.com/smuSF

This December’s festivities also include:

Advent Worship Service: SMU’s Perkins School of Theology celebrates its Advent Worship Service on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Perkins Chapel. Both services, under the theme “Ero cras…I shall come tomorrow,” will feature the Seminary Singers, directed by Simon Hill ’17 and accompanied by Hannah Cruse. The 8 p.m. service will include a special performance by the Orpheus Chamber Singers, led by founder and Artistic Director Donald Krehbiel ’83. Readers for the service will be Perkins faculty and staff members including Charles L. Aaron, associate director, Intern Program; Carlos F. Cardoza Orlandi, director, Doctor of Ministry Program; Laura Figura, coordinator of student life; Craig C. Hill, dean; Tamara E. Lewis, assistant professor of the history of Christianity; Evelyn Parker, associate dean for academic affairs and Susanna Wesley Centennial Professor of Practical Theology; Margot Perez-Greene, associate dean for enrollment management; and Mark W. Stamm, professor of Christian worship.

All-University Holiday Celebration: President and Mrs. Turner invite all SMU faculty and staff members to their annual holiday reception Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Martha Proctor Mack Ballroom, Umphrey Lee Center.

December Commencement Convocation: SMU celebrates its 2017 December Commencement Convocation Saturday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. in Moody Coliseum. Retired and current faculty members will assemble for procession in academic dress no later than 9:40 a.m. in the Miller Champions Club. The ceremony will be livestreamed at smu.edu/live beginning at 9:45 a.m.

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-27T16:13:29+00:00 November 27, 2017|Categories: Calendar Highlights, News|Tags: Advent Worship Service, Celebration of Lights, Donald Krehbiel, free events, Gail O. Turner, Hannah Cruse, holiday events, holidays, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Perkins School of Theology, R. Gerald Turner, Simon Hill, SMU Student Foundation, Student Foundation, student news|

President Turner outlines SMU’s new direction in research at Dallas Fed

SMU President R. Gerald Turner had a clear message for a group of business and civic leaders gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas: The return on investment in SMU made by Dallas leaders more than 100 years ago continues to be strong.

In a Monday, Nov. 13, 2017 update on SMU’s economic impact, Turner outlined the growth in reputation for all seven of the University’s degree-granting schools, including the creation of more than a dozen centers and institutes addressing issues like education, criminal justice reform and international business. Most notably, he said, SMU is transforming into a new era of teaching and research fueled by a powerful digital infrastructure.

The University now offers 13 graduate programs in data science and is powered by ManeFrame II, among the top 20 supercomputers in North American higher education. In addition, SMU partners with organizations such as the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, AT&T, Raytheon, Big Thought, Harvard and MIT.

President Turner also emphasized that SMU’s high-speed supercomputer is accessible with no waiting to students, faculty and research partners outside SMU – and that a University that can complete data analysis in any discipline faster, without long wait times for access, has an advantage.

The five-year investment of $85 million in high speed computing, data science curriculum and planned Gerald J. Ford Research Center has an additional strategic purpose: It can deliver more bang for the research buck than a comparable investment in additional wet labs for handling chemicals and biological matter. The University aims to generate $100 million a year in research, Turner said, and the infusion of data science into research across disciplines – combined with important work accomplished in University wet labs – will help SMU get there.

— Written by Kim Cobb

> Read more from SMU News

> Visit the website: smu.edu/datapowered

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-16T14:19:23+00:00 November 16, 2017|Categories: News, Research|Tags: Dallas Fed, data science, digital infrastructure, economic impact, economic impact report, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, high-speed supercomputing, ManeFrame II, R. Gerald Turner, research, supercomputing|

Three Roads to Magdalena author David Wallace Adams receives Weber-Clements Book Prize Nov. 15, 2017

Acclaimed as a unique and enduring window into borderlands history, David Wallace Adams’ 2016 book, Three Roads to Magdalena: Coming of Age in a Southwest Borderland, 1890-1990, received this year’s Weber-Clements Prize for Best Non-Fiction Book on Southwestern America on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. The public event was hosted by the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies.

Three Roads to Magdalena is a unique blend of oral, social and childhood history about a region of New Mexico that Adams fell in love with while serving as curriculum director at a Navajo Reservation school in Alamo, New Mexico. Thirty miles to the northwest was Magdalena, a once-booming frontier town where Navajo, Anglo and Hispanic people have lived in shifting, sometimes separate, sometimes overlapping worlds for well over a century.

Adams’ time as a Clements Center Fellow from 2005-06 afforded him the opportunity to hone several thousand pages of multi-faceted, highly personal research he had collected into what would become this 454-page book, published by University Press of Kansas.

