From West Africa to India, from the lights of Broadway to the streets of Philadelphia and from the speakeasy dance floor to the ballet stage, Dance Theatre Santa Fe presents two performances of “Dancing Through Time” at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, in the Fine Arts Hall at Santa Fe College’s Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.
Tickets for all seats are $5 for the public and free for Santa Fe College faculty, staff and students with college identification cards. For ticket information, call the Box Office at 352-395-4181 or visit the Fine Arts ticket website at:
http://www.sfcollege.edu/finearts
“‘Dancing Through Time’ is a paintbrush stroke across the history of dance,” explained Dance Theatre Santa Fe Director Tari Kendall. “The performance is entertaining, educational and affordable and includes dances from different cultures as well as from different periods of history.”
Santa Fe College Dance Department instructors will introduce each piece by giving a short summary of its connection to dance history and its significance within the culture from which it emerged. Included are:
- A West African dance choreographed by Mohammed DaCosta, accompanied by drummers.
- “Soaring,” an iconic piece of early modern dance choreographed by Doris Humphrey and Ruth St. Denis in the 1920s.
- A ballet for four dancers (pas de quatre) choreographed by Alora Haynes.
- A musical theatre montage/homage to prominent artists in the history of that genre choreographed by Sarah Harkness-Sebastian.
- “Illume,” a contemporary modern dance involving lights reflecting off 13 dancers, choreographed by Melissa Canto Brenner.
- A jazz number choreographed by Tari Kendall.
- A hip-hop dance choreographed by Rennie Harris Puremovement.
- A collaborative piece by Vrinda Sheth and Melissa Canto Brenner that blends the traditional Indian dance technique, Bharata Natyam, with contemporary choreography to give a fresh take on classical Indian dance; live musical accompaniment provided by Visvambhar Sheth.
This is the 26th year that Dance Theatre Santa Fe (DTSF) has entertained local audiences. “From the start, the mission of DTSF has been to include as many dancers as possible,” Kendall said. “Dance is a community art and we didn’t want to exclude anyone because of body type or any other criterion. The variety of our dancers and the energy they express on stage makes for a lively and inspiring evening for anyone who is interested in dance and dance history.”
For more information about “Dancing Through Time,” call Tari Kendall at 352-395-5916.
For more information about SF College’s Fine Arts programs, call Fine Arts Department Chairperson Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296.
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