University Dance Theatre Concert Dec. 3 - 5

The Illinois State University Dance Theatre will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 3 to 5, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 5 in the Center for the Performing Arts Theatre.

Tickets are $15 for the general public and faculty-staff 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 on line at Ticketmaster.com

Among the dance works on the program will be a piece by guest artist Kim Neal Nofsinger, a former ISU faculty member who currently is director of dance at Middle Tennessee State University.  The work was originally presented as a component of "Holding Patterns," presented last January at Middle Tennessee State University.

Faculty member Darby Wilde's "A Walk in the Park: A Celebration of Soul," is a light-hearted contemporary piece in three sections to music of the mid to late 1960's - the Temptations, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.  "The Inner Beat," choreographed by faculty member Leslie Pamela Walden, explores the energy and rhythms of three diverse recording artists, from contemporary to traditional jazz.  She describes the three styles of choreography as "Zen jazz," "classical hip-hop" and Fosse.  It is to music of Urban Future Organization, Black Violin and Duke Ellington.

Sara Semonis, director of the dance program, will present two original works.  They are "Steps Missing," a trio created for three of ISDT's more seasoned performers, and explores the continuum of regret and remorse for things we wish we would have done.  The music is by composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek.  Semonis' "Weaving the Way" was originally created for students at the Interlochen Arts Academy Summer Dance Program earlier this year, and has been restaged for Illinois State Dance Theatre. It is performed to music composed by Winifred Horan and Seamus Egan.

"Graduation Ball" is choreographed by faculty member Gregory Merriman after Russian choreographer David Lichine, to the music of Johann Strauss, arranged by Antal Doratti.  Faculty member Laurie Merriman choreographed "Streams of Salt, Layers of Sun" to music of J.S. Bach.