Spring Dance Concert Choreographed by Faculty, Students, Guest Artists

A group of non-traditional performers (for a dance concert) and two guest choreographers are among the highlights of the University Dance Theatre spring dance concert April 30 and May 1 and 2 in the Center for the Performing Arts Theatre at Illinois State University.

Four silk performers from ISU's Gamma Phi Circus, who do aerial dance on long bands of silk fabric suspended from the ceiling, will perform with 16 UDT dancers in a Greg Merriman-choreographed piece titled "Caterpillars, Silks and Butterflies."  An abbreviated version of the piece will be presented at Gamma Phi Circus in Redbird Arena April 24 and 25.

The guest choreographers are Kim Nofsinger, artistic director of Shelter Repertory Dance Theatre and director of dance at Middle Tennessee State University, and Mari Jo Irbe, rehearsal director for River North Chicago Dance Company and faculty member at Loyola University's new dance department.  Irbe has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and toured nationally and internationally with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, and has been featured performer with River North Chicago Dance Company.

The annual spring dance concert will feature ballet and modern dance pieces also choreographed by ISU faculty and students.  Faculty choreographers besides Merriman are Pam Walden and Sara Semonis.  Student choreographers are Lindsey Miller and Dana Knickelbein.

The spring dance concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 30 and May 1, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.   Tickets are available at the Center for the Performing Arts box office from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, by phone at (309) 438-2535 or by visiting www.illinoisstate.edu/finearts

The concert will begin with Walden's "A Homecoming," to music by Edvard Grieg.  "First Bite" by Nofsinger is to music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, and Lindsey Miller's piece, "After Light," is to music by Karl Jenkins and Arvo Part.   Music by Peter Jones, Tigger Benford and Global Drum Project accompany Semonis' "Traps Pitfalls Swindle."

Knickelbein choreographed "Never Picture Perfect" to music by Hans Simmer and James Newton Howard, and music by Steve Jablonsky.  Nofsinger's work, "Letting Go," features music by Bongani Ndodana.  The finale, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis" by Irbe, features music by J. Ralph, Barry Adamson and Lalo Schifrin.