UW Hosts 13th Snowy Range Dance Festival this Month

July 11, 2007 -- More than 80 of the nation's dance instructors and students will come to the University of Wyoming July 18-29 for the 13th Annual Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival.

The festival offers intensive study with professional dance faculty and performers. In addition to daily ballet, modern, jazz, and tap technique classes at various levels, festival activities include repertoire classes with guest faculty, student showcase performances, guest faculty lectures, discussion groups, and special performances and concerts featuring Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, the festival's visiting resident company.

The 2007 festival once again will include instruction for dancers and choreographers ages 13 and above, including college students and teachers. Classes will be taught by returning guest faculty members Yoav Kaddar, Peter Pucci, Keith Saunders, Gail Benedict, Susan Israel Massey and Lawrence Jackson.

Former festival director and UW professor Marsha Knight says the guest artists offer an enriching experience for the festival dancers -- especially since many of them come from modest studios with one mentor teacher.

The Student Showcase will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25. Admission is free. The Dance Festival Gala Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, will include Alonzo King's LINES Ballet and student repertory pieces choreographed by guest faculty. Alonzo King's LINES Ballet also will present a solo performance Friday, July 27, at 7:30 p.m. All performances are in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Tickets cost $10.50 in advance and $12.50 at the door for the July 27 and July 28 concerts. Call The Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or visit www.uwyo.edu/finearts for ticket information.

Since 1995, the festival has provided training, educational support and professional encouragement for Wyoming and regional dance students, teachers, composers, accompanists and choreographers. Professional dancers, dancers-in-training, and teachers come together to learn, explore and perform the many facets of dance. Past festival participants have come from Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Utah and California.

For additional information contact Margaret Wilson at mawilson@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-5138.

Photo
Elegance -- An Alonzo King's LINES Ballet dancer performs en pointe. Alonzo King's LINES Ballet is the visiting resident company for the 13th Annual University of Wyoming Snowy Range Dance Festival July 18-29. (Photo by Marty Sohl)

Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007