FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2012

Webster University welcomes James Robey as a new full-time assistant professor in the Department of Dance.

"We are very pleased to welcome James Robey to the Dance faculty," said Beckah Reed, professor and chair, Department of Dance. "Besides being an artist in his own right, James will bring his excellent teaching skills to our students, and an impressive scholarly perspective. James is also adept at technology, so will be a great asset to the work the department is beginning to do in regard to media and dance.”

Webster University's Department of Dance provides excellent training through both B.A. and B.F.A. degrees. The Department explores a broad spectrum of concert dance forms—from the inherent traditionalism of classical ballet, to the risk-taking avant-garde flavor of modern dance, to the wonderful theatricality of jazz and tap.The Department of Dance’s mission is to promote the uniqueness of the artist; prepare performers, choreographers and teachers to be versatile; instill an awareness of dance in the global community; challenge students to achieve excellence; and combine theory and practice in disciplined studio and performance work.

The Webster University Dance Ensemble is the performance company for the Department of Dance. The Ensemble produces a major concert each spring in the Loretto-Hilton Center’s Virginia Browning Mainstage Theatre. The Dance Ensemble also participates annually in the regional American College Dance Festival. Webster’s choreography is regularly selected for the festival’s galas.

Robey is founding artistic director of James Robey Dance, a contemporary dance company, which he founded in New York City in 1998. His professional performing career includes the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company, Connecticut Ballet, New York Dance Theater, Ground Works Dance Theater, Off Center Dance Theater, Ohio Dance Theater, Covenant Ballet Theater of Brooklyn, Cleveland Opera, Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Busch Gardens. Robey's teaching and creative work focuses on the integration of body, mind, and spirit while exploring contemporary developments in dance and art. Robey received a BFA in Dance, from the University of Akron and an MFA in Contemporary Choreography and Performance, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

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