Floridance fall performance to showcase contemporary dance

November 28, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It will be a night to remember when Floridance takes the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Florida campus.

Floridance’s fall showcase, “Come on Closer,” demonstrates the originality of the University of Florida’s first dance company.

The 30-year-old company has grown to 47 members, who have advanced studio training in ballet, contemporary ballet, modern and lyrical dance as well as jazz. That training will be evident in the choreography that will be performed.

Floridance members are UF students with rigorous class schedules who yet manage to devote up to 10 hours a week to rehearsal. Members choreograph their own dances, often to contemporary music, which gives the company’s performances a cutting-edge vibrancy.

When Floridance was founded, members were chosen from dancers in UF’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Today, auditions are open to any student.

Floridance alumni have gone on to professional careers with world-renowned dance companies such as Alvin Ailey in New York and even Cirque du Soleil. Others have used the discipline learned in the dance studio to excel in law school, medical school and the FBI.

In addition to offering two showcases a year, Floridance also offers free weekly dance classes to the public, taught by Gainesville-area dance teachers.

Admission to the fall showcase is free. For more information, e-mail Rachel Hummel, Floridance Publicity Chair, at hums123@ufl.edu or visit the Web site www.floridanceuf.com.