NSU Horizons Spring 2014

28 HORIZONS Classroom a Stage for Dance Professor By Andrea Robinson O n a cold, rainy day, Augusto Soledade ’s students begin a strenuous warm up in a small studio on the second floor of the Performing and Visual Arts Wing at the Don Taft University Center on NSU’s main campus. “I need you to dance like there is no tomorrow,” Soledade, M.F.A., tells the stu- dents. Soledade, an associate professor of dance at NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, closely watches each movement as he pushes his students in the Latin and Caribbean dance class. Soledade, an accomplished dancer, cho- reographer, and artistic director of Augusto Soledade Brazzdance in Miami, is bringing Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean dance to the forefront in South Florida for a new genera- tion. The NSU classroom is a stage where he guides aspiring dancers or dance hobbyists. He believes his mission is to instill in stu- dents and audiences an appreciation of dance as an art form. In a society that stresses math, science, and technology, Sole- dade is up for the challenge. Since 2011, he has shown NSU students the value of dance, and helped audiences better understand the science of movement through the human form. “This is the best part of my day,” said Destinee Hughes, a junior majoring in communications with dance as her minor. “He actually speaks to you on campus and makes jokes. I can talk to him about everything,” added the NSU cheerleader. Wilna Eugene, a junior psychology major from Margate, said Soledade is patient and helpful in helping her under- stand his vision. “I like that about him. He’s attentive. He knows each of our quirks and where we need help.” Dance was an informal part of Soledade’s childhood in Brazil. But he didn’t start formal dance training until his early 20s—while he earned a degree in journalism at Federal University at Bahia. One semester he substituted dance for a physical education class. After two more classes he was hooked, and earned a second bachelor’s degree in dance. Soledade later received his M.F.A. degree and learned choreography from the State University of New York (SUNY). “I was constantly creating works and improving my choreographic skills.” Augusto Soledade Brazzdance provides the professor with an outlet to express his creativity, beginning informally in 1998 at SUNY. It wasn’t until he came to Miami in 2004 that the company blossomed into what it is today. Brazz- dance is an extension of Soledade’s NSU laboratory, where his research comes to life. “The company [is] the place where I develop my research, that is then accepted and credited at the university level,” he said. From October through April, the company stages at least three major events in South Florida—all scripted by him. Soledade depends on grants from private foundations and public sources to offset production and personnel expenses. Among the awards are the prestigious Guggen- heim Fellowship in 2008, the Individual Artist Fellowship from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (two- time winner), and the Miami-Dade Choreographer’s Fellow- ship from Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs and the Rocker Family Foundation of New Jersey (five-time winner). In 2012, he received a $45,000 Knight Arts challenge grant from FACULTY profile Augusto Soledade shows NSU students the value of dance and helps audiences better understand the science of movement through the human form.