USC Dance Company to Take the Koger Center Stage for Fall Concert

A full spectrum of dance styles, from neoclassical ballet to cutting-edge contemporary choreography, will be on display as the USC Dance Company presents its Fall Concert, November 16-17 at the Koger Center for the Arts.

Included in the repertory are:

- George Balanchine's joyous ballet Walpurgisnacht, staged by university ballet instructor Stacey Calvert, a former New York City Ballet soloist;

- Black Gazing, a stirring work by Assistant Professor Thaddeus Davis set to the music of Nina Simone;

- Suite of Old American Dances, choreographed by UofSC jazz dance instructor Heather Stokes, which will feature early American dance styles such as ragtime, the cake walk, and the schottische;

- And a tribute to the influential choreography of Martha Graham by guest artist Miriam Barbosa, who performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1991 to 2001.

Dance Program Artistic Director Susan Anderson describes Walpurgisnacht, one of Balanchine's earliest works, as typical neoclassical choreography. "It's quick, it's light, and it's effervescent," says Anderson. The whimsical choreography is set to music from the Gounod opera, Faust.

Choreographer Thaddeus Davis says his work, Black Gazing, is "an immersive meditation...that reconsiders taboo relationships in an ever-changing world." Choreographed in collaboration with his cast of twelve student dancers, the work is set to songs by music icon Nina Simone (My Baby Just Cares for Me, Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair, Don't Explain, and Strange Fruit).

"The tone of her voice speaks to more than just an emotional feeling," says Davis of Simone's unmistakable sound. "In all its beauty and pain, she creates an audible space that is unconditional - not limited or bound. Her voice implies love that is open and nonjudgmental."

Anderson praises Davis' unique collaborative approach to choreography. "He pulls movement samples from the students that he can develop themes on, and then manipulates the choreography as if he were a composer manipulating a fugue. He's a master at that."

Suite of Old American Dances will be accompanied by the USC Symphonic Winds ensemble (directed by Cormac Cannon), who will perform on stage with the dancers. Set to Robert Russell Bennett's 1949 concert band work of the same title, the piece is a joyous celebration of the 1920s which highlights popular dances of the erA. Stokes' original choreography stays faithful to the classic styles represented by the music, while adding an engaging narrative thread involving a whimsical night on the town that evolves into a romantic interlude between two strangers.

Show time for all performances is 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 for students, $20 for USC Faculty/Staff, Military and Seniors, and $22 for the general public, and can be purchased by phone at 803-777-5112 or online at www.kogercenterforthearts.com. The Koger Center is located at 1051 Greene St.

Pictured: USC Dance Performance Major Lydia Taylor Sanders in Walpurgisnacht. Photo by Jason Ayer.

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