Date/Time
Date(s) - Thursday, April 12, 2018 - Saturday, April 14, 2018
All Day
Location
St. Olaf College
Categories No Categories
When: Thursday, April 12, and Friday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Wagner-Bundgaard Studio, Center for Art and Dance, St. Olaf College
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The St. Olaf College Dance Department is excited to announce that Veselica, the international dance ensemble, will hold its annual spring concert April 12–14.
This year’s concert, titled “Dance Stories,” will feature performances of pieces from many parts of the world. The concert will showcase pieces choreographed by guest artists Michael Pili Pang and Andrea Conger, as well as choreographies by Jamal, Don LaCourse, Tri Sutrisno, and Anne von Bibra. The performance will include Colombian, Hawaiian, Indonesian, Iranian, North Bulgarian, Spanish, and Uzbek dances, as well as Rondo a la Turk to the music of Dave Brubeck, and guest dances by a new student group performing English Rapper sword dance as well as Mexican folklórico from Vera Cruz danced by Jasmine Alvarado ’21.
Tickets are free and available to the public. Performances will be held in the Wagner-Bundgaard Studio in the Center for Art and Dance on April 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 14 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. There will be a reception following the Friday evening and Saturday matinee performances.
Veselica International Dance Ensemble is one of two dance companies in the St. Olaf Dance Department. The ensemble’s name is drawn from a Slavic term that means “celebration.” Through its performances, the ensemble seeks to celebrate the rich diversity of dance and provide opportunities for both student dancers and audience members to learn about dance cultures from around the world. Since its founding in the late 1980s, the ensemble has presented dances from more than 30 countries.
In addition to their annual spring concerts, Veselica has performed at the Festival of Nations in St. Paul, the Presbyterian Podium series in Red Wing, “Celebration of Nations” for the Montgomery School District, the American College Dance Festival in Iowa City, an Asian Pacific Awareness week event at Target Headquarters, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and at area churches.
In May 2018 Veselica will perform at the Southeastern Minnesota ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Synod Assembly in Mankato. The theme of this year’s conference is “Celebrating our Global Congregation,” with a particular focus on Tanzania and Colombia, so Veselica is learning new dances from those countries to present at the event.
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