Story by Madeline Bombardi

The annual Spring Dance Concert hosted by the School of Music, Theater and Dance will take place April 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m., with matinee showings on April 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. The concert features many original pieces, including the work of dance faculty, students and special guests, each performing in a variety of styles, like classical ballet, modern dance, jazz, hip-hop and tap.

Director of Dance Jane Slusarski-Harris and her colleagues oversee and create original choreography and repertoire for the dance concert.

The Spring Dance Concert is performed by both dance majors and non-majors who have had extensive training or interest in the art form. There are roughly 20 pieces composed by students that will open up for auditions in mid-March. Slusarski-Harris, professor of Modern Dance, Chung-Fu Chang and other faculty members select five to eight solo and group pieces to be featured.

Faculty members also create original choreography for the students to perform. Lindsay Pierce, interim special instructor, has constructed a contemporary ballet piece, and Chang will present a new group piece.

Guest choreographer

This semester’s guest choreographer is Judy Bejarano, an artistic director of IMPACT Dance Company and Dance instructor at CSU. Bejarano is planning to use live text in her modern dance piece. She is excited to see what the faculty and students are working on.

“The Spring Dance Concert is a great opportunity for students to develop new and original works. It’s also an opportunity for the faculty to have their work presented,” Bejarano said. She enjoys the collaborative efforts of the students and teachers to create a memorable performance.

“What I love about this concert is all the original work; it’s not historically based,” said Bejarano. “It’s always interesting to see what my colleagues are creating. I love to look at new work and watch students grow and think about their artistic voice.”

Putting together a dance performance is stimulating and ever-changing, and requires a dedicated and enthusiastic work ethic.

“The students work so hard and they are so focused,” said Bejarano. “Their approach to their craft makes the whole process really enjoyable.”

The Spring Dance Concert is a unique opportunity for friends, family and community members to experience a temporal art form. The developmental process of dance is dynamic, and the final result is a snapshot of what an artist was thinking and feeling at a specific time in his or her life.

“Dance combines the physical, the emotional and the intellectual in an artistic fusion. Dance is a beautiful blend of all those things,” Bejarano said.

Tickets

Tickets for the performance are free to full fee-paying CSU students, $8 for youth under 18, and $18 for the public. Tickets are available at the University Center for the Arts ticket office  Monday through Friday, 3:30-5:30 p.m. and 60 minutes prior to performances, by phone at (970) 491-2787, or online at www.CSUArtsTickets.com.

For a full performance and events calendar, visit UCA.Colostate.edu. An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look of activities happening at the UCA can be found by signing up for the free Green Room digital magazine at www.issuu.com by searching for ColoradoStateUniversity_UCA.