Two TCC dance programs earn rare ACDA honor at regional conference
FORT WORTH, Texas — The lights dimmed. The music swelled. And when it was over, the judges spoke as one: “A Fleeting Arrangement” belonged on the Gala Concert stage.
Of approximately 40 adjudicated works performed at last month’s American College Dance Association’s South-Central Conference, only 10 earned a place in the prestigious concert. Tarrant County College owned one of them.
The selection marked two TCC firsts: the debut Gala Concert appearance for TCC Southeast’s dance program and the first cross-campus collaboration in College history to be adjudicated at the ACDA. Students from TCC Southeast’s Fusion Dance Company and TCC Northwest’s Mosaic Dance Project joined forces to bring the piece to life.
Held at the University of North Texas, the four-day meet drew collegiate dance programs from across the South-Central region for performances, master classes, open rehearsal spaces and professional networking.
Guest artist Dr. Jackie Beth Shilcutt choreographed “A Fleeting Arrangement,” and rehearsals were directed by dance Assistant Professor Jean Carlo Carrio Mendez and dance Associate Professor Amy L. Jennings.
Gala selection required unanimous agreement from three national adjudicators evaluating choreography, performance quality and overall execution, a standard that placed the work among the top achievements of the conference.
‘A Fleeting Arrangement’ revealed a rehearsal process rooted in trust, intention and genuine collaboration,” Mendez said. “Choreographer Dr. Jackie Beth Shilcutt cultivated a space where students from Southeast and Northwest were encouraged to take risks, share their ideas and support one another.”
Jennings described the outcome as a transformation of artistic discipline into collective identity. “Through the physicality and artistry that was brilliantly engineered, a collective trust emerged into a unified community. It is and has been a joy to coach the 12 dancers who rose to such a distinguished and honorable performance.”
For the students, the moment on stage carried its own weight.
“It was my second year at ACDA, and I was not expecting to get selected at all,” said Analucia Higa, a member of TCC Northwest’s Mosaic Dance Project. “All of us were excited because it was our first time in the Gala Concert. It felt so amazing being able to bow and listen to all the other amazing dancers in the audience cheering for us.”
See the ACDA-Honored Work This Week
The same piece that earned a standing ovation from a regional audience of collegiate dancers and national judges is coming home, and the public is invited.
“A Fleeting Arrangement” will be featured in concerts on both TCC campuses this week and next, giving North Texas audiences a rare opportunity to see Gala-recognized collegiate choreography performed live. Two concerts will showcase additional works alongside the ACDA-honored piece.
Solid Ground: A Dance Revival TCC Northwest Campus
NW 02 Theater | Saturday, April 25 | 4 and 7 p.m.
Dance Works TCC Southeast Campus
C.A. Robertson Theatre | Friday, May 1 | 4 and 7 p.m.