Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company And Repertory Dance Theatre To Perform at The Noorda Center For The Performing Arts At UVU

The Noorda Center for the Performing Arts will present A Celebration of Contemporary Dance: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Repertory Dance Theatre in Concert on Nov. 5-6, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. at the Smith Theatre in The Noorda.

The two nationally celebrated contemporary dance companies will perform together on stage with students from the Utah Valley University (UVU) Department of Dance students joining Repertory Dance Theatre.

Angie Banchero-Kelleher, a dance department faculty member, said of the upcoming performance, "Audiences should be prepared to be moved intellectually, psychologically, and emotionally. The arts speak to us in a way that oftentimes reveals the truth more clearly than any other medium.

"We live in challenging times, and the arts provide an avenue into the dialogue surrounding life-changing thematic material - how should one live a life? What is worth dying for, what is worth living for? The purpose of this performance and the arts in general is to share these major life questions, live and in person, with members of our community."

The performance is one of several opportunities throughout the year in which students will be invited to engage or perform with seasoned professionals. When celebrated violinist Joshua Bell performed at The Noorda, students were invited to his rehearsal and were given the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session with the world-renowned violinist. In January 2022 when The Noorda presents La Bohème, UVU School of the Arts (SOA) students will be working with world-class opera singers as they stage their performances.

Alex Malone, executive director of The Noorda, says, "The Noorda and the School of the Arts are excited to partner with these amazing companies. It is an incredible engaged-learning opportunity to see these professional dancers in action and a great way to bring two cutting-edge arts groups to Utah County for our community."

This is The Noorda's second production of the season after pivoting last year due to COVID-19. While a Noorda Series was not produced for the 2020/21 Season, the Center for the Arts was quite busy last year presenting 125 performances for the UVU School of the Arts. While the organization was thrilled to be able to support SOA productions, they are excited to welcome The Noorda Series back this year.

Tickets are available for A Celebration of Contemporary Dance: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Repertory Dance Theatre in Concert at uvu.edu/thenoorda. Masks are encouraged. Please visit the website for additional COVID-19 information.

For more information about the dance companies and the UVU School of the Arts, please visit The Noorda's website.