By SARALEE HUNTSMAN
Utah may have the `greatest snow on earth,' but it is also home to the award-winning modern dance troupe, the Repertory Dance Theatre company.
RDT has finally found a place to call home at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, and members are celebrating the move by presenting 'Premiere,' a program claimed to span the ages.
The RDT company enjoyed a sold-out performance Saturday evening. And the audience didn't just see dancing.
'The whole show is kind of based on fabric. In `Soaring' there are 50 yards of silk, which is very beautiful,' said Nancy Banner Smith, the director of public relations and marketing.
'Premiere' consists of pieces dating back to the 1920s and up to the present with Shapiro and Smith's new creation, 'Dance With Two Army Blankets.'
'I felt overall everybody was really dancing together -- collectively as a whole we were all there and performing well together,' said Chara Huckins, one of the performers.
The RDT company consists of nine performers. When a particular dance called for the company to be together in the choreography, not one person missed a beat, Huckins said.
'It is really a team effort -- you have to go out there as a group,' Huckins said.
The lifts of the solo segment in 'Karyo' were gracefully executed.
Modern dance, once called barefoot dancing, is called a more creative and expressive form of dance.
'For me it's like a drug -- in a good way,' Huckins said. 'There is such a thrill in performing, being able to create different dances and being able to express yourself through the movement.'
'Premiere' was performed in a small black box theater with only 150 seats. The audience was closer to the dancers, making the performance intimate.
'The audience was so energized,' Huckins said. 'When you have an audience that is really receptive to the pieces, it energizes you even more to go out there and give it more energy. You kind of play off of each other.'
The last piece, 'Skylight,' choreographer Laura Dead said she wanted the audience to feel that the piece was upbeat and full of life as the performers spun and danced in circles of light.
'Laura Dean really wanted to incorporate the circular vision. She felt as though the world, the seasons, and our lives move circularly,' Smith said.
Huckins said her favorite dance was 'Skylight.'
'It just energizes you from the minute you go out there. It is so spiritual and there is such a ritual inside of the drumming,' Huckins said.
Huckins said she hopes more people will learn to enjoy modern dance. 'I don't think people should be shy about coming to a modern dance performance if they've never seen it,' Huckins said. 'They should just come with more of an open mind and look at the movement for movement's sake and not feel as though they have to find something in-depth inside of modern dance.'
The RDT company will perform 'Premiere' Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is at 138 W. Broadway in Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10 per person with a 20 percent discount for seniors and students. For tickets call ARTIX at 355-ARTS.