The Ball State Dance Theatre will present a diverse blend of ballet, ethnic, classical and modern dance this weekend.
"Festival of Dance 2002," directed by Lou Ann Young, concludes the Department of Theatre and Dance's Season Subscription Series.
"This is a very eclectic program," said Young, an assistant professor in the BSU Dance Theatre. "It's moving and uplifting and beautiful."
The show is dedicated to the memory of Lynnette Jordan Schisla, who died in 1992. Schisla was a member of Ball State's dance faculty for six years and was instrumental to the development of the dance major and the musical-theatre option program, Young said.
"We're trying lots of new things with this show," Young said. "We have a ballroom piece, something we've never done before, and some clog dances that are fun to watch."
"Dancing is something we love to do," said Patrick J. Ellis, a senior dance major. "We try to show the emotion we're feeling through our performance."
Twenty-six Ball State students make up the company for "Festival of Dance." The show has 14 dance routines and features an award-winning performance of "Varshavianka."
Ball State's performance of this routine was one of 12 dances selected to participate in a Celebration of College and University Dance in Washington, D.C., this May.
Most of the dance routines are choreographed by Dance Theatre faculty including Young, L. Gregory Lund, Katie Teuchtler, Michael Worcel and Michele Kriner. Guest choreographer Alan Sener also designed one of the routines. The music used in the routines varies widely - from classical selections by Bach to popular songs by Prince and Etta James.
"This program is exceptional," Young said. "Anyone who comes to see it will love it."
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