ODU University Dance Theatre Fall Concert to be Presented Nov. 15-17
November 10, 2017
By Marilyn Marloff
The Old Dominion Dance Program will present its annual University Dance Theatre Fall Concert November 15 - 17 at 8 p.m. and November 18 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the University Theatre on Hampton Boulevard and 47th Street.
The concert will include exciting new pieces by five local choreographers and guest artist Angie Pittman. Emerging student choreographers will also show work on the program.
Angie Pittman is a New York-based dance artist and Bessie Award-winner. Her work investigates how her body moves through ballad, groove, sparkle, spirit, spirituals, ancestry, vulnerability and power. Pittman returned to ODU, her alma mater, in October to teach classes and work with dance students. The group piece presented in the concert is the product of this six-day residency.
Guest Artist Janelle Spruill is known for her powerful and inventive vocabulary and her ability to push dancers to new levels. In her work "On Edge," she asks her dancers to pull from their own personal experiences in their approach to the choreography.
Adjunct professor Natalia Schradle will present "Legion," a martial arts-inspired modern dance piece accompanied by Chinese talking drums and Swiss Hang drums. Movements draw from those of the Japanese red crowned crane and Shaolin Kung Fu. Watch as dancers leap, tumble, and whisper.
"Underlying," which was choreographed by adjunct professor Joni Petre-Scholz, deals with emotions and tensions that simmer beneath the surface. Composer Marcelo Zarvos' music is filled with energy that is uniquely affecting and emotionally charged.
Assistant professor Megan Thompson will present a powerful new group work set to music by Bijeen. Visiting assistant professor Katie Iacono will present a new multi-media solo.
The concert also includes works by adjunct professor Vicki Fink and selected ODU dance students.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for ODU students at www.ODUArtsTix.com, the Arts and Letters Box Office in the University Theatre at 757-683-5305 and at the door beginning one hour prior to each performance. For more information about the concert call 757-683-3002.