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SJRCC Press Release
October 2008
FloArts alumnus honored with Bessie Award
 Florida School of the Arts alumnus Tom Pearson was recently honored for his contribution to "Vanishing Point," a collaborative work with Zach Morris. Pearson and Morris were among eight recipients of the 2008 Bessie Awards in the category for choreographers and creators.
The New York Dance and Performance Awards, informally known as the Bessie Awards, acknowledge outstanding creative work by independent artists in the fields of dance and related performance in New York City each year. They are often described as the "dance world's equivalent of the Oscars," according to a New York Times article.
 "Vanishing Point" is set in St. Mark's Church and is centered on the idea of a funeral. Pearson describes the production as "wickedly funny and suddenly somber...(fusing) aggressive, exhaustive movement, meditative nuance, and live music by the whisky-powered, alt-bluegrass ensemble The Dang-it Bobbys."
Pearson is a native of St. Augustine and a 1994 graduate of Florida School of the Arts. He received bachelor's degrees in dance and English from Florida State University and a master's degree in performance studies from New York University. Pearson is the co-artistic director of Third Rail Projects, and his work has been commissioned by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Danspace Project and the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation according to a press release by Danspace Project.
Pearson is currently collaborating with Zach Morris on another performance entitled "The Orange Project." Scheduled to premier in February 2009, Pearson describes "The Orange Project" as a month-long, site-specific participatory performance for the World Financial Center Winter Garden in downtown Manhattan.
Florida School of the Arts is Florida's first state-supported professional arts school that serves the entire state of Florida and awards the two-year associate degree. FloArts is located on the SJRCC Palatka Campus. For more information, call 386-312-4300 or visit the Web site at www.floarts.org.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Tom Pearson: Florida School of the Arts alumnus Tom Pearson was recently honored at the New York Dance and Performance Awards for "Vanishing Point," a collaborative work with Zach Morris.
"Vanishing Point" (2008) by Tom Pearson and Zach Morris; pictured left to right: Jennine Willett with Andy Cotton, Kris Bauman and Bryn Roberts of the Dang-it Bobbys. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Susan Kessler
SJRCC Director of Public Relations and Publications
5001 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, FL 32177
(386) 312-4020
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