'Refract' — UVSC dancers explore movement and change

OREM — Utah Valley State College's Synergy Dance Company presents "Refract" — a dance exploration into how movement can progress on a straightforward path but also possesses possibilities to be tangential and "refract" off to change perspectives and points of view.

Choreography includes works from professional guest artists such as Heidi Henderson from Connecticut. Henderson brings with her a sense of quirky length and extension in an exploration of stopping and rebeginning time in her piece, "The Depth of Waiting."

From California, Nicole Bridgens creates a humorous duet of body language and misconnections in her piece, "Umm ... So ... Yeah."

Synergy's artistic co-director, Amy Markgraf-Jacobson, creates a wave of high physicality and kinetic exuberance in her piece, "Shift." Artistic co-director Kate Monson's choreography ponders on her physical responses to the experiences that her brother has related to her as he continues active duty in Iraq, trying to make sense of the chaos and structure that he lives in each day.

The concert will also feature student choreography from company members as they showcase their multifaceted abilities as artists.

Synergy will also include a performance of the sentinel modern dance piece, "Dance for Walt Whitman," choreographed by Helen Tamiris in 1958 and including UVSC dance department students from ballet, modern, dance education and ballroom programs as part of the National Endowment for the Arts' American Masterpieces: Dance College Component program.

Original cast member and executive artistic director of Repertory Dance Theatre, Linda C. Smith, has restaged "Dance for Walt Whitman" with permission from the Dance Notation Bureau. The cast of 27 includes two young dancers from BYU's Children's Dance Program, as well as guest dancers from the community. Larry Harper, professor of English and literature, will narrate. The music is an original score by noted composer David Diamond.

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If you go . . .

What: Refract Synergy Dance Company
When: 7:30 p.m., March 6-8
Where: Ragan Theater, Sorensen Student Center, UVSC campus, Orem
Cost: $10/$8 students
Phone: 863-8797