Winter Dance Collection set to showcase this week

The Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance is set to host a variety display of talent and creativity as The Winter Dance Collection takes the stage this Thursday through Sunday.

Showtimes for the Winter Dance Collection are at 7:30 p.m. each night, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Ticket prices vary for the public audience, with $5 discounts available for current SEMO students with a current SEMO ID.

The Winter Dance Collection will take place in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall. Students and the public are invited to watch a night full of dance. The collection will feature a variety of styles choreographed by SEMO instructor and artistic coordinator Alyssa Alger, student choreographers and an original work by guest choreographer Kia Smith.

The Winter Dance Collection serves as a platform for both seasoned professionals and emerging talents to showcase their creativity and skill. With a commitment to fostering collaboration, the event promises to deliver an immersive experience that celebrates the rich diversity of dance forms. From contemporary to classical, each performance embodies a unique expression of movement, captivating audiences with its energy and artistry.

“It’s a really dynamic evening that just flies by,” Alger said. “The overall theme for the show is very collaborative. We try to keep our concerts a wide collective variety of different genres and feelings that the audience will experience during the show.”

Alger said the students have been training in rehearsals since the close of the previous dance concert, Fall for Dance. Some pieces were even required for students to come back to the university to rehearse a week before the start of this spring semester.

Freshman dance major Adalia Brune is in her first performance here at SEMO. She is part of a student-choreographed piece as well as one choreographed by Alger. Brune has spent much time and dedication preparing to take the stage later this week.

“For the ballet piece I am in, we had a week of residency where it was dance rehearsal from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.” Brune said.

The Winter Dance Collection not only incorporates student dancers but will also highlight four original student-choreographed pieces. According to Alger, all students interested in choreographing a piece had to submit an application that included the style they wanted to perform and song choice prior. The faculty body of theater and dance then goes into reviewing the applications upon submission.

Junior musical theater and dance major Lexie Stites choreographed her first piece for a mainstage production at SEMO. She got to work alongside faculty and other students in order to bring her original piece, L.E.D., to life.

“My piece is a celebration of self-expression and community through movement,” said Stites. “As a choreographer for the main stage production, the faculty treats us fairly similar if not exactly as the other faculty choreographers and guest artists.”

Kia Smith is the guest choreographer located in Chicago, who will have an original piece shown at The Winter Dance Collection. Smith is the artistic director and founder of South Chicago Dance Theatre.

“Kia has a very unique style of movement. It is not something like we have had in one of our shows yet.” said Alger.

The doors to each of the performances will open 30 minutes before the start of the show. The remaining tickets can be purchased before each show.

“The movement in the pieces cover such a wide array of styles that anyone who comes to the show can find something that they enjoy,” said Stites.