Dance department enriches BYU-I and other countries

Holly Arndt ARN02002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

The Dance Department at BYU-Idaho adds culture and art to the campus through its three performing groups: Contemporary Dance Theater, Ballroom Dance Company and World Dance Team (Folk Dance USA).

Contemporary Dance Theater performs classic modern, jazz, tap and ballet. Its focus is the  art of dance. CDT II serves as an outreach program, interacting with students at other schools and collaborating with the Music Department yearly for the Halloween Concert.

“Each performance … is designed to reflect the inherent rhythms and movement of life itself,” said Wendy Bone, artistic director of CDT.

With 80 members on four teams, the Ballroom Dance Company at BYU-I is the second largest ballroom program in the United States. In addition to traditional ballroom dances, the BDC performs Latin, cabaret and jazz numbers.

Folk Dance USA has between 16 and 24 members and travels with a bluegrass band. It aims to preserve the culture of the American people through dance.

“It is designed to reflect the traditions of the hard working and energetic people of America, and to preserve fragments of this noble country that may otherwise be forgotten,” said Charles West, artistic director of Folk Dance USA.

The dance companies combined, called Dance Alliance, perform each fall for Extravadance and each spring on tours in and outside of the United States.

Dance Alliance has performed in over 40 countries. Recently, they have toured in New Zealand, Fiji, Brazil, Spain, Ukraine, Scandinavia and Canada.

Students interested in joining one of the dance performance groups should watch for announcements in the Oscar A. Kirkham Building in the fall.