USC Dance Company to present ‘Journey Through the Classics’ Nov. 7-8

COLUMBIA, SC – October 24, 2008 – The University of South Carolina’s Dance Company will perform “Journey Through the Classics,” showcasing some of the world’s greatest choreographers, at the Koger Center for the Arts Nov. 7 – 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $10 for students; $14 for faculty, staff and military; and $16 for the public.

The program, which will be performed with the USC Symphony, will feature “Viola Alone…(With One Exception),” “Black Swan Pas de Deux, Act III from Swan Lake,” “Scotch Symphony” and “Deuce Coupe.”

“It is easy to confuse the terms ‘classic’ and ‘classical,’ relegating both descriptions to work that is traditional, the antithesis of ‘modern,’ ” said Susan Anderson, artistic director for USC Dance Company. “I choose to define a classic as simply the best of its kind. This ‘journey through the classics’ of dance will take audiences on a trip through time, to experience an eclectic sampling of the world’s best choreography — classics in any age.”

“Viola Alone,” which featured university ballet instructor Stacey Calvert in its original cast, will be choreographed by Kevin O’Day, former member of American Ballet Theatre. “Viola Alone” is a ballet for four dancers, an on-stage violist and, for one movement, a pianist. A mix of the contemporary jazz and sports imagery, the athletic choreography is filled with spins, leaps and beating jumps.

“Black Swan Pas de Deux,” choreographed by Maruis Petipa, is regarded as one of the most difficult ballet sequences in the entire classical repertory, notably for its demands on the ballerina dancing the role of Odile, the Black Swan.

“Scotch Symphony,” choreographed by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet in 1952, drew inspiration from New York City Ballet’s first visit to the Edinburgh Festival, where every night on the castle esplanade the “Searchlight Tattoo” was performed with marching pipers, drummers and the dancing of reels.

“Deuce Coupe,” choreographed by Twyla Tharp, has been described as an “eye” to the hurricane swirl of  pop music and dancing that makes up the much of the dance number as a female ballet dancer  goes through the ABCs of the entire ballet vocabulary of technique.

For more information, visit the Web site — http://www.cas.sc.edu/dance/ — or call Kevin Bush at 803-777-9353.