Fall Dance 2023 | Eastern North Carolina Now

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


Students rehearse for the East Carolina University School of Theatre and Dance’s 2023 Fall Dance Concert. (ECU photos by Rhett Butler
    The East Carolina University School of Theatre and Dance opens its doors this week for the Loessin Playhouse season opener, the 2023 Fall Dance Concert.

    The collaborative performance will span many genres including a historical reconstruction of Marius Petipas' famous ballet "The Sleeping Beauty," contemporary dance and more.

    "Our fall concert celebrates the work of our students as performers along with the exquisite work of our faculty and student choreographer, with their compositions and reconstructions," said Jayme Klinger Host, director of the School of Theater and Dance and producing artistic director for Loessin Playhouse.

    Each year, theatre and dance students have the opportunity to apply to be the student choreographer for the fall dance production. This application is a rigorous process that includes presenting past choreography material and detailing a concept that would be included in the show if selected.


    This year's student choreographer, Kyleigh Burton, has designed a piece titled "if something is happening to me, i want to be there."

    "My piece describes the feeling that regret gives you and the overwhelmingness of it," Burton said. "(And) the internal battle you have with yourself over the feeling that you should have done something else or how your life would be different if you had made a different decision."

    Before being selected as the student choreographer, Burton struggled with self-doubt in her choreography skill.

    "I wasn't really happy with any of my work that I had previously done. And I was very critical of myself," Burton said. "It took me a while to realize that some people are naturally talented choreographers and others have to take a journey to find their choreographic voice. And I feel like that's what I had to do."

    A unique element that has been incorporated this year is the addition of set pieces for some of the performances.

    "We have worked with our scenic design team to create sets, which our dance concerts don't often have," Host said. "I think the audience will be interested in how we sculpt the space with some of the scenery that is being used in the production."

    Additionally, the Playhouse has partnered with the Greenville Civic Ballet to borrow costume pieces.

    "Our partnership with the Greenville Civic Ballet supports our strong desire for community connections and collaborations," Host said.

    This event is the kickoff for a packed 67th season of ECU's Loessin Playhouse. Later this year, students and faculty will present "The Winter's Tale" by William Shakespeare and the Broadway musical "Once on This Island," among others.

    "Be prepared to be mesmerized by a captivating performance," Host said. "The stage really comes alive with the passion and dedication of our students and our faculty."


    The Fall Dance Concert 2023 will be performed in McGinnis Theatre Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. To see show times and purchase tickets, visit the School of Theatre and Dance website. Select Playhouse performances will be live streamed this year, including the dance concert Sept. 29-30, and can be purchased here.