UM dancers to showcase their style

ORONO – The University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts dancers have invested time, talent and creative energy this fall to produce the original dance numbers that will be showcased at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in the Minsky Recital Hall.

The recital will feature 10 pieces, including performances in ballet, modern dance, hip-hop and jazz ballet. About 30 students will take part.

Ann Ross, artistic director of the School of Performing Arts and director of the Dance Showcase, says the event is a unique opportunity for students to perform in an informal setting and to talk with others about their work.

“For the Dance Showcase, we try to create an atmosphere that is open and informal. We encourage dialogue and feedback from the audience,” Ross says.

Ross says many of the students’ performances have been generated from classroom projects. She will be dancing with students from her intermediate dance class in a piece featuring music by a live band.

This is the fourth year for the Dance Showcase. Ross says it also serves as a warm-up for students who will participate in the School of Performing Arts’ Spring Dance Concert.

“This is really a showcase for works-in-progress,” Ross says. “We will have a lot of really nice dancers and performing

styles. It’s going to be fun.”

Ross is a touring artist with the Maine Arts Commission and has helped develop a curriculum for integrating dance in kindergarten through twelfth grade as well as certification requirements for teaching dance in public schools. She has also taught at the Foothills Camp in Farmington; choreographed and danced in “Possessed,” a musical held at the Chocolate Church in Bath; and taught an arts institute at UMaine.