The Ballet Performance Group will shake you all night long at their winter show this Friday. BPG is not just your average ballet performance group – they are an exciting group of women that mixes repertoires such as glitzy jazz with classic ballet.
“The show offers a wide variety of dance styles and will be sure to warm you up on a cold winter evening,” BPG President and senior Katie Lelli said.
The group formed about 10 years ago when the dance department decided to remove ballet from their program. At that point, the group only had a half a dozen members and was strictly dancing ballet.
However, their humble beginnings did not deter the group from developing into a diverse entity. This semester there are about 50 dancers, with equal representation from each class.
Throughout the year, the women commit a lot of time to the group with practices all week long. Although each dancer is required only to participate in one dance, many are involved with several, so dedication is a hallmark of the group. In fact, BPG is the only dance group to have two performances during the year. But, BPG also likes to loosen up and let their hair down.
“After the show this Friday, we are going to be celebrating with a semi-formal, when we can break out some unchoreographed dance moves,” Publicity Chair and junior Priscilla Egan said.
The show this year is not one to be missed. “This semester we will be doing classical ballet pieces from the Nutcracker choreographed by Pamela Wilken-White, our advisor from the Rochester community,” Lelli said.
In addition to the traditional rendition of the Nutcracker, BPG will also perform more modern pieces.
“We also do several student choreographed jazz, hip hop, and tap numbers to popular songs such as “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, “Yeah” by Usher and “Lose Control” by Missy Elliot,” Lelli said.
Without a doubt, these popular songs will have the audience attempting to dance along. It is a great way to get out on a cold winter night and enjoy a fun seasonal show.
Fans of the improv troupe, In Between the Lines, should also attend the show, as they will be guest performers and will be sure to get lots of laughs.
“Shook Me All Night Long” has a special meaning for senior Carly Starn who will be graduating next semester. She was the president last spring and her shoes will certainly be hard to fill.
The performance is at 8 p.m. Friday in Upper Strong Auditorium. Tickets for the show are only $4 for students and $5 for the community and can be purchased at the Common Market or at the door.
Myers can be reached at smyers@campustimes.org.
