The Dance 28 concert at Hope College will feature tap, jazz, modern and ballet works choreographed by Hope faculty.
The concert will be presented Thursday through Saturday, March 7-9, at the main theatre of the DeWitt Center, located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. Curtain time for all performances will be 8 p.m.
Linda Graham, associate professor of dance, will be presenting a ballet piece titled "Whither and Whence." The piece is set to "Scotch Cap," "Bobbing Joe Medley" and "Sett of Hornpipes" by John Playford. Graham states that the choreography embraces the theme of entrances, exits and relations, and says the piece "seems to be going in a charming, mysterious direction."
Graham will also be presenting a second work at this year's concert, a high-energy jazz piece set to music from the Oscar-nominated film "Moulin Rouge." The work is titled "Can-fetti," and explores the joyous realm of the imagination.
"Life Forms" is an orchestrated tap piece choreographed by Roseanne DeVries. The piece is set to the music of Mickey Hart's "Indoscrub" and "Wheel of Time." The performers create visual music and aural dance in the work, which incorporates the use of platforms of various shapes and sizes that become the dancers' personal drums. While the visual and overall scheme were conceived by DeVries, many of the visual manifestations of the concepts and rhythms are dancer driven.
Julio Enrique Rivera, visiting assisting professor of dance, will debut his new choreographic work "On the Wings of Clouds." A modern piece deriving its momentum from the movement and imagery of the clouds, it is set to the music of Allen/Stramp, Mouquet/Sanchez, Sawyer, and Garbarek (vocals: Agnes Buen Garnas).
"Divided Love" is a piece choreographed by faculty member Dawn McIlhargey-Wiget that deals with the timeless story of love and betrayal. Set to the music of rock band-2 and to the folk music of Emmy-Lou Harris, the jazz composition will explore both ends of the dance spectrum, delving into tough and aggressive movement as well as the lyrical and smooth.
Ray Tadio will present his piece titled "Xena" for the concert. The work has a gritty, pop-culture edge, and through his choreography, Tadio encourages the dancers to express themselves completely and honestly. It is set to the music of Radiohead and Kit Clayton.
To be presented with an all-male cast, Steven Iannacone's modern piece for the concert is titled "Dissection." Hope dance faculty member John Dayger will also present a work for Dance 28.
Hope students involved in Dance 28 include: sophomore Cindy Bachhuber of Madison, Wis., senior Hannah Bira of Flushing, senior Robin Brintnall of Hudsonville, junior Carla Carrozziere of Rochester, N.Y., sophomore Candice Chavez of Glen Ellyn, Ill., senior David Cochrane of Watertown, Wis., junior Kathleen Davenport of Gainesville, Fla., freshman Jade Davis of Battle Creek, senior Kristin Debbink of Appleton, Wis., and senior Christian Den Ouden of Johnston, Iowa.
And: junior Amanda Drozer of Grosse Pointe, junior Mary Dunlap of Saline, sophomore Matthew Farmer of Bangor, freshman Dawn Flandermeyer of Saint Charles, Mo., senior Elizabeth Fothergill of Toledo, Ohio, freshman Sarah Gardner of Newcastle, Pa., freshman Amanda Gardynik of Howell, freshman Molly Hamel of Kendallville, Ind.,sophomore Colette Harris of Chicago, Ill., sophomore Timothy Heck of Libertyvile, Ill., and sophomore Lindsay Howes of Alma.
Also: junior Ashley Kightlinger of Cooperstown, Pa., sophomore Roxie Kowalski of Comstock Park, freshman Jeffrey Kurtze of Elkhart, Ind., sophomore Daniel Kwiatkowski of Cheboygan, Wis., junior Helen Meronek of Auburn Hills, sophomore Tara Mistry of Schaumburg, Ill., freshman Jessica Mumford of Kalamazoo, junior Amanda Olson of Oak Park, Ill., senior Seth Palmer of Marshall, junior Amanda Petersen of Wheeling, Ill., and sophomore Stephanie Scripp of Roselle, Ill.
And: freshman Mari Stuppy of Dowagiac, sophomore Lindsay Townsend of Lombard, Ill., freshman Kelly Vance of Portage, senior Charlotte van Coevorden of Brussels, Belgium, junior Bethany White of Evansville, Ind., sophomore Abby Whitenight of Ludington, sophomore Kara Wilson of Fort Wayne, Ind., senior Amy Woolard of Muncie, Ind., senior Jennifer Yoh of Wooster, Ohio, and freshman Jessica Yokas of Oelwein, Iowa.
Maxine DeBruyn and Linda Graham are the concert's coordinators. Erik Alberg is the technical director, and Cindy Alberg is the production's stage manager.
Tickets for Dance 28 are available in the theatre lobby ticket office located in the DeWitt Center, and cost $6 for regular admission, and $4 for senior citizens, Hope students, and Hope faculty and staff. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on performance nights, and may be called at (616) 395-7890.