David Wallace Adams

Now professor emeritus of history and education at Cleveland State University in Ohio, Adams teaches courses about the American West and Native American history. He also is the author of the acclaimed 1995 book, Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928.

The Weber-Clements Award, overseen by the Western History Association (WHA), honors fine writing and original research on the American Southwest. The competition is open to any nonfiction book on Southwestern life published in the year prior to its selection. The winning author receives $2,500.

Three Roads to Magdalena “draws upon a precious trove of interviews to explain what it was like growing up in this multicultural borderland during the late 19th and 20th centuries,” WHA judges noted. “From the hazy, tactile memories of early childhood through the hot and precise recollections of adolescent adventures, people across the region shared moving and intimate stories of the kind historians are seldom privileged enough to hear. Balancing critical distance with insight, humor and compassion, Adams has woven these recollections together into a book that is wise, challenging, absorbing, ingeniously researched and beautifully written.”

SMU history professor Neil Foley recently made the book required reading in his graduate-level class, “Citizenship and Transnational Identity.” When Foley learned that two of his assigned books had been considered for the Weber-Clements Prize, “I decided to ask the students, ‘If you were on the prize committee, which one of these two finalists do you think should win?’ After a straw poll, the students unanimously agreed Three Roads to Magdalena should take the prize. And to everyone’s delight, Foley informed the class that Adams’ book did win.

“That just goes to show you don’t have to be a professional historian to write good history [Adams has a doctorate in education] – and you don’t need to be a professional historian to know when you’re reading good history,” Foley says.

— Written by Denise Gee

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-16T14:26:53+00:00 November 15, 2017|Categories: Calendar Highlights, For the Record, News|Tags: awards and honors, Clements Center Fellows, Clements Center for Southwest Studies, David Wallace Adams, Denise Gee, Neil Foley, Southwest history, Three Roads to Magdalena, transnational history, Weber-Clements Book Prize, William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies|

Order Thanksgiving treats from SMU Catering by Friday, Nov. 17, 2017

Thanksgiving cornucopia SMU Catering is taking orders for Thanksgiving pies, cakes, cookies and breads – but time is running short. Place your order by Friday, Nov. 17, 2017 for Thanksgiving week pick-up.

The annual offerings include pumpkin, buttermilk and Jack Daniel’s pecan pies. Also available are Mexican chocolate cake, white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, almond citrus cake, pear tart (featuring champagne-poached pears with frangipane almond filling) and pumpkin dip with gingersnaps.

The kitchen is also taking orders for Mustang bread in both original and jalapeño cheese varieties. All baked goods are homemade by SMU Catering.

For pricing information and to place your Thanksgiving order, call SMU Catering at 214-768-2368, or fax your order to 214-768-2366 and include your contact phone number. Visa, MasterCard and checks (payable to SMU Catering) are accepted.

Thanksgiving dessert order forms are available in several campus food outlets, or you can download a printable form here.

Payment is due upon receipt of your order. All orders and payments must be turned into SMU Dining Services in 101 Umphrey Lee Center by 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. All prices include tax.

Thanksgiving baked goods are for pick-up only. Orders will be available from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20 and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21 in the SMU Catering office, 101 Umphrey Lee Center. Products are guaranteed fresh until Sunday, Nov. 26, with the exception of Mustang bread, which is guaranteed fresh for 48 hours after order pick-up.

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-15T11:22:31+00:00 November 15, 2017|Categories: News, Save the Date|Tags: holidays, Mustang bread, SMU Catering, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving desserts|

Seasonal stress: How to help students, co-workers, and ourselves

As SMU enters both the holiday and exam seasons for Fall 2017, the Office of the Provost is asking that all University community members look out for signs of stress in themselves, as well as in co-workers and students.

The weeks from Thanksgiving to the end of finals are “a time of significant stress for many members of our community,” wrote Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Currall in an e-mail message dated Nov. 13, 2017. “We ask each of you to be aware of signs of stress in yourself and those around you. In particular, I ask that you be aware of signs of stress among students, especially first-year students as they are experiencing their first round of final exams.”

In addition, Currall urged students “who feel the stress of the season and finals” to visit the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center and make use of the many health resources available to them.

Currall also urged faculty and staff members to become familiar with SMU’s Caring Community Connections page: “This website allows us to convey our concerns about students so that the University’s support staff are able to provide students with appropriate information, caring, and advice.”

If you have concerns about students and are not sure what to do, please refer to the Student Affairs brochure “Concerned About an SMU Student?” or contact the Dean of Student Life Office at 214-768-4564.

