Penn State Altoona offers live, virtual Ivyside Dance Ensemble performance

Ivyside Dance Ensemble graphic
Credit: Penn State

ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona's Ivyside Dance Ensemble will offer its spring 2021 performance live via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on March 25.

This performance includes new and repertoire work and features pieces by dance faculty KT Huckabee, Bethany Miller and Caitlin Osborne. Another piece is in collaboration with Penn State Altoona's University Jazz Ensemble, directed by Josh Hillard.

Huckabee, teaching professor of integrative arts and coordinator for the integrative arts major and dance studies minor, brings three pieces to the stage.

"Deep Down, I Wish it Would Rain," a repertoire piece, re-envisions a solo as a duet utilizing the space in reverse.

"Forced into this experience due to pandemic restrictions, it helped force us, dancer and choreographer, out of our comfort zone," said Huckabee.

Two new pieces by Huckabee also will be premiered. "Anonymous" explores the surreal environment of COVID-19 dreams, where many people find themselves navigating in what can be described as "an alternate universe." A new jazz piece transports the audience to the era of funk and 1970s variety shows.

Miller, a part-time instructor in dance, licensed professional counselor, and registered dance movement therapist, has reworked the solo "inTangible." This piece is an "uplifting movement exploration of memories we have to hold onto and a reminder that those we have lost are still with us wherever we go," according to Miller.

"Remember the Future" is a restaging of a dance Osborne originally created for film and was seen in Ivyside Dance Ensemble's fall performance, "Stories of Hope." According to Osborne, a part-time instructor in dance, "One joy that the pandemic has taken away is our ability to look forward to things. In this way