The Brigham Young University Department of Dance presents the annual “Ballroom in Concert” Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Marriott Center.
There will also be a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday. Tickets are $12 and are available at the Marriott Center Ticket office, byutickets.com, 801-422-BYU1 or 1-800-322-BYU1.
This year’s concert, “Stripes and Starz,” features 160 dancers and will begin with the company’s Americana Ballroom Medley, which will be performed for the last time in the Marriott Center, as the Ballroom Dance Company will begin working this summer on new competition medleys for the 2013 Blackpool Championships.
A highlight of the concert will be a collaborative work with the BYU Electrical Engineering Department where concert goers will see a light show supporting an audience favorite, “MicTendo.”
“We are excited about this collaboration, which has never been done before,” said dance faculty member Claudia Hill. “Audiences will also be able to see for the last time our award-winning competition Latin medley, ‘Misterieux.’”
Slawek Sochacki and Marzena Stachura choreographed “Marzena's Foxtrot,” a beautiful American-style solo performed by Alex Taylor and Kaelynne Hill. Slawek and Marzena working with company artistic directors Lee and Linda Wakefield also created a new waltz, “A Song for Jenny.”
Roman Kutskyy and Anna Kovalova have assisted the Wakefields in choreographing a new three-couple rumba, “Come Home Soon.”
“You won't want to miss Eugene Katsevman and Maria Manusova's new fast-paced samba, ‘Skip to the Bip,’” said Hill. Alain Doucet and Anik Jolicoeur also helped choreograph a new epic piece called “Sands of Time.“
The show will end with the full cast of 160 performing a spectacular patriotic tribute.
Whether performing a Latin American cha-cha or an elegant waltz, the Ballroom Dance Company captivates audiences worldwide with its energy and enthusiasm. The company’s precise timing, flawless technique, expressive choreography and vibrant costumes complete the enchantment.
“I have seen music and dance presentations, I thought of every kind, but none (have) I enjoyed as thoroughly as the Ballroom Dance Company,” said Richard Berry of Roanoke Virginia. “This incredible blending of professionalism and talent with the beauty, wholesomeness and enthusiasm of youth has, in my mind, set a new standard.”
Next year, the Ballroom Dance Company will compete in both the Modern and Latin Formation Championships at the Blackpool Dance Festival, one of the world's most prestigious competitions.
Formed in 1971, the company has performed in 31 of the United States and in 30 countries in Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Africa and the South Pacific.
The Wakefields both hold memberships in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and have degrees in Standard and Latin dancing.
For more information, contact Claudia Hill, 801-422-1687 or visit pam.byu.edu and click on the Ballroom Dance Company link.
Writer: Melissa Connor