In addition, these SMU offices can help, either with advice or referrals:

Counseling Services, 214-768-2277
Dean of Student Life Office, 214-768-4564
Office of the Chaplain, 214-768-4502
SMU Police Department, 214-768-3388

Physical exercise is often a good antidote to stress, Currall added, “and SMU is fortunate to have the extraordinary resources of the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports available for faculty, students, and staff. Please take advantage of these facilities even during these busy times.”

Currall ended his message by encouraging the SMU community to take care of each other. “If you have the opportunity, I urge you to reach out to an individual who is separated from family and friends during this time and invite them to share some of your traditions and goodwill of your family and friends,” he wrote.

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-16T12:01:14+00:00 November 14, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: counseling resources, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports, Dr. Bob Smith Health Center, holiday stress, holidays, mental health, Provost's Office, seasonal stress, Steven Currall, stress management|

SMU Basketball season opens Friday, Nov. 10, 2017

The Mustang men and women open their 2017-18 basketball seasons on Friday, Nov. 10 in Moody Coliseum.

First up will be the women’s team, working to build on a season that took the squad to both the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and to a record-high team G.PA. This year’s roster features returning senior starter Alicia Froling, recently named to the American Athletic Conference All-Preseason team. The first 400 SMU students, faculty and staff members (with SMU ID) at the 11:30 a.m. game against Nicholls State will receive a free lunch from Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, courtesy of Head Coach Travis Mays.

.@TravisMays is buying lunch from @rudysbbq for @SMU faculty, staff and students Friday! Season-opener at 11:30am vs Nicholls. #PonyUp pic.twitter.com/pb1w5O0sWL

— SMU Women’s BBall (@SMUWBB) November 6, 2017

At 7 p.m., the men’s squad led by Head Coach Tim Jankovich begins the defense of its American Athletic Conference championships with the season opener against UMBC. Junior guard Shake Milton has made the watch lists for the 2018 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year. Milton was also named the 2017-18 preseason American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Wear red for the first game of the season, which is also the Mustangs’ inaugural meeting with the Retrievers.

#RedOut for the season opener on Friday! #PonyUp #MoodyMagic https://t.co/R5E9S4Cuvu pic.twitter.com/G883KRUWPC

— SMU Basketball (@SMUBasketball) November 9, 2017

> Find more Mustang sports news at SMUMustangs.com

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-09T15:51:58+00:00 November 9, 2017|Categories: News, Sports|Tags: Alicia Froling, men's basketball, Moody Coliseum, Shake Milton, SMU Basketball, Tim Jankovich, Travis Mays, women's basketball|

Bishop Michael McKee ’78 named 2017 Distinguished Alumnus by Perkins School of Theology

Michael McKee, SMU trustee and resident bishop of the Dallas Area of The United Methodist Church, has been named the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. He will be honored during the annual awards banquet on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017 at 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall.

Bishop McKee was selected for the award by the Perkins Alumni/ae Council for his demonstrated effectiveness and integrity in service to the church, continuing support and involvement in the goals of Perkins School of Theology and SMU, distinguished service in the wider community and exemplary character.

A native of Fort Worth, Bishop McKee’s service to The United Methodist Church, to Southern Methodist University, and to Perkins School of Theology has spanned almost five decades and has influenced the denomination at the local, regional, national, and global levels.

“Bishop McKee is an outstanding choice for the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award,” said Perkins Dean Craig C. Hill. “Throughout his ministry, he has been a faithful servant of both The United Methodist Church and Perkins School of Theology, and I — like so many others — have come to rely on his judgment and to count on his assistance.”

“There is no better partner in the work of our school,” Dean Hill said.

In his nomination letter, Dr. John Robbins — senior pastor of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston — cited Bishop McKee’s extraordinary and courageous leadership through the years.

“He served the local church with distinction with every congregation he led experiencing significant growth,” he said. “His strong leadership created an exceptional level of respect from his clergy colleagues, as well as countless lay people. He has never shied away from challenges or conflicts that might impede his ability to share the Gospel message through the spoken word and hands-on efforts,” Dr. Robbins said. “Because of that and many other accomplishments, he is more than deserving of this prestigious honor.”

A member of the SMU Board of Trustees since 2012, he has been a member of the Perkins Executive Board since 2004 and currently serves as its chair. He was a member of the Perkins Dean Search Committee in 2016 and was co-chair of the successful Second Century Campaign, which increased financial aid and faculty chair endowments at Perkins School of Theology.

