Jeffrey Marc Rockland and Student Dancers

Associate Professor of Dance at Kent State University, Jeffrey Marc Rockland is the Founding Artistic Director of East Meets West, Kent State's international dance organization. As Soloist with Atlanta Ballet, Universal Ballet, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Rockland danced the established repertoire of Balanchine, Bournonville, Feld, Fokine, Najinska, Petipa, and Tudor and had new works choreographed for him by choreographers including Anastos, Bahr, Barnett, Kudelka, McFall, Munroe, Pazik, and Taylor Corbitt among others. As Ballet Master for Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Rockland was asked to give master classes in cities all over the world. This led to his establishing connections in Asia that later led him to develop an international import business with his wife.  Witnessing and learning about the difficult, dangerous, and harmful conditions people in foreign countries are subjected to in order to produce disposable fashion, he hears Rzewski's Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues as a haunting reminder of the continued hardships of textile laborers. 

Kent State Student Dancers

• Kylie Karam
• Andreya Leavell
• Tamara Marono-Garza
• Mia Savelli
• Elizabeth Schultheis
• Sarah Seay
• Ian Stewart
• Yitian Zhang

Costume Design

• Costume Designer:  Michelle Souza
• Associate Costume Designer: Tamara Marono-Garza