Dance @ Wright | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Crystal Baity.

A tap dancer practices her piece for the Dance @ Wright production. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

    A range of styles from jazz and tap to ballet and contemporary will be showcased in the annual Dance @ Wright performance at East Carolina University on Saturday and Sunday.

    "We're very excited to have our first mainstage performance with a live audience since the onset of the pandemic," said associate professor of dance John Dixon. "The dancers have been working so hard in their classes and rehearsals while maintaining all safety protocols so that we can bring this show to the public."

    Brooklyn-based dance artist and ECU alumna Ellen Sickenberger is a featured guest choreographer. Sickenberger performs with URBAN/TRIBE and is a touring cast member of Nadine Bommer's Invisi'BALL contemporary dance company.

    Sickenberger choreographed a piece for senior dance majors who will graduate in the spring.

    "Her approach to movement creation and the rehearsal process incorporates the energy of the room. Her perspective is refreshing as it broke up our 'normal' way of thinking," said ECU senior Abigail Telenko, who is one of 47 dance majors who will perform in Dance @ Wright.

    Madeline Douglas, senior dance performance and choreography major, was selected as the featured student choreographer.

    "I've had the opportunity to explore the choreographic process in depth and learn the methods that best help me bring my ideas to life," Douglas said. "I was able to delve into the endless possibilities of movement, constantly challenging myself. This is a piece that resonates with me as a choreographer while working to bring out the best in each dancer, treasuring each of their unique talents and presenting their stunning abilities on stage."

    ECU alumna Liza Eller, who as a senior choreographed a piece for the spring 2020 dance concert, has returned to choreograph work for seven dance majors.

    Dixon describes Eller's work as "an exciting and upbeat contemporary jazz dance that shows all of Liza's strengths as a choreographer - rich visual patterning, exceptional musicality and deeply inventive gestural details."

    Also this year, the School of Theatre and Dance has invited young dancers from Katura Dance Academy, the North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts and Greenville Civic Ballet to perform to highlight local talent.

    Showtimes for Dance @ Wright are 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in Wright Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for the public, $12 for senior/youth and $10 for ECU students. Tickets can be purchased online from the box office or by calling the box office directly at 252-328-6829.