Winter Works concert features nine dance performances

The Winter Works 2006 Dance Concert performances are 8 p.m. on Dec 8-9 and 2 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the Nancy T. Hansen Theatre in Yue-Kong Pao Hall, 552 W. Wood St.

Tickets can be purchased at Loeb Playhouse, Elliott Hall of Music and Pao Hall box offices or by calling (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW, and through Ticketmaster at (765) 743-5151. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for students and $6 for children 12 and younger.

The dance company is housed in the Patti and Rusty Rueff Department of Visual and Performing Arts in Yue-Kong Pao Hall.

The Purdue Repertory Dance Company presents nine selected works by dance program faculty artists and students, said Carol Cunningham, chair of the Division of Dance. 

"This performance includes a wide range of innovative choreography with inspiration as diverse as urban legends, family relationships and baroque music," Cunningham said.

The performances include:

• "Rondeau," a group work set to the classical music of Johann Sebastian Bach. A rondeau (or rondo) is a musical structure and is related to the word "round." The dance, created by dance faculty member Sally Wallace, is a kaleidoscope of images, a series of circles, moving with the Bach. It is danced by six women and it also investigates supportive roles women take within a community.

• "Circumstances," which depicts the breakdown of formalities between individuals and couples in a social dance setting. The piece is choreographed by dance faculty member Carol Cunningham. The lighthearted choreography is set to a baroque score by Georg Philipp Telemann.

• "Keeping the door open/Unhinge the door," a quartet created by dance faculty member Mary Beth Van Dyke. This modern dance work explores the many facets of a relationship using two couples. One pair of dancers explores what happens when one member of the duet does not participate, while the other pair dances together in harmony.

• "All Clear," which explores the idea of average citizens who are also secret agents. The dance is created by faculty member Holly Jaycox.

• "Return to Elm Street," a reworking of graduate student Edward Martin's "Every Town Has an Elm Street" from spring 2006. Martin is from Chesterton, Ind. The piece was inspired by urban legends. Like many legends, after being told and retold the facts change but the story stays the same. Like its predecessor, this dance explores nightmarish themes with a cast of 16.

• "A Whole in Parts," choreographed by Shanna Daly, a graduate student in engineering education. Daly is from Florence, Ky.

• "it’s all a matter of perspective," which explores the formation of a group of friends. The dance is choreographed by Lori Durako, a graduating senior in sociology from Rockford, Ill. The five characters in the piece enjoy themselves as they get to know each other, share romantic moments, occasionally have struggles and create lasting bonds.

• "The Under-self," an exploration of the underlying competitive nature in individuals. The piece is choreographed by Michal Nevitt, a senior majoring in fine arts with a concentration in jewelry design and metalsmithing. Nevitt is from Chesterton, Ind.

• "Hope Weighted," choreographed by senior Joseph Springer. The dance is strongly influenced by the choreographer's combined background in martial arts and modern dance. The piece explores the boundaries we place upon ourselves whenever we interact with others. Ultimately somber in mood, the piece is a meditation on the darker side of relationships and how they affect everyone. Springer, who is majoring in creative writing, is from West Lafayette, Ind.