Michelle Dorrance and Sam Meza
Sam Meza Part Of Latest Artists Are Athletes/Athletes Are Artists Campaign
October 18, 2023 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Artists are Athletes and Athletes are Artists — on the soccer field, too.
Carolina Performing Arts (CPA) will debut the latest video in its "Artists Are Athletes / Athletes Are Artists" campaign on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Dorrance Field during halftime of the North Carolina women's soccer game against Notre Dame. The match begins at 8 p.m. ET.
The video stars UNC midfielder Sam Meza and tap dance trailblazer Michelle Dorrance, daughter of legendary UNC women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance. Dizzying footwork and percussive kicks are set to an original score created in collaboration with Dorrance herself, including tap beats and sounds straight from the soccer field.
"This initiative is a celebration of common ground between the sports world and the arts world," said Alison Friedman, the James and Susan Moeser Executive and Artistic Director at CPA. "It underlines the synergies between our top-tier athletic programs and the global artistic icons we host. Excellence is woven into Carolina's ethos, be it artistic or athletic. In this series, we bring this intersection to life, intensifying appreciation for both spheres. Game recognizes game."
CPA and its partners will premiere the new video at halftime of Thursday's matchup. The field, named for Coach Dorrance, is one of many recognizable Chapel Hill locations in the video, which also features Memorial Hall, CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio and the Bill Koman Practice Complex.
"From the start of production, we knew this video was a Carolina story through and through," said Friedman. "It's a display of determination and grace — traits we champion in every corner of the University. CPA is proud to be a part of this legacy, and we're excited to support our athletes and artists in equal measure."
The video is the second installment of the campaign, which launched last January with a collaboration between former UNC men's basketball guard Caleb Love and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was produced in collaboration with Myriad, a creative video agency based in Raleigh.
"The phrase 'artists are athletes, athletes are artists' couldn't be more true," said Meza. "When I'm on the pitch, I'm able to express myself through my fitness, agility and strength, just like artists do with their craft. It was an honor working with Michelle to showcase the similarities between soccer and tap dance, and I encourage our devoted fans to support Carolina Performing Arts just as much as they do Carolina soccer."
Michelle Dorrance, who grew up in Chapel Hill, had similar thoughts about the collaboration.
"I've always seen soccer players as brilliant, gritty improvisational dancers," she said. "Maybe that's rooted in my mom being a beautiful former professional ballet dancer and now a teacher, and my dad, a ruthlessly competitive soccer player, now a coach. Regardless, I love that to be our best, to have the quickest footwork and the most dynamic execution, Sam and I have to risk completely losing control. But it's the pursuit of that great part of ourselves and our craft that makes it all worth it. I'm also a super-fan of Sam Meza. This project was an absolute dream to be part of for so many reasons, but getting to collaborate with Sam on the field where I grew up watching some of the best women to ever play the game was unforgettable. I am so grateful to Alison and CPA for the vision to make this happen."
CPA plans to continue the campaign with more videos and more unexpected collaborations between arts and athletics. The organization will also continue its work with Dorrance Dance later this year when the company takes the stage at Memorial Hall for a one-night performance of Nutcracker Suite, a soulful tap dance take on a holiday classic.
For more information about upcoming performances, or the rest of CPA's 2023-24 season, visit carolinaperformingarts.org. To view the new video online, visit CPA's YouTube channel any time after the match.
About Carolina Performing Arts
Carolina Performing Arts is the leading multi-arts presenter in the American South, housed at the University of North Carolina. Its mission is to spark curiosity and inspire community members to discover and more deeply engage with the world. We collaborate with artists from Carolina's campus and across the globe to create performing arts experiences. In under two decades, CPA has presented thousands of performances and master classes by more than 450 artists from 56 countries and territories, commissioned 69 new works and hosted 48 world and U.S. premieres. Our performances, engagement efforts and campus partnerships have reached hundreds of thousands of patrons, students and faculty.
About Dorrance Dance
Dorrance Dance is an award-winning tap dance company based in New York City. Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, the company shares the incredibly dynamic range that tap dance has to offer through performance & education. Its goal is to engage with audiences on a musical and emotional level and to share the complex history and powerful legacy of this American art form throughout the country and the world.
