Southern Miss Spring Dance Concert Series Scheduled for April 12 -15
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 08:57am | By: Matthis W. Piel III
The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Theatre and Dance will present the annual Spring Dance Concert Series April 12-15 in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center on the Hattiesburg campus.
The concert series will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 12-14 and at 2 p.m. on April 15. The concert features the work of five dance faculty members, two senior performance and choreography majors, and the work of guest artist and USM alum, Glen Meynardie.
Each of the eight uniquely crafted works provides a glimpse into the human experience, allowing the audience to be taken on a journey through the joys and challenges of life.
Featured in the Spring Dance Concert are three trios. One is hip-hop dance inspired, another reflects being in a fragile and glass-like state and the last is based on the exploration of opening and closing the heart. Also included on the program are larger group works where multitasking and environmental surroundings are explored.
The closing dance of the concert is set to the popular song “Under Pressure” and promises to captivate audiences with non-stop dancing and a surprise solo by a talented freshman dance major.
Guest artist Glen Meynardie's work is the largest group work in the concert, featuring 12 Repertory Dance Company members. “From the Worst” hopes to inspire the audience on a spiritual level and includes simple pedestrian gestures and unison movement. Associate Chair Stacy Reischman Fletcher serves as rehearsal director for this piece.
“Working on this dance with Glen has been inspiring and uplifting,” said Reischman. “I am proud to have been a part of bringing successful alum back to the USM stage. We hope to do more of this in the process in order to show the public how talented our graduates are.”
A free pre-concert discussion with choreographers will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 15. In this discussion, the choreographers will share with the public the ideas behind their choreography with hopes that if makes the viewing experience even more satisfying. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. For more information about the dance program at Southern Miss, visit www.usm.edu/dance.