JACKSON, Wyo. — On April 21 and 22, the Junior Repertory Company (JRC), The School’s pre-professional training company for upper-level students, will open the spring season with their showcase Around Again, this year’s New Dances, New Choreographers (NDNC) performance.
Movement inspires, awakening curiosity and creation, and blooms out from the heart to be shared with those around us. The School at Dancers’ Workshop spends each fall and winter cultivating these flowers: studying choreography, learning music and understanding the patterns and motions of the body through dance.
These creative blossoms burst forth each springtime, ready to be picked and presented to the community in performances showcasing the passion and dedication of these young dancers.
NDNC is an opportunity for the JRC to experience the entire process of putting on a dance production, from casting and coaching to lights and costumes, resulting in a stunning evening of dance created by local students.
Around Again will feature 13 pieces from 21 students and the work of professional choreographers Nik Owens and Gina Patterson, exploring themes of routine, freedom, loss, connection and current events.
“The JRC is a lot about family, it’s togetherness, and I want to show that through my piece,” says choreographer Edie May. For May, NDNC is an opportunity to celebrate the connection that comes from this experience.
Then, on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, dance students ages five to 18 will take to the stage and present a carefully-rehearsed showcase of their semesters’ developments in an annual showcase called Progress Performance. The youngest dancers will reveal their joy in the exploration of movement, while the elementary-aged students demonstrate their newfound skills and passion for ballet, modern and hip hop. The most advanced dancers, including the Junior Repertory Company, will perform pieces reflecting their evolution as artists and creatives.
“This passion for dance and movement is lovingly honed by our dance students with the intention of being shared with the community,” says Michaela Ellingson, director of JRC. “It’s their opportunity to incite creativity in new dancers, celebrate learning and teamwork and spread true joy through the freedom of dance.”
Progress Performance also marks the conclusion of The School at Dancers’ Workshop’s most important annual fundraiser, Keep Us Dancing. Money raised through this effort supports subsidized tuition for all students (tuition, performance fees and ticket sales cover only 40 percent of program costs), financial aid reducing any cost barriers to classes, professional dancers as teaching staff and world-class guest artists on stage, in classrooms and the community.
“It’s important to have a showing like NDNC [or Progress Performance] because it helps us get exposure to all these processes that will come up later in life if we decide to become professional dancers, or no matter what we decide to do,” JRC dancer Lane Brazell says.
Get your tickets for these heartfelt community traditions at The Center Theater in Jackson Hole, and show your support for students of dance in the community. These are wonderful family events, sure to delight all!
