Dance Alliance

Artistic Director: Wendy Bone

bonew@byui.edu

Dance Alliance is a distinctive dance company representing BYU-Idaho. This company is made up of 36 dancers dedicated to sharing their technical strengths and taking the opportunity to experience and/or learn other genres of dance. Dancers who are invited to participate in Dance Alliance and who come with strong backgrounds in various areas of dance will have every opportunity to work with several different choreographers from various professional backgrounds. Students take on greater responsibility as they assist in the teaching, choreography, and the development of testimonies.

As we create dances for performances we are bound by the 13th Article of Faith in our choice of music, costumes, and choreography which will be "virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy."

M. Russell Ballard has challenged artists to create works of art that "not only need to be uplifting, they must be excellent, to set it apart from the mediocre of the worldly." He goes on to say, "People deserve quality alternatives, the kind that invite the Holy Spirit. Few things bring joy more fully to the world than the arts." Our purpose as dancers and artists should be to lift and inspire, changing the hearts of those who experience the performance. It is this alternative in dance that Dance Alliance will seek out.

This year’s theme is, “A Night on Broadway”. Music will be selected from several different Broadway shows representing all genres of dance such as; jazz, ballroom, hip hop, ballet, cabaret, tap, African, swing, Russian, clog, contemporary and of course, musical theater. We will be looking for dancers with outstanding technique and great performance quality as it will be an exciting and dynamic show.

Boyd K. Packer challenged, "Go to, then, you who are gifted; cultivate your gift. Develop in any of the arts and in every worthy example of them." It is our desire as a department within higher education to take this challenge, along with the blessings that have been promised to us, "that revelation and inspiration may pour into our minds" if we strive to create a performance that will testify of Christ, and the joy of living the restored gospel can bring.