Annual spring dance showcase to be presented this week

This week Southeast Missouri State University dance students and faculty will present the second of this academic year's big dance showcases.

Spring into Dance is a yearly showcase that displays the work of students, faculty and guest artists. Professor of dance Dr. Marc Strauss has helped coordinate Spring into Dance for many years and choreographed two pieces for this year's showcase.

The pieces Strauss has choreographed are "Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo" and "Police Dog Blues."

"The first piece is with 13 dancers, a live tenor vocalist, Dr. Chris Goeke, who is the chair of the Department of Music, and a live pianist, Dr. Jennifer Judd, associate professor of Music at East Central College," Strauss said in an email. "It's based on a musical composition by famed British composer Benjamin Britten, written in 1940 for tenor and piano, and is all in Italian. The words loosely translate into love sonnets about the universal challenges of relationships, transcendent love, ecstasy and passion.

"It will open Act II with a grand piano coming up from the pit onto the stage and Chris Goeke stationary for times and also moving around and among the dancers at times. 'Police Dog Blues' is a jazzy and bluesy solo for one dancer, Zak McMahon, to music by Hugh Laurie, the actor who played House in the TV show of the same name, but who also plays piano and sings quite well. It's the story of a man who travels from town to town looking for love and life in all the wrong places, down on his luck."

Spring into Dance is the end-of-the-year performance for the spring semester. The last showcase, Fall into Dance, ended the fall semester.

Strauss said there is not really a difference between the two showcases. Both feature faculty, student and guest artist choreography and student performance in a variety of dance styles, such as contemporary ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, tap, blues and others.

"One of the great things about each concert is watching the students evolve as both performers and choreographers alongside practicing professional artists-faculty," Strauss said.

Nine performances will be presented from Thursday to Sunday. The shows from Thursday to Saturday begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday show starts at 2 p.m.

Professors in the dance department have choreographed dances. Professors Hilary Peterson and Philip Edgecombe each has choreographed two pieces.

"I love the rehearsal process more and more each year to see how the students respond to new ideas, movement concepts, choreography and the performance elements," Strauss said. "It's always great to see what happens come concert time."

Strauss described the audition process for Spring into Dance as being a dynamic, rich and intense process that really pushes the students to bring their best work to fruition.

"We have faculty auditions for Spring into Dance the previous November, and the students have their own auditions for their pieces early each semester and then have five to six weeks with faculty mentors visiting periodically with feedback to bring their works to at least two-thirds completion when they audition them for the faculty to get into the main stage Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall," Strauss said.

All ages are welcome at the showcase; tickets to the event are $16. Students may purchase tickets for $3 at the River Campus box office with a Southeast ID.

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.