Repertory Dance Ensemble To Perform April 20-22
The Missouri Valley College Repertory Dance Ensemble will perform Thursday and Friday, April 20-21 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, April 22 at 2:30 pm in the Eckilson-Mabee Theatre. The concert is free and will showcase a range of dance styles, including jazz, modern, lyrical, and contemporary. Themes range from life struggles, dances dedicated to family and friends, school shootings, and joyful celebrations.
The spring concert has six student choreographers: Seniors Amber Newsom, Jenasyn Baker and Amaijah Ibrahim; and Juniors Kylie Aversman, Amanda Postlethwait and Andi Freese.
Professor Janie Morgan created an intergenerational piece with a cast of 24 dancers with the youngest being four years old. In addition, guest choreographers Alice Bloch and adjunct professor Torey Spitizig created pieces, Alice will be performing a special dance. The concert will highlight local, Broadway Bound Dance Studio performers. The last dance in the concert will feature former Repertory Dance Ensemble dancers from the last 15 years.
Our guest choreographer Alice Bloch is a 5th generation Isadora Duncan Dancer and reconstructed Duncan’s work on Repertory Dance Ensemble. Duncan is one of the Mothers of Modern Dance.
Alice Bloch has a dance history doctorate from Temple University and a choreographic MA from UCLA. A 5th generation Duncan dancer, she trained with Lori Belilove, Meg Brooker, Gemze DeLappe, Ellen Foreman and Julia Levien. She received a 2013 RAC Artists’ Fellow in Dance, and Dance St. Louis; 2020 Visionary Artist award. Bloch is an Arts Integration specialist. Her professional development workshops include “How to Dance a Painting at the St Louis Art Museum,” and “Dancing Peace” at UMSL. She serves on the boards of MDO and MAAE.
The Repertory Dance Ensemble includes Kylie Aversman, Jenasyn Baker, Chloe Campbell, Lindsey Curtis, Thania Figueroa, Andrea Freese, Victoria Heglin, Amaijah Ibrahim, Lucinda Lombaard, Natasha Louw, Kaylynn Opdenbrouw, Amber Newsom, and Amanda Postlethwait.
Former Repertory Dance Ensemble dancers include Oriana Ambus, Sulma Caballero, Amberrose Castaldo, Leah Corona, Rebeca Daolio, Courtney Davis, Kesley DeRousse, Jordan Galey, Abbigayle Halbrook, Alicia Hicks, DeShonda Johnson, Jess LaRue, Rina Miura, Bradford Scott, Torey Spitzig, Leonardo Souza Padua, and Casey West.
Guest performers include Christina Bersano, Tiffany Berman, Colsytn Bergman, Alice Bloch, Taylor Blackwell, Christina Broaddus, Elizabeth Cline, Kori Davidson, Baileigh Grapes, KiAsiah Harris, Mariela Hernandez, Wesely Hughes, Payton Jones, Juliet Magana, Sofie Messing, Alberta Midkiff, Hazel Midkiff, Rina Miura, Josias Mogollon, Janie Morgan, Kennedy Morgan, Tatum Morgan, Amber Newsome, Amanda Postlethwait, Kaleila Rodrigues-Kenolio, Brooke-Lynn Rush, Meredith Staff, Zhiah Shelby, and Sally Wohlgemuth.