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Making
magine a modern dance company in
Augusta which trains and nurtures
agenerationofdancersthatcangrow
and create and develop right here in
the Garden City. If Ferneasa Cutno’s
creative seedling falls on fertile
ground, that’s exactly what will happen.
Modern dance companies are affairs of gener
ations. The most popular ones — Garth Fagen,
Alvin Ailey, the Dance Theatre of Harlem — are
theresults of the personal genius, ambition, and
drive of their founders. Usually the company is
established and acompany school develops with
in its shadow: Ms. Cutno would like to make it
happen the other way around.
“I'd like to start a junior company here. As far
as I know it would be the first modern dance
Jjunior company in the area,” she said. An adult
company is the next logical step and she is off to
a great start.
Wynton Marsalis Septet
to play Imperial Theatre
B Overwhelming
ticket demand
prompts scheduling of
Sunday afternoon
concert.
If you haven't gotten your
ticket for the Saturday night
concert featuring the Wynton
Marsalis Septet at the Imperial
Theatre, you're not totally out
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of luck.
The high demand for tickets
has prompted the promoters to
add a second concert on Sun
day afternoon.
The group will perform a
benefit concert for the Augusta
Dance and Music Center on
Saturday, August 19 and
Sunday, August 20.
The Wynton Marsalis Septet
includes: Wes Anderson - Alto
Saxophone, Wycliffe Gordon -
What instrument is played by
each of the following artists?
1. Clark Terry
2. Ray Nance
3. Jimmy Hamilton
4. Russell Procope
5. Paul Gonsalves
6. Harry Carney
7. Harry James
8. Buddy Rich
9. Herb Pomeroy
10. Duke Ellington
11. Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
Ferneasa Cutno seeks
to start Augusta dancing
The Augusta Dance and Music Center is a
collaborative effort between Ms. Cutno and fian
ce Wycliffe Gordon. Gordon is a native Au
gustan jazz musician who cut his teeth in the
professional music world touring with Wynton
Marsalis. Mr. Marsalis will be in town Saturday
and Sunday to perform at a benefit for the
school.
At the school, Mr. Wycliffe will head up the
music division and Ms. Cutno will dance.
She has been dancing since before she was
three years old and has been teaching since she
was a teenager.
“I started teaching the kids in my neighbor
hood when I was 16 and continued until I got out
of high school. I taught with the recreation
department and community centers. I taught
ballet, tap and modern dance. I also taught at
the New Orleans Ballet after I joined them as an
apprentice.”
Trombone, Victor Goines, Jr. -
Tenor and Soprano Saxo
phones, Eric Reed - Piano, Ben
Wolfe - Bass, and Herlin Riley -
Drums.
The Augusta Dance and
Music Center wants to provide
an opportunity for those young
persons wishing to improve
their creative skills in music
and dance by keeping its prices
at an affordable rate. The
center is directed by Mr.
12. Roger Pemberton
13. Lamar Smith
14. Charlie Mariano
15. Stan Getz
16. Kenny Clarke
17. Bobby Jaspar
18. Gene Ammons
19. Kenny Dorham
20. Fats Navarro
B answers on page 14
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A couple of years ago something happened to
the former Miss Louisiana that set offa chain of
events that landed her in Augusta.
“In April of 1993, the Garth Fagen Dance
Company came to New Orleans and I was total
ly and utterly amazed. They blew me away. I
said, that’s the company I want to dance with. 1
was impressed with their spirit, their technique
and their sense of harmony.”
Eventually she traveled to Rochester, New
York and began taking classes with the compa
ny. The 2-hour classes were very demanding,
but Ms. Cutnopersevered. Eventually they asked
her to join the tour with Wynton Marsalis and
that’s when she met Gordon.
Tours with Fagen company took her all over
the United States, including New York City, the
mecca of the dance world. In 1994, she went to
Paris to debut the reopening of the American
Center.
Wycliffe Gordon and Ms.
Ferneasa Cutno. It provides
professional lessons in jazz
music under the direction of
Mr. Gordon, who is a member
of the Wynton Marsalis Septet.
Dance classes are instructed by
Ms. Cutno to include modern,
ballet, jazz, tap, and creative
dance. Ms. Cutno danced
professionally with Garth
Fagan.
Wynton Marsalis will be
appearing at Best Buy, located
at 1333 Augusta West Park
way, Augusta, Georgia, from
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday,
August 19, 1995 for an auto
graph signing session.
Showtimes: Saturday, August
19, 8:00 p.m. Sunday, August
20, 3:00 p.m. Tickets: $17.50.
Place: Imperial Theater, 745
Broad Street, Downtown
Augusta, GA. For tickets for
the Wynton Marsalis Septet
Concert, please call: Imperial
Theater at (706) 722-8341 or
Augusta Dance and Music at
(706) 737-57617.
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Coming from New Orleans, Ms. Cutno has
tasted the mixes of cultures and styles that now
permeate the dance world. Don’t look at her as a
ballerina: she is a dancer with a rich past in folk
traditions. In the past, you could find her danc
ing through the streets of New Orleans leading
the second line, umbrella in hand, jiving with the
crowd — or in step with a samba band, carnival
style, in South America.
Augustans will be able to study with Ms.
Cutno and take advantage of her rich back
ground and experience. She will teach ballet,
tap, modern dance and ethnic dance. Children
and adults are welcome and fees for classes
range from $27.00 - $30.00 per month. Fall
registration will be held on September 9 and 10,
and classes will begin on September 12. The
studio is located at 2054 Gordon Hwy, Suite C.
Call (706) 737-5767 for more information.
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Augustan Wycliffe Gordon joins the Wynton
Marsalis Septet in concert at the Imperial
Theatre Saturday and Sunday.
August 17, 1995
Ferneasa
Cutno
loves to teach.
Here, she is at
work at her
Augusta studio.
Above photos
by Jimmy
Carter
Story by
Frederick
Benjamin Sr.
7