Bishop McKee is president of the Board of the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), a member of the Council of Bishops Executive Committee and is immediate past-president of the South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops. In addition to SMU, he serves on the Boards of Trustees of the Texas Methodist Foundation, Southwestern University, and Methodist Health System, Dallas

Elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church in 2012, he previously served for 15 years as senior minister of First UMC in Hurst, Texas. He was appointed as senior minister of Overton Park UMC, Meadowbrook UMC in Fort Worth, and First UMC in Joshua. Bishop McKee also served as associate pastor of First UMC in Fort Worth and Richland Hills UMC.

A clergy member of the Central Texas Annual Conference prior to his election to the episcopacy, he was ordained Deacon in 1975 and Elder in 1979. He served as chair of the annual conference Board of Ordained Ministry, was elected delegate to the General Conference in 2008 and 2012, and was an alternate delegate in 2004. In addition, he was a delegate to South Central Jurisdictional Conferences each quadrennium from 2004-2012.

Bishop McKee received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin (1973), a Master of Theology from Perkins School of Theology of Southern Methodist University (1978), and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Texas Wesleyan University (2005). He is married to Joan (Craig) McKee and they have two adult children: Erin McKee Chidsey, son-in-law Darin, and grandsons Knox and Ford, Los Angeles, California; and Meredith McKee, who lives in Dallas.

> Buy tickets for the SMU Perkins awards banquet online

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-09T13:48:04+00:00 November 9, 2017|Categories: For the Record, News|Tags: alumni news, awards and honors, Bishop Michael McKee, Perkins Distinguished Alumnus, Perkins School of Theology, trustees, United Methodist Church|

SMU remembers legendary swim coach George “Mac” McMillion

Known to most on the Hilltop as “Coach Mac,” legendary SMU swimming coach George McMillion has died. McMillion’s passing on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017 came just days after the dedication of the new Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium last week.

McMillion was the head coach of the SMU men’s swimming team from 1971-88 after a standout career as a student-athlete and 14 years as an assistant coach. His impact on the SMU swimming program helped inspire the construction of the new center and led to his name being attached to the facility.

“I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved with SMU swimming while attending SMU,” said former SMU swimmer and a lead donor to the Aquatics Center, Bruce Robson. “Coach Mac made an impact on my life and the lives of so many others. His influence will continue to be felt at SMU for years to come.”

Another lead donor, Steve Lindley, said, “I always admired Coach Mac’s commitment and dedication to and passion for SMU, its swimming and diving programs, and especially his swimmers. You can’t put a value on this. Not only was he a very successful coach, but he was truly interested in and positively impacted all the people he touched. I am also very thankful to all those that helped make the new Aquatic Center and Natatorium a reality. This was Coach Mac’s vision and it is certainly a very fitting legacy to him.”

SMU President R. Gerald Turner echoed Lindley’s sentiments.

“Coach Mac’s legacy as a student-athlete, mentor and coach will live on has an enduring legacy at SMU and in the world of swimming,” Turner said. “His accomplishments at SMU are legendary, but it’s the positive impact he had on those around him that will forever define his greatness.”

Former SMU swimmer and lead donor Dr. Jody Grant said McMillion built on a history of winning at SMU.

“Coach Mac added to the outstanding swimming tradition established by Coach Red Barr many years ago,” he said. “It’s been an honor to be associated with the program over the years. Coach Mac will be greatly missed by all of us in the swimming community, but what he helped build here at SMU will live on forever.”

SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart said McMillion was revered by the SMU swimming community.

“The Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center is a reality because his commitment and love of SMU swimming and diving inspired others to give back,” Hart said. “While we are saddened by his passing, and I will personally miss visiting with him on Thursday mornings, we take solace in knowing that the Barr-McMillion Natatorium will serve as a fitting tribute and a legacy to his influence and impact on our program.”

SMU men’s swimming coach Eddie Sinnott said McMillion’s relationships spread far and wide.

“Coach Mac was a fixture on the SMU campus for over six decades, as a student, athlete, teacher, coach administrator and alum,” Sinnott said. “He impacted literally thousands of lives, both young and old, throughout his time on the Hilltop.”

As a student, McMillion was captain of the 1954 SMU team, winning seven Southwest Conference individual championships. McMillion also helped the Mustangs to team championships in 1953 and 1954. He returned to SMU to become an assistant coach for 14 years, then succeeded Coach A.R. Barr in 1971. That same year, McMillion was honored as the Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy recipient, which is presented annually to an individual or organization which, in the estimation of the recipient’s peers, has contributed in an outstanding way to swimming as a competitive sport and healthful recreational activity.

McMillion led the program to eight consecutive Southwest Conference Championships and was named SWC Coach of the Year four times. He coached 78 All-Americans and 15 NCAA Champions, while his teams earned 14 NCAA top-10 finishes.

