Collage, the national award-winning dance ensemble at East Central University, and students in ECU's dance program will present a concert Friday and Saturday [APRIL 17-18] in the Dorothy Summers Theatre. Both concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Collage, which won its third national choreography award this spring from the American Alliance of Heath, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), will perform "Intervals of Knowing" and "Red White and Proud," both choreographed by Dr. Victoria Dansby, associate professor of communication.
"Intervals of Knowing," which represents the four stages of an artist's journey, is the piece Collage performed at this year's American College Dance Festival at Texas A&M University. The music was composed by W.T. Skye Garcia, ECU instructor of music, and will be performed by Garcia and ECU student Derek Akers.
Spring dance classes performing in the concert are Jazz I, Skills & Techniques of Movement Exploration, and Movement for the Stage. The program also includes works choreographed and performed by students as well as the senior project of student choreographer Amanda Tarver.
Collage won its third national award from AAHPERD earlier this year. Dansby had submitted taped performances of two works for adjudication, "Ups & Downs" and "Power of Posterity," and both were accepted for presentation at the Gala performance at the national AAHPERD conference in Tampa, Fla., this spring.
"Power of Posterity" was choreographed as a tap class assignment by Collage member Jade McKenzie and other students and was featured in ECU's spring dance concert last year.
"I was amazed that (AAHPERD) selected a student work for the Gala performance," Dansby said. "It will be awesome for Jade to put that on her resume."
About 15 works were selected for the Gala performance, representing groups from elementary schools through high schools.
"That made it even more competitive because only a small number of higher education groups were selected," Dansby said.
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