By ASHLEY EYRIN
Several BYU top dance groups will perform numbers that tie into the Thirteenth Article of Faith in Tuesday’s Devotional at 11 a.m. in the Marriott Center.
The Cougarettes, The Dancers’ Company, the Folk Dance Ensemble, Theater Ballet and the Ballroom Dance Company will each present dance numbers that communicate dance as an art form, said Sara Lee Gibb, BYU Dance Department chair.
“Dance is one of the most important ways of communicating because the instrument is ourselves,” Gibb said. “Communication comes from the mind, the body and the soul — it is a wonderful integration of the total person.”
Dance, as an art form, can parallel gospel principles if created in a positive way.
“I think as we talk of things that are good, lovely and of good report, we think of things that are Christ-like,” said Edwin Austin, director of the Folk Ensemble.
The arts, when used in a positive way, can portray those positive traits, Austin said.
“Many times, movements say things that can’t be said in any other way,” said Marilyn Berrett, artistic director of The Dancers’ Company.
While dance is no substitute for the gospel, it can sensitize spiritual receptivity and open people up to those truths, Berrett said.
The groups will perform various numbers that should be moving and entertaining, Austin said.
“We can see ourselves as different or similar (to people and situations being portrayed through the dances) and laugh at ourselves a little bit,” Austin said.
“We have choices; we can follow the world or we can be disciples of Christ. I’m hoping the Devotional inspires others to use their talents in following Christ,” he said.
The Dance Department started working in the fall and has drawn on their best performing groups for this Devotional, Gibb said.
The Devotional will not be broadcast on KBYU-TV or KBYU-FM, so one must go to the Marriott Center to experience it in person.