Carolina Performing Arts (CPA) will debut the latest video in its "Artists Are Athletes / Athletes Are Artists" campaign on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Dorrance Field during halftime of the North Carolina women's soccer game against Notre Dame. The match begins at 8 p.m. ET.
The video stars UNC midfielder Sam Meza and tap dance trailblazer Michelle Dorrance, daughter of legendary UNC women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance. Dizzying footwork and percussive kicks are set to an original score created in collaboration with Dorrance herself, including tap beats and sounds straight from the soccer field.
"This initiative is a celebration of common ground between the sports world and the arts world," said Alison Friedman, the James and Susan Moeser Executive and Artistic Director at CPA. "It underlines the synergies between our top-tier athletic programs and the global artistic icons we host. Excellence is woven into Carolina's ethos, be it artistic or athletic. In this series, we bring this intersection to life, intensifying appreciation for both spheres. Game recognizes game."
CPA and its partners will premiere the new video at halftime of Thursday's matchup. The field, named for Coach Dorrance, is one of many recognizable Chapel Hill locations in the video, which also features Memorial Hall, CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio and the Bill Koman Practice Complex.
"From the start of production, we knew this video was a Carolina story through and through," said Friedman. "It's a display of determination and grace — traits we champion in every corner of the University. CPA is proud to be a part of this legacy, and we're excited to support our athletes and artists in equal measure."
The video is the second installment of the campaign, which launched last January with a collaboration between former UNC men's basketball guard Caleb Love and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was produced in collaboration with Myriad, a creative video agency based in Raleigh.
"The phrase 'artists are athletes, athletes are artists' couldn't be more true," said Meza. "When I'm on the pitch, I'm able to express myself through my fitness, agility and strength, just like artists do with their craft. It was an honor working with Michelle to showcase the similarities between soccer and tap dance, and I encourage our devoted fans to support Carolina Performing Arts just as much as they do Carolina soccer."
Michelle Dorrance, who grew up in Chapel Hill, had similar thoughts about the collaboration.
"I've always seen soccer players as brilliant, gritty improvisational dancers," she said. "Maybe that's rooted in my mom being a beautiful former professional ballet dancer and now a teacher, and my dad, a ruthlessly competitive soccer player, now a coach. Regardless, I love that to be our best, to have the quickest footwork and the most dynamic execution, Sam and I have to risk completely losing control. But it's the pursuit of that great part of ourselves and our craft that makes it all worth it. I'm also a super-fan of Sam Meza. This project was an absolute dream to be part of for so many reasons, but getting to collaborate with Sam on the field where I grew up watching some of the best women to ever play the game was unforgettable. I am so grateful to Alison and CPA for the vision to make this happen."
CPA plans to continue the campaign with more videos and more unexpected collaborations between arts and athletics. The organization will also continue its work with Dorrance Dance later this year when the company takes the stage at Memorial Hall for a one-night performance of Nutcracker Suite, a soulful tap dance take on a holiday classic.
For more information about upcoming performances, or the rest of CPA's 2023-24 season, visit carolinaperformingarts.org. To view the new video online, visit CPA's YouTube channel any time after the match.
About Carolina Performing Arts
Carolina Performing Arts is the leading multi-arts presenter in the American South, housed at the University of North Carolina. Its mission is to spark curiosity and inspire community members to discover and more deeply engage with the world. We collaborate with artists from Carolina's campus and across the globe to create performing arts experiences. In under two decades, CPA has presented thousands of performances and master classes by more than 450 artists from 56 countries and territories, commissioned 69 new works and hosted 48 world and U.S. premieres. Our performances, engagement efforts and campus partnerships have reached hundreds of thousands of patrons, students and faculty.
About Dorrance Dance
Dorrance Dance is an award-winning tap dance company based in New York City. Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, the company shares the incredibly dynamic range that tap dance has to offer through performance & education. Its goal is to engage with audiences on a musical and emotional level and to share the complex history and powerful legacy of this American art form throughout the country and the world.
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