Cinema and dancing will combine in Brigham Young University’s “Evening of Dance” performed by the Young DanceMakers Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.
Tickets are available at byuarts.com/tickets for $8 a seat, and there will be no matinee performance for the show. Ages 2 and older must be admitted to this event with a ticket.
Titled “Cinemagic,” the Young DanceMakers will present a performance featuring approximately 150 children, ages 6 to 18, who have created and choreographed their own dances.
“The ideas as much of the movement spring from the children,” said Kathleen Sheffield, artistic director for the event. “Attending one of the shows is like getting a glimpse inside the imagination through the perspective of a child.”
Instead of using music from movies to recreate the films in dance, the dancers will use the music to incorporate some of the values and life lessons that are at the heart of many of the films. The finale will include a medley of some of the most recognizable movie themes and will feature all performers. The finale itself was also a contribution of one of the children in the program.
“Creative dance helps teach and encourage creative problem solving,” Sheffield said. “The children involved in this process can brainstorm and improvise many different ideas before converging on the final solutions. The process is as joyful and often more rewarding than the product. The children love sharing their ideas and giving their whole selves to the execution of their ideas.”
The Young DanceMakers are youthful performers who range in age from 6 to 18. They are trained in technique, composition, improvisation, choreography and performance. As the performing company of the BYU Children’s and Teens’ Creative Dance program, the Young DanceMakers embody the vitality and exuberance of children’s creative dance at its best.
For more information, contact Kathleen Sheffield at (801) 422-2043 or kathleen.bunker.sheffield@gmail.com, or visit ce.byu.edu/cw/dancecamps/creative.cfm.
Writer: Mel Gardner
