'Dance Emerge' dance concert showcases eclectic work by emerging student choreographers in a nationally acclaimed program
Dance performance April 10-13 displays talent of 12 young choreographers, 60 dancers
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 10:22 AM
Muhlenberg College dancers tell their stories through movement, as the Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance Department presents "Dance Emerge," a showcase for dance works created by emerging choreographers, April 10-13 in the College's Dance Studio Theatre. Corrie Franz Cowart is the artistic director for the concert.
"Choreographers in this year's 'Dance Emerge' are mining emotional and physical landscapes that celebrate the thrills of life and mourn our human foibles," Franz Cowart says. "Humor and real-life circumstances are blended with physical skill and choreographic imagination, transforming observations of our world into kinetic and visual journeys for the audience.
"Dance Emerge" will showcase 12 choreographers and 60 dancers from the department's dance program, which is among the most highly regarded programs of its kind. The concert features costume and lighting designs by the department's acclaimed professional staff.
The 12 original dances include contemporary jazz, hip-hop, tap, dance theater, and modern works that investigate such topics as the sensation of getting lost in a book, women's struggles with power, circus lights, and ritualized behavior. Choreographers drew inspiration from such diverse sources as dance history, travel, personal relationships, and college experiences.
Muhlenberg College's Theatre & Dance Department offers one of the top-rated college performance programs in the county, according to the Princeton Review rankings. Muhlenberg is a liberal arts college of more than 2,200 students in Allentown, Pa., offering Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. It has been named annually among The Fiske Guide to Colleges' top 20 small college programs in the United States, and the American College Dance Festival Association has consistently recognized dances premiered on the Muhlenberg stage for excellence in choreography and performance.
"Dance Emerge" runs April 10-13 in the Dance Studio Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.
Performances are April 10-13: Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 12, at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 13, at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for patrons 17 and under, and $8 for students, faculty and staff of all LVAIC colleges. For groups of 15 or more, tickets are $13.
Tickets and information are available at 484-664-3333 or muhlenberg.edu/dance.
To arrange an interview or photo opportunity with Karen Dearborn, Corrie Franz Cowart, or any of the student choreographers, please contact Scott Snyder, at 484-664-3693 or [email protected].
