The New Mexico State University Dance Ensemble will present a dance concert in early March featuring ballet, modern dance and theatrical dance.

Performances will be March 2-4 at Las Cruces' Black Box Theater, 430 N. Downtown Mall. Evening performances are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, and matinee performances will be 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4.

"The NMSU Dance Ensemble in Concert will provide exciting dance entertainment for the entire community," said Helen Myers, NMSU dance program coordinator.

The concert features seven dances choreographed by NMSU faculty, students and guest artists.

Myers has created two dances for the program. "Gebrochener Garten" ("Broken Garden") is a solo dance set to live percussion music played by Fred Bugbee, NMSU percussion ensemble director. The piece is inspired by the different mind states that people who suffer from mental illness experience. A group piece by Myers, titled "Impossible Tendencies," in an energetic exploration of impossible situations, making use of spiral floor patterns and athletically challenging jumps and lifts.

Ann Gavit, guest artist and ballet instructor at NMSU, has choreographed a ballet piece that simply celebrates dance. The dancers move from ballet to folk dance forms, while leaping and waltzing across the stage. Gavit was a principal dancer with Denton Civic Ballet and International Dance Theater. Besides instructing ballet at NMSU, she is assistant director of the Barbara Driscoll School of Ballet in El Paso, Texas.

Bob Diven, a visual artist, musician and performer, has guest directed a piece for the concert. "The Painter" tells the story of a painter who has no inspiration for his work, then finds it through a muse and other dancers. Diven lives in Las Cruces and owns Diven Art and Illustrations Services, a commercial art studio.

Three student pieces will be included in the program. A piece choreographed by Mei Ling Po McKay is titled "The Road Less Traveled." This dramatic dance features two principal dancers who interact with an ensemble in this spiritual and moving work. The piece is set to poetry and song that will be performed live at the concert by McKay.

Heidi Dodson, an NMSU graduate student, has choreographed a sculptural and lyrical dance incorporating elements of both ballet and modern dance. Her piece features two principal dancers, an innocent and a seducer, who are being watched over by three other guardian dancers.

The final student work in the concert is choreographed by senior Jaime Garcia. "Le Ballet de l'amour ("The Dance of Love") tells the story of a relationship between a man and a woman in love. The entire dance is performed on top of a small table, with delicate and precarious balances and weight sharing.

Tickets are $5 for students, senior citizens and children, and $6 for general admission. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at Behind the Curtain, 3301 S. Main, Las Cruces, or by calling (505) 523-0905. Seating is limited, so audience members are asked to arrive early. For more information call Helen Myers at (505) 646-2070.

First photo is available at http://kiernan.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/dance_jump.jpg.
CUTLINE: Audra Genduso of Mesilla leaps in rehearsal for the March 2-4 production of the New Mexico State University Dance Ensemble in Concert. Other dancers are, from left front, Jessica Atkins, Maristela Guillen and Celine Rimbert, all of Albuquerque, Socorro Diaz of Las Cruces and LaVon DeAnda of Roswell. (NMSU photo by Michael Kiernan)

Second photo is available at http://kiernan.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/dance_face.jpg.
CUTLINE: The March 2-4 New Mexico State University Dance Ensemble in Concert will feature student dancers LaVon DeAnda of Roswell, center, and clockwise from top right, Anne Bolick of El Paso, Texas, Socorro Diaz of Las Cruces, Laura Chastain and Lisa Chavez of Roswell, Theresa Leyva of Las Cruces and Jessica Atkins of Albuquerque. (NMSU photo by Michael Kiernan)

For a print of a photo, call (505) 646-3221.

Rita A. Popp
Feb. 7, 2001

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