The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue this season’s Collegiate Series with a concert performance by the West Virginia University Dance Ensemble on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The performance will take place in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The Collegiate Series is free and the public is invited to attend.
The concert will feature a variety of dances from a tongue-in-cheek zombie dance with a nod to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” to a modern dance duet exploring the bonds of friendship. There also will be a classical variation from Marius Petipa’s Don Quixote and a take-no-prisoners burn the floor Savion Glover-inspired hoofing dance.
Featured choreographers are Bethany Fisher, Rachel Romero, Lauren Hanahan and Caitlin Robertson. Heather Ahern, assistant professor of dance and director of the division of dance at WVU, will give a brief lecture to be followed with a question and answer session.
Ahern is originally from Providence, R.I., where she co-directed, toured, performed and taught with the critically acclaimed Groundwerx Dance Theatre for 15 years. In addition to the creation of modern dance choreography, she has enjoyed working as a movement consultant and choreographer for Perishable Theatre and Trinity Repertory Theatre, both of Providence.
As a teacher and guest artist, Ahern has taught and choreographed work for a variety of groups at colleges, universities and other educational institutions in Arizona, Alaska, California and throughout New England. She taught Movement for the Actor in the graduate program at California State University and Modern Dance Technique and Dance History at Long Beach City College. In addition, Ahern is a certified pilates instructor with a specialized study in dance conditioning.
For more information about the concert performance by the WVU Dance Ensemble or the Collegiate Series, contact Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, or call (304) 558-0162 in the evenings.
The Collegiate Series consists of performances and lectures by students and faculty from colleges and universities across the state. First Lady Gayle Manchin hosts the program.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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