Colby-Sawyer’s Fine and Performing Arts Department and the Colby-Sawyer Dance Club present the spring dance ensemble, Classics to Contemporary, a showcase of dance that features two shows sharing the stage.

Classics to Contemporary will take place Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at 7 PM in the Sawyer Center Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and children, and free with a Colby-Sawyer ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door, at colby-sawyer.edu/tickets, or by calling the box office at 526-3670.

ACT I
The first act, under the artistic direction of Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance Laura Dunlop Shepherd, features her choreography and that of her jazz and performance and repertory students as well as guest choreographer and ballroom dancer, Natalie Mavor Miles, owner of The Newport Ballroom.

Classics to Contemporary brings together many dance genres under one umbrella: classical ballet, acro, tap, jazz, lyrical, and even a big band finale. “There’s a little bit of everything,” says Professor Shepherd. “It is especially exciting because we are bringing ballroom dancing to the Colby-Sawyer stage for the first time in recent memory, and we’re bringing it in that big, beautiful, classic Viennese Waltz way.”

Early musical theater experiences launched Professor Shepherd on a lifelong path of performing and teaching. She studied theatre and dance at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and after years of performing in summer stock, in professional musical theater, and as a singer and dancer in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes, she turned her focus to teaching voice and dance.

Natalie Mavor Miles won her first US Amateur Championship title in the Latin American style at age 15. She went on to become the US Amateur 10-Dance Champion as well as the US Professional Rising Star Rhythm Champion. She has represented the United States at six World Championships. Her film credits include Dance with Me and Enchanted. She also coached actors for the film, Shall We Dance?, and was a featured dancer at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

ACT II
The second act, performed by members of the Dance Club under the artistic direction of Club President, Kayla Clark, Class of 2013, offers choreography by 14 students that incorporates hip-hop, modern, tap, and jazz.

“We are most excited about the opening number because we are dedicating it to promoting Relay for Life. It will be performed to Let’s Go by Calvin Harris,” says Clark. “Relay for Life is an amazing event for a great cause. We even have a registered team name called Dancers for a Cure.”

To learn more about the Fine and Performing Arts at Colby-Sawyer, visit colby-sawyer.edu/arts/.