PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Ruth Draper resigned effective Sept. 30 as Western regional representative for the National Endowment for the Arts, overseeing eight Western states - Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. A new regional representative will be selected in early 1992.

Draper's work has been as a liaison between the NEA and local organizations. "I have given workshops at conferences, providing an overview, and advising people on how to make connections and find money for their projects," she said. "I have also attended meetings every three months in Washington with leaders of the Endowment and the Arts Council. And I have subscribed to the major newspapers of the region, collecting information on trends, economic conditions, changes of artistic directors, arts personnel and resources."- CLOG AMERICA DANCE ENSEMBLE spent time in France last summer, where they represented the United States in three international folk festivals - the Festival Mondial de Folklore in La Grande Motte, France, the Festival de Carcassonne in the historic medieval city of Carcassonne, and in San Sebastian, Spain. They also danced two days by popular request on the Esplanade du Casino Municipal in the seaside resort city of Biarritz. The company is directed by Shawnda Bishop and Bonnie Romney of West Valley City, and managed by Dennis Cobia from Orem.

- COMPOSER CRAWFORD GATES recently had a new anthem premiered for the international Esperanto Congress, meeting in Bergen, Norway. A 60-voice choir was made up of singers from 57 countries, conducted by Dimitar Terziev from Sofia, Bulgaria, with soprano soloist Galina Feodorovna from Moscow.

Author of the Esperanto text, "La Plenumo" (The Fulfillment) was by William Auld, Scottish poet from the University of Glasgow. The work was performed in Bulgaria, France and Holland prior to its official premiere. Though Esperanto is little promoted in the United States, it has several million advocates in many other countries throughout the world.

- TWO GUEST performing artists have been appointed to the dance faculty at Weber State University's department of performing arts.

Patti O'Neal will spend the year under auspices of the Minority Lectureship Program, teaching a class called "Dance and the Spoken Word," from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to accommodate adults from the community who might like to enroll.

A graduate of Hampshire College in Massachusetts, she holds a master of fine arts degree in choreography and performance from Smith College. With a dance vocabulary ranging from Graham technique to African-American dance theater, she focuses on the socio-economic and political issues relevant to people of African descent, living in America.

Toshiko Sato, who will teach ballet autumn quarter, received her early training in Sapporo, Japan, and trained in ballet under Olga Sapphire. She combines a career in dance with teaching English literature at Hokusei Junior College. She has written several books, including "The Story of a Ballerina" (1987).