TOVE IREN SPISSOY GERHARDSE
The BYU Department of Dance’s annual “World of Dance” (Sept. 25-28), featuring all of BYU’s dance groups at their best, is the most popular dance show on campus — the tickets have been sold out for the last week.
The good response is due to the 15-year-long tradition of “World of Dance” — people know what they are getting.
Students from classes that require the students to see the show also make up for a ready-made audience, said Gary Hopkinson, BYU dance production manager.
“World of Dance” presents the best from the repertoires of our companies,” Hopkinson said. “This show reflects the dances that show BYU dance at it’s best.”
The five main groups of the show are the International Folk Dance Ensemble, Ballroom Dance Company, The Dancers’ Company, Theater Ballet, and Cougarettes.
The performers are experienced dancers, and their dances have already been audience-approved, Hopkinson said, and refers especially to the touring of the major groups.
The International Folk Dancers went on a tour to Scandinavia and Russia this summer. The Ballroom Dance Company spent two weeks in Malaysia and five weeks in Southern USA.
The concert, which lasts for about an hour and 40 minutes, features a variety of pieces from different dance forms, and it shows the breadth of the dance world.
“‘World of Dance’ is a dance concert for people who do not like dance concerts. If there is something you do not like, just wait a minute and we will give you something else,” Hopkins said.
“There is quite an emotional variety in the tone of the pieces. There are serious, thoughtful pieces, comics, abstract and lyrical pieces, more showy pieces, fast-moving exciting pieces, and some that are comprised of just plain energy,” Hopkinson said.
According to a press release, each performing group will present a variety of musicals entertainment from around the world, including such works as African Nightfall, Russian Quadrille, Chu Diao from the People’s Republic of China and a “Les Miserables” ballroom medley.
It is not only the dances that are diverse in this concert; the costumes range from the flash of the samba to the elegance of the ballroom, from the authenticity and detail of the folk dancers’ to the traditional, classical style of the ballet, Hopkinson said.
“It is really exciting for us in the Cougarettes to be able to participate in the ‘World of Dance,'” Kristi Jones said, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho.
“We get a chance to show people that the Cougarettes do more than just dance at the football games,” Jones said. She said the audience had thus far been very good and appreciative.
The Cougarettes, directed by Jodi Maxfield, have been practicing three hours every day since school started. Out of the 18 dancers, eight are new in the dance group this year.
“What is special with our group is that our dances are high energy and it is easy to get the crowd involved,” Jones said.
According to a press release, the program will be narrated by KBYU-FM general manager Walter B. Rudolph.
We would have liked to have two weekends for the show, Hopkinson said, and refers to the overwhelming response. Most of the tickets were sold out already two weeks ago, Rhett Zimmerman at the Fine Arts Ticket Office said.
The “World of Dance” will run through Saturday Sept.28, and the show starts every night at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center.