“Coach Mac was a big influence on my life and coaching career,” said head women’s swimming coach Steve Collins. “I came to SMU in the fall of 1977 to work as a graduate assistant with the SMU men’s team to learn from George McMillion. During the course of my career, Coach Mac was a mentor and a friend whom I will miss dearly.”

On the international level, McMillion mentored 10 Olympians, including five Olympic medalists – Steve Lundquist, Ricardo Prado, Rich Saeger, Jerry Heidenreich and Ronnie Mills. His Mustang swimmers earned a combined six gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

McMillion was inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium honors SMU swimming and diving’s tradition of excellence.

“Our dream of building an Aquatics Center has been realized, and I am so grateful that he was able to see the finished product shortly before his death,” Collins added. “His legacy will live on and be honored in the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium, and through the lives of the many people touched as a teacher, swim coach and friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McMillion family.”

Memorial gifts may be made to The Coach George McMillion Men’s Swimming Endowment Fund at SMU, online at www.smu.edu/giving or by mail to SMU Gift Administration; PO Box 402; Dallas, TX 75275-0402.

“From the Learn to Swim Program to the Olympic gold medal, he helped young men and women reach their goals, while helping them develop into the people they ultimately became. His legacy will forever be remembered in the hearts of those he touched. He has run his race, and he has won,” Sinnott concluded.

By Kathleen Tibbetts| 2017-11-09T15:09:21+00:00 November 9, 2017|Categories: For the Record, News, Sports|Tags: Athletics, Barr-McMillion Natatorium, Coach Mac, George McMillion, in memoriam, memorials, men's swimming and diving, Robson and Lindley Aquatics Center, SMU Athletics, staff news|

Meadows Fall Dance Concert 2017 runs Nov. 8-12 in Bob Hope Theatre

Bolero by Christopher Dolder, photo by Paul Phillips

Scene from Bolero by Christopher Dolder, SMU Meadows Fall Dance Concert 2017. Photo credit: Paul Phillips

Three contemporary works, including newly created pieces by Complexions Ballet co-founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson and by Associate Professor Christopher Dolder, are highlights of the Meadows School of the Arts’ Fall Dance Concert. The show runs Nov. 8-12, 2017 in the Bob Hope Theatre, Owen Arts Center.

The program will open with Dolder’s new version of Bolero, set to a London Symphony recording of Ravel’s famous work. An interactive set featuring a circular stage space, curving ramps and central spire provide the physical backdrop for dancers representing an array of societal archetypes perennially caught in the cycles of life and culture. Dolder, a former soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company, has previously expressed a fascination for architectural design in productions of His Handle (2014), Metropolis (2015) and a collaboration with Canadian wood sculptor Erik More in The Orca Project (2016).

Ascension is a new piece created by Visiting Artists-in-Residence Richardson and Rhoden, featuring a blend of ballet and contemporary dance expressed in sculptural choreography. Complexions Ballet has received numerous honors, including The New York Times Critics’ Choice Award, and has performed at Lincoln Center and The Joyce Theater in New York, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and most recently at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of “Ballet Across America.” Celebrated for his choreography and wide-ranging collaborations with well-known dance artists, Rhoden has created over 80 ballets for Complexions and for numerous other major companies. Richardson is a Tony-nominated actor and the first black American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre.

Drop Me Off in Harlem by Moncell Durden Fall Dance 2017 photo by Paul Phillips

Scene from Drop Me Off in Harlem by Moncell Durden, SMU Meadows Fall Dance Concert 2017. Photo credit: Paul Phillips

Concluding the program is Moncell Durden’s Drop Me Off in Harlem, a tribute to the music and dance of the 1930s. Premiered earlier this year, it uses vernacular jazz movement to recount the adventures of three ladies from Pennsylvania who travel to New York City to dance at the famous Savoy Ballroom and watch the battle of the bands between Benny Goodman and Chick Webb. The audience follows Norma, Mabel and Dawn as they navigate the spirited streets, subways and ballrooms of New York and Harlem nightlife. Durden is a choreographer, historian, dance educator and current faculty member at the University of Southern California, where he teaches jazz, hip-hop and improvisation.

Fall Dance Concert performance times are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $14 for adults, $11 for seniors and $8 for students, SMU faculty and staff.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Meadows website or call 214-768-2787 (214-SMU-ARTS).

— Written by Victoria Winkelman

> Buy Meadows Fall Dance Concert tickets online at Vendini

Enjoy this gallery of photos by Paul Phillips from Fall Dance Concert rehearsal.