College of Charleston’s Dance Ensemble will perform works choreographed by Robert Ivey between 1980 and 2001, as well as several pieces inspired by and in honor of him. The performances will be on Monday, December 5 and Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in theatre 220 in the Albert Simons Center. The performance is free to attend, but a donation to the Robert Ivey Scholarship in Dance is encouraged.

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.

“It was fitting to dedicate our semester performance to Robert,” says Ashley Stock, a dance professor who worked with Robert Ivey for nearly a decade. “He had such a passion for dance and all of the arts. His life was committed to passing along his work and knowledge to his students. He changed the dance community in Charleston forever and his legacy will continue.”

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.

The Robert Ivey Scholarship in Dance was founded by the Department of Theatre with the intent to create the first endowed scholarship supporting a planned dance major.  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.