Iron Choreographer Crown Up for Grabs at RDT's Charette, 02/22

Repertory Dance Theatre's Charette returns for the ninth time on February 22, 2014 with an all new host, Sister Dottie S. Dixon. Based loosely on TV's "Iron Chef," Charette challenges five choreographers to each create an entirely new dance piece in just one hour. Audience members are invited to watch the choreographic process and vote for their favorite to crown this year's Iron Choreographer.

This one-of-a-kind event truly is a community-building endeavor. RDT invites choreographers from local colleges, universities, dance studios, and more to compete for the title of Iron Choreographer. Between 30 and 40 community dancers are given the opportunity to perform on stage, alongside RDT's 8 professional dancers. And local celebrities from all various backgrounds (some with no dance experience) come together to "judge" this friendly competition.

Local choreographers competing for this year's title include Nathan Shaw (current reigning Iron Choreographer), Ashley Anderson, Graham Brown, Karin Fenn, and Satu Hummasti. These brave souls will face the critiques of not only the audience, but also the celebrity judging panel. This prestigious panel includes X96's Bill Allred, cityHOMEcollective's Cody Derrick, Janet Gray of Janet Gray Studios, Carter Livingston of Strategies 360, and McCarty Talent Agency's Susie McCarty.

The show begins with a performance by the dancers of Repertory Dance Theatre, and an introduction to the key players. Then choreographers are assigned a "secret ingredient" that they must incorporate into their composition along with a musician that will provide live music for their composition.

Once secret ingredients have been assigned, each choreographer will head to a different studio at the Rose Wagner and begin their work. Audience members are invited to watch the magic happen. During the hour-long intermission, audience members can wander to the various studios, enjoy desserts and drinks provided by local restaurants, and peruse Opportunity Drawings. In addition, audience members can purchase "RDT Funny Money" used to vote for their favorite choreographer. The Iron Choreographer is chosen by audience vote via Funny Money and cash donations.

After one hour is up, everyone is invited back to the theatre to see what the choreographers have created. To see what can be done in one hour is truly inspiring. Celebrity Judges, along with Sister Dottie will "critique" each piece to help audience members decide. And by the end of the evening, the Iron Choreographer for 2014 will be crowned. It is an evening you won't want to miss.

Charette 2014 will be held Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 7:30 pm (VIP ticket-holder reception begins at 6:30 pm) at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 West 300 South, Salt Lake City, Utah). Tickets are available through ArtTix, by calling 801-355-ARTS, or at the box office. For more information, visit www.rdtutah.org. Tickets are $35 (couples price: $60*; groups of 10 or more: $28*/ticket). VIP tickets ($75) grant you an invitation to a pre-concert reception with Sister Dottie, two free drinks during the Intermission, and $15 in RDT Funny Money to bribe the judges. *All tickets will go up $5 on the day of the show.