The Department of Dance at Hope College will present its major annual concert, Dance 51 this year, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28, and March 1, and Thursday-Saturday, March 6-8, at 7:30 p.m. in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
The program will feature seven works in styles including authentic jazz/tap, contemporary/modern, commercial jazz, pointe and hip hop. The choreographers are faculty members Kara Madden Brems, Heather Cornell, Lindsey Hanson, Jasmine Mejia, Lianna Norris, Julie Powell and Ray Tadio. Approximately 50 Hope students will perform, with nearly 20 others working on technical and costume crews.
The opening work on the program, “Ray’s Suite,” by Heather Cornell, was composed for her New York City tap company, Manhattan Tap, and premiered with the Ray Brown Trio at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York City in 1997. This remount is a tribute to Ray Brown (1926 - 2002) and will feature live musicians Ben Krause (piano); Eddie Eicher (drums); and, sharing bass duties on different nights, Tom Lockwood and Dylan Sherman.
The program will continue with “Provoked,” choreographed by Jasmine Mejia; “Swift,” choreographed by Lindsey Hanson; and “Anecdoche,” choreographed by Kara Madden Brems in collaboration with the dancers. Following an intermission, the concert will feature “Liminality,” choreographed by Julie Powell; “Synesthesia,” choreographed by Lianna Norris in collaboration with the dancers; and “[fraj-uhl],” choreographed by Ray Tadio and the dancers.
Erik Alberg is the director of design and production for the performance. Lighting design is by Erik Van Tassell, sound design by Ken Chamberlain, and costumes and shop management by Anna Hill. Cindy Alberg is the stage manager.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
Tickets are $15 for regular admission, $10 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, $5 for children ages 12 to 19, and free for Hope students and children 11 and under. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890. Tickets are also available online at hope.edu/tickets.
The DeWitt Student and Cultural Center is located at 141 E. 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th streets.