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UWRF Dance Theatre

Dance Theatre to present annual spring concert


Performance to honor memory of former Dance Theatre student


Feb. 8, 2023 - An upcoming University of Wisconsin-River Falls Dance Theatre event will not only showcase various forms of dance but will serve to honor a former student of the program who died last year. 

Dance Theatre will present its annual spring concert February 15-18 at 7:30 p.m. in Abbott Concert Hall in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7 p.m. and seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis. 

One of the event’s dances, a full company performance titled “In Memoriam” created by faculty choreographer and Dance Theatre Director Mari Kline-Kluck, is dedicated to Eva Schrank, a former Dance Theatre member and a lifelong River Falls resident. Schrank died Sept. 6, 2022, at age 22. The dance examines the impact of those Schrank knew and danced with. 

The dance “explores both the grief and this loss and the beautiful legacy Eva leaves behind,” Kline-Kluck said.
 
The event embraces numerous dance forms including modern, musical theater, jazz, Peruvian, jazz, comedy and contemporary as it features the work of numerous UWRF Dance Theatre students, alumni and faculty along with professionals. Other dances include:

• Danielle Ricci, a guest choreographer from Minneapolis, created a modern dance performance titled “Effect.” Through chaotic gestures and chaotic movements, four dancers examine societal pressure to conform to norms and daily scrutiny. 

• Student choreographer Gissela Reyes designed a Pervuian dance titled “Marinera Norteña del Peru” that features colorful costumes and traditional Marinera dance steps that exude a sense of joy.

• In her dance titled “Illumination Leoht,” UWRF alumni choreographer Starla Dixen bends light and expectations. Her dancers are a mix of UWRF Dance Theatre members and youth dancers from her River Falls dance studio, Starburst Dance. 

UWRF Dance Theatre, a modern dance company, has brought an artistic dance program to students with a passion for dance for over 40 years. It strives to provide rich dance experiences and performances to River Falls and the surrounding communities.
 

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