Dance Program Performance and Choreography Opportunities
WKU Dance Company
The Western Kentucky University Dance Company is the resident dance company of the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance. The company performs diverse choreography by faculty and guest artists in local to international venues. Choreography encompasses ballet, jazz, modern, tap and world dance forms. The WKU Dance Company follows the mission of the WKU Dance Program and strives to create "Thinking Artists," individuals who work to achieve their highest potential as artists, technicians, and scholars. The company aims to prepare the dance major for the professional world while also educating the community and region through a variety of concert and outreach performances. Membership in the WKU Dance Company is by audition only.
Each year the WKU Dance Company performs:
WinterDance, a fall main stage faculty choreographed concert, themed and designed for children
and families
Evening of Dance, a spring main stage faculty and guest artist choreographed concert, features collection
of classical and contemporary work
Other performance opportunities may include:
WKU Symphony
Regional dance festivals
American College Dance Association, regional festival
Community based performances
Choreographic Residencies
Choreographic residencies with guest artists are offered at least once per year. These residencies are a high priority for the education of each student within the WKU Dance Company. Guest artists of prominence who have set their work on WKU student dancers include Melanie George, Juan Sanchez Enrique, Robert McKee, Jon Lehrer, Matthew Farmer, Andrea Dawn Shelley, Melissa Lowe-Hancock, Gail Gilbert, Christopher Morgan, Barbea Williams, James Clouser, Carlos dos Santos Jr, Cornelius Carter, Karen Callaway Williams, and Victor Alexander. Guest artist choreography is regularly performed by WKU Dance Company members in Evening of Dance and at other events.
Formal Student Concert
The Dance Project is an adjudicated, formal student-choreographed dance concert held in the Gordon Wilson Lab Theatre. Participation gives students the opportunity to exercise their choreographic voice, work with their peers, and participate in an adjudicated process to produce a formal dance concert. To aid the student’s development as a choreographer, the student selects and works closely with a faculty mentor throughout the rehearsal process.
Informal Student Concerts/Showcases
Last Chance to Dance occurs at the conclusion of the fall and spring and spring semesters. Held in Russell Miller Theatre of the Fine Arts Center, this concert is a presentation of Choreography class projects and other student works, featuring both completed and works in progress
Dance Class Showcase occurs at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters. This informal showcase is an opportunity for all dance students to present class combinations, phrase work, and projects before an audience of peers in the Gordon Wilson Hall, Dance Studio A.
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