In honor of Associate Professor Emeritus Robert Ivey, the College of Charleston School of the Arts and the Department of Theatre will be hosting a memorial and celebration of his life on Saturday, August 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the Sottile Theatre (44 George Street). Immediately following will be a reception in the Hill Gallery in the Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts. This event is free and open to the public.
Robert Ivey began teaching at the College of Charleston in the early 1980s and became a full-time professor in 1993. He touched the lives of thousands of students through his last class, which he taught in spring 2011. Some of the classes he taught include: dance technique in ballet and modern 20th century dance, introduction to theatre, history of dance, choreography, dance ensemble, and the popular Maymester course on the Spoleto Festival.
Valerie Morris, dean of the School of the Arts said, “Bob was in many ways a miracle worker who always accomplished exactly what was asked of him, even if it was something extremely difficult and involved assembling a dozen dancers and singers to perform for an unplanned, special event. He will forever leave his imprint on the School of the Arts and the arts community in Charleston.”
Robert Ivey studied ballet at the American Ballet Theatre School and Ballet Arts School in Carnegie Hall. His professional credits include major roles on Broadway and in Europe, most notably the New York and London productions of “West Side Story.” He was a member of the Swedish State Theatre and Royal Norwegian Ballet for seven years, and studied dance in Russia.
Ivey served as the artistic director of the Robert Ivey Ballet and was director of the Charleston Dance Studio for 35 years. His company toured throughout the U.S., as well as on an international stage in Russia, Denmark, South America, Spain and China.
He won many national choreography honors, grants and awards, including the prestigious Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award (Governor’s Award) from the South Carolina Arts Commission for excellence in the Arts. He also directed and choreographed “Many Moons,” the first opera to be performed at the College of Charleston.
To honor Mr. Ivey and his multitude of contributions to the College, the Department of Theatre created a scholarship fund, The Robert Ivey Scholarship in Dance. The intent of this fund is to create the first endowed scholarship supporting a planned Dance major. The Department of Theatre recently received a $10,000 pledge from a generous donor, who will match total donations to the fund up to that $10,000 pledge. Anyone interested in honoring Mr. Ivey and making a contribution may do so by calling 843.953.6306 or by e-mailing oleksiakm@cofc.edu.