Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble to perform at Appalachian beginning March 29; 8 original works on the program

View larger image — Jason Dawkins gives a powerful performance during 2016’s Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble concert at the Valborg Theater on the Appalachian State University campus. Photo by Lynn Willis

By Nancye Edwards

Posted March 15, 2017 at 5:13 p.m.

BOONE, N.C.—The Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University will present the 2017 Spring Appalachian Dance Ensemble (SADE) at 7 p.m. March 29 – April 1 in the Valborg Theater on the university’s campus.

SADE enables guest artists and Appalachian’s students and dance faculty to showcase their talents in choreography and/or performance. The group’s spring performance will feature eight original works created by guest choreographers and by Appalachian’s faculty and students. Sherone Price, associate professor of dance studies at Appalachian, is serving as the rehearsal director through the run of SADE’s 2017 concert.

Appalachian faculty who have choreographed work for the 2017 SADE include Regina Gulick, senior lecturer of dance studies at Appalachian, and Kevin Warner, chair of Appalachian’s Theatre and Dance Department. The concert’s student choreographers are Roberto Bell, a junior dance studies major from High Point; Victoria Buwick, a junior public relations major from Matthews; E.C. Fajardo, a senior dance studies major from Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Bronwyn Weismiller, a junior commercial photography and dance studies double major from Greenville.

There will also be work by two guest choreographers: Dante Brown, choreographer and educator at Warehouse Dance in New York City, and Brad Parquette, local dance professional and director of Western Carolina Youth Ballet. During a residency March 5 – 10 at Appalachian, Brown created original work for Appalachian students.

“The department brings people in from outside the university, giving our students the opportunity to hear and see the perspectives, vocabulary and styles of artists from various backgrounds,” Warner said.

The 2017 SADE concert will feature a variety of upbeat dance styles from ballet to modern dance. For example, Warner’s work incorporates a theatrical bent. Sarah Hase, a junior sustainable development major from Spartanburg, South Carolina, will perform in Warner’s piece. She described it as a “Middle Eastern-inspired folk dance with an exciting and energetic final song.”

Hase’s involvement in the 2017 SADE reflects the fact that all Appalachian students, regardless of their majors, may participate in SADE performances, as either dancers or choreographers.

“SADE has been an awesome opportunity for me to do what I love and express myself through dance,” Hase said. “We all work really hard the entire semester during rehearsals, and it’s so rewarding to be a part of a beautiful piece of art.”

Tickets for each 2017 SADE performance are $10 for students and $17 for adults. For more information, call the Schaefer Center box office toll-free at 800-841-ARTS (2787), contact the Valborg Theater box office at 828-262-3063, or visit the department website at https://theatreanddance.appstate.edu.

About the Department of Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.