DANCE SOUP Comes to Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts This Weekend

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) will present its Dance Soup Concert on November 17 & 18, 2023, in the Charter Arts Theatre, located at 321 East 3rd Street in South Bethlehem. There will be an evening performance on both days at 7 pm and a matinee performance on the 18th at 2 pm.

Dance Soup has been an annual tradition at the school and features student-choreographed works. The concert is directed by Jennifer Weaver, the school's Artistic Director of Dance, who shares: "The audience will enjoy a mix of 26 solo and group performances from various genres of dance including modern, jazz, hip-hop, Afro-contemporary dance, and ballet with wide-ranging music selections and themes that will keep them fully engaged. Students have spent a great deal of time developing the concepts for their pieces and exploring the process of creating dance."

Dance Soup provides students with the opportunity to practice the skills they learn in Improvisation and Dance Composition classes. Many students begin developing their concepts in the summer prior to school starting in September. Through a lengthy process involving faculty acceptance of a student proposal, auditioning of fellow classmates, rehearsing and mentoring sessions with faculty members, the student sharpens their leadership and choreographic skills. "The students also learn what it's like to have their work critiqued throughout this process," says Weaver. "We give them a lot of freedom for this concert to really explore the whole world of dance, and they really get the chance to express their individual voice and specialties."

When asked why the name, Dance Soup?, Weaver explains, "Just like soup is made from many varied ingredients, so is this concert; and those ingredients come together beautifully to make a complete and diverse show."

Tickets for the show are $6-$11. Tickets can be purchased online at www.CharterArts.org or at the door. Online purchase is recommended as shows can sell out.

The Charter Arts Dance Department provides students with a comprehensive and quality dance education in an environment that nurtures the talent of each individual. Students engage in an array of technique classes, improvisation, composition and dance history classes. Dance majors also have numerous performing opportunities throughout the year, both in school and in the community.