Rebekah Kowal says she didn’t have much exposure to dance growing up.
It wasn’t until the native of Littleton, Colorado, spent time at Connecticut College, a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut, where she was a two-sport athlete in tennis and swimming, that she discovered her love for dance.
Now, the newly appointed chair of the University of Iowa Department of Dance is on a path to grow and improve the department and provide new and enriching opportunities for its students. Kowal, who has taught dance at the UI for 16 years, was named department head in June.
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Fifty years ago, Hancher Auditorium didn’t even exist, Ray Nagel was in his first season as the Iowa football coach and David Sanborn was studying saxophone at the University of Iowa.
A lot has changed since then.
Daily Iowan - Monday, September 26, 2016
Steve Martin and Martin Short ushered in Hancher’s opening season on Sept. 24 with a raucous evening of searing stand-up, raunchy puppeteering, and banjo-picking.
At Hancher’s gala event, the sold-out crowd packed the lobby in their evening finest. Men clad in tuxedos complete with colorful cummerbunds trailed through Hancher’s halls beside women draped in floor-sweeping gowns.
The building’s interior, made up of speckled iridescent floors, snowy walls inlaid with gentle skylights, and chrome detailing, complemented the crowd’s regalia.
“Tonight, we’re starting a new history book for Hancher,” Executive Director Charles Swanson said on stage before the show. “Not only new but a beautiful history book.”
Little Village - Sunday, September 25, 2016
Steve Martin and Martin Short brought their “An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life” show to the Hancher auditorium Opening Gala Saturday night. The new 1,800 seat theater was packed to see the two comedy legends poke fun at each other, share funny stories, sing songs from films and perform with bluegrass outfit the Steep Canyon Rangers and pianist Jeff Babko.
The Gazette - Saturday, September 24, 2016
Design architect Cesar Pelli was nervous as he stood outside his creation Saturday night.
“My baby is being born and going away from me,” said Pelli, 89, designer of some of the world’s tallest buildings dotting urban landscapes from London to Kuala Lumpur. He and his team from his New Haven, Conn., firm, Pelli Clarke Pelli, traveled to join their Midwest architectural and construction collaborators for the gala reopening of Hancher Auditorium.
KCCK - Saturday, September 24, 2016
This item is no longer available. David Sanborn, world-renown jazz saxophonist, began his playing career at the University of Iowa in the early 60s, at a time when there was no jazz program at the UI. And not only was there no jazz program, the music department administration had no interest in creating one. But percussion instructor Tom Davis, along with a group of interested students, including a young Dave Sanborn, didn’t take no for an answer, and created an extra-curricular program. Retired Iowa City middle school director Jerry Zinn played sax next to Sanborn in that very first band, dubbed the UI Jazz Lab Ensemble.
The Daily Iowan - Friday, September 23, 2016
Comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short have titled their tour — a cross-country trek that has the duo strumming banjos and hurling snappy one-liners — “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.”
The staff of the new Hancher Auditorium, and the 1,800 ticket holders of the sold-out show, might have to disagree with that cheeky title.
“This particular show will be a special memory for everyone that attends,” Hancher Director of Marketing and Communications Rob Cline said.
Theatre Projects - Thursday, September 22, 2016
In 2008, when the Iowa River flooded and destroyed Hancher Auditorium and 12 other buildings at the University of Iowa, the loss to the community was far greater than the physical loss of those structures. Hancher Auditorium was one of the most popular venues for touring groups in the region, and the flood forced the student and traveling groups that normally used the venue to move into nearby facilities. But this week, with the grand opening of the new Hancher Auditorium, the University of Iowa and the people of Iowa City once again have a magnetic cultural center to call their own. Looking up at the stunning steel and glass facility, they’ll see that the university has bounced back from the devastating flood. They not only rebuilt and pushed forward, but also thrived in the face of adversity.
Little Village - Saturday, September 17, 2016
A few thousand people gathered outside the new Hancher building to see Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The free outdoor concert kicked off Hancher’s 2016-17 season in grand style, with food trucks, tailgate games and a great blend of traditional New Orleans jazz and the genre-bending funk of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.
Iowa City Press Citizen - Friday, September 16, 2016
It had been eight years since Susan Shullaw, Joy Smith and David Rust saw a show at the old University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium. That’s why they were so eager to see the first show at the new Hancher on Friday night.
The Iowa City residents were among the thousands of spectators who took in the concert at the newly opened Hancher in Iowa City, according to Hancher Executive Director Chuck Swanson. The crowd — many in lawn chairs and on blankets strewn on the massive lawn — had gathered to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Trombone Shorty.