Modern Dance Company performs eclectic series

The Bates College Modern Dance Company in Concert will showcase the performance and choreography talents of student, faculty and alumni artists during Parents and Families Weekend at Bates Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:45 p.m. in the Schaeffer Theater. The public is invited to attend free of charge with no reservations accepted.

Under the artistic direction of Marcy Plavin, who has taught dance at Bates for almost 30 years, an ensemble of approximately 20 student dancers will present a diverse series of pieces in a performance titled If You Dance, They Will Come. According to Plavin, “The show has a very eclectic feeling.”

The 12 works, some lighthearted and others considering more profound issues, include In Blind Sight, a silent celebration of communication with the hands, choreographed by Bates sophomore Carrie Noel of Denver, Colo., and Girl, inspired by the romantic misadventures of the friends of choreographer, senior Lyndsey Tangel of Clinton, N.Y. Also included in the show are a number of guest choreographer works, including Necklace of Breath, a circus of hip hop, modern breakdancing by the New-York based Doug Elkins, as well as piece set to Finnish music by Ram Island dancer Gwyneth Jones and a work about movement with percussion accompaniment by Kerry Updike, a member of the Bates class of 1997.

For more information, call the Schaeffer Theater Box Office at 207-786-6161.