“Dance Now!” the annual dance concert celebrating 84 years of dance at West Virginia University, will run March 14-15 at 7:30 p.m. and March 16 at 2 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of the Creative Arts Center.
Showcasing the choreography of prestigious faculty members, students, and special guest artists from Morgantown Dance and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, with a master work by Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director of Chicago’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Dance
Now! offers audiences an opportunity to see an array of differing dance styles and movement studies.
The WVU Hip Hop Team, a first-year team of 24 members, established by WVU students Lauren Carter and Jessica Burtner, will perform a piece choreographed by Tommy Scrivens, a dancer and choreographer based in New York.
Dance Now! is proud to welcome returning artists from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the internationally recognized professional ballet company, presenting a piece choreographed by senior students from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.
“There will be a variety of styles of dance, and definitely something for everyone,” said Yoav Kaddar, assistant professor of dance and director of the WVU Dance Program. “This year’s Dance Now! promises to be an exciting and very physical program.”
Kaddar will also perform in a men’s duet with 2010 WVU School of Music alumnus Joel Rhodes, choreographed by Demetrius Kline, director of the Florida-based Demetrius Kline Dance Company. Set to a rendition of “Amazing Grace,” this very physical performance piece will highlight Kline’s background as a wrestler.
Dance Now! features the work of talented WVU Dance faculty members, with large group pieces in differing styles, from tap to contemporary. Also, Morgantown Dance Company, providing greater Morgantown and the surrounding communities with educational opportunities since 1991, will present a piece.
The Masterworks piece, “You Do Not Have To Be Good,” choreographed by Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director of Chicago-based Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, will feature a cast of seven WVU Dance minors, and offers students a chance to work in Siegenfeld’s very distinct and physically demanding style. Siegenfeld is a 2011 Dance Chicago “Choreographer of the Year” recipient and is an Emmy Award recipient for the PBS documentary “Jump Rhythm Jazz Project.”
Costumes for Dance Now! are designed by MFA Costume Design students Alexandria
Vazquez and Candice Caldwell Day.
“Dance Now!” opens in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre, March 14 at 7:30 p.m., and continues March 15 at 7:30 p.m., with a closing matinee on March 16 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for senior citizens and students. There is a group rate of $10 per ticket for groups of 10 or more.
Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com, the CAC or Mountainlair Box Offices, or by calling 304-293-SHOW.
For more information on “Dance Now!” please visit theatre.wvu.edu, call 304-293-2020, or email theatre@mail.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
cl/03/08/13
CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304.293.4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu
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