By ALLISON POND
allison@newsroom.byu.edu
People are building mazes out of cardboard boxes, tossing balls to each other, solving rubik's cube puzzles and filling the room with a giant cat's cradle. It may sound like indoor recess on a rainy day, but it's modern dance with the Repertory Dance Theatre.
Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre will perform a program titled 'Surprise Packages' Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 1-4 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City.
Inspired by rhymes, games and puzzles, the concert is geared primarily to children, but has humor aimed at adults while not being offensive to children, said Tim Hadel, choreographer of 'Surprise Packages.'
'The biggest challenge was to be both entertaining to children and adults. This isn't dumbed down for kids. It's an adult show as well,' he said.
Hadel said that many props will be used, including about forty cardboard boxes.
'We move them around and play games that I made up with them. The dances are like puzzles that come together. In the concert, there are about fifteen sections, each with a theme, and not one is longer than four minutes. The cardboard boxes are one of those themes,' he said.
Hadel also said that 'Surprise Packages' is a good concert for people who haven't seen modern dance before.
'If you are afraid of modern dance, it's going to be a blast. It's not going to be obscure. It's accessible tongue in cheek humor,' he said.
Jenny Spaulding, a senior from Tracy, Calif., majoring in dance, said that modern dance seems obscure to many people.
'Most people perceive modern dance as being a tree. But that's not it at all,' she said. 'If people went to more concerts and asked more questions, it would help.'
Linda Smith, artistic director of Repertory Dance, said this concert will be light, clever and fast-paced, and will involve audience participation.
'This concert has young people in mind. It will be pure fun. I don't think it will insult anyone's intelligence,' she said.
Smith described Repertory Dance as a library with 230 pieces of choreography. She also compared the dance company to a museum.
'Repertory Dance is a wonderful living museum with different galleries. We have contemporary art ... all kinds of art. We are like the Metropolitan Museum of Dance. We incorporate lots of different styles and philosophies. It's a living, breathing, leaping history museum,' she said.
'We chronicle the times and make comments about them. We ask, what of our culture can we express in music? It's fascinating to me the insight into politics and society,' she said.
Smith said Repertory Dance often puts together shows that target children, and that they see over 25,000 Utah children every year in schools and at their regular shows.
'We like to inspire young people. We think going to a concert should be a family event to go out and see something and talk about it,' she said.
Smith recommends 'Surprise Packages' for anyone aged 3 to 103.
'Surprise Packages' runs Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 1-4. For more information, call (801) 534-1000.