OREM, UTAH- Utah Valley University’s School of the Arts, in conjunction with the Utah Metropolitan Ballet, is happy to present a ninth year of choreography design concerts. The performances will be held in the Ragan Theater on Jan. 25-26 at 7:30 p.m.

 

The Department of Dance has presented the Choreography Design Director’s Choice competition for several years now with one goal in mind: give students and professionals an opportunity to hone their skills and collaborate. Jacqueline Colledge, Department of Dance faculty member and founding artistic director for the Utah Metropolitan Ballet, describes how this annual event started. She said, “Nine years ago, the company wanted to reach out to talented students in the field of choreography to provide them a venue for their work.” The program has been successful in attracting professionals and pre-professionals from throughout the community.

           

This event will be a different from previous years. The artistic director has chosen participants and choreographers from past competitions to showcase various styles of dance. Those chosen include Ariel Wright (a UVU graduate from the ballet program), Hillary Wolfley (BYU Faculty member), Kaitlyn Potts (UVU graduate), Jay Kim (U of U Faculty member), and Chelsea Budge (director of dance program West Lake High School).

           

Colledge also stated, “This event features our students in a way that not only challenges their thinking but also helps them to explore other styles and movement. Our students in the dance program are so prepared to face these challenges head on.”

 

Choreography Design Director’s Choice will be presented in the Ragan Theater on Jan. 25-26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for children, students, and seniors, and $12 for the general public. This event is funded in part by the Orem City Care grant.

 

To purchase tickets, visit: uvu.universitytickets.com or Campus Connection.

 

###

 

About Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University is home to more than 35,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college, and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah’s largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees.