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WV Dance Company to Perform at WVU Tech

WVU Tech will welcome the West Virginia Dance Company on Thursday, October 1 for a 7:30 p.m. performance of “Reflections: An Evening of Modern Dance” in the WVU Tech Center Ballroom.

The upcoming performance will include “Sketches of Fall,” a reflection from Pearl S. Buck’s book, “My Several Worlds,” in which she describes her first experience with fall in West Virginia. WVDC will also showcase a new work, “The Mountains Speak,” a collaborative project among West Virginian artists telling the story of adversity in early 20th Century Appalachia and the role music played in uniting communities. The piece features choreography by Toneta Akers-Toler and Donald Laney, language from West Virginia storyteller Adam Booth and music from fiddle champion Jake Krack and West Virginia-based a cappella group, Bare Bones.

WVDC’s “Reflections: An Evening of Modern Dance” tells stories in precise movement and rich color. Image courtesy West Virginia Dance Company.

Additional works will include the popular “Spirit Chaser,” an artistic interpretation of a traditional African folktale choreographed by Carli Mareneck to music by Mark Davis, and “Dynamic Equilibrium,” a work based on Asian themes by Heather Taylor-Martin.

Before the performance, WVDC representatives will also conduct a workshop with a Sport Movement Analysis class, where students will learn about body mechanics and how the neurological system acts like a computer to control the human body.

“We work hard to offer opportunities for our students to engage with the arts throughout the year, bringing in musical acts, films, magicians, artists, comedians and performers from a wide range of artistic disciplines. The West Virginia Dance Company is one of the state’s most renowned performance groups, and we’re very excited to welcome them to campus again to bring the art of dance into the classroom and onto our stage,” said Emily Sands, WVU Tech Associate Dean of Students.

Since 1977, WVDC, West Virginia’s only professional touring dance company, has toured throughout WV and 14 other states performing a program of diverse, entertaining and thought provoking modern works.WVDC is also well known for its award-winning arts education program which is offered annually to tens of thousands of WV students.

This program is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. The program is free and open to the public.

For more information about the West Virginia Dance Company, visit wvdanceco.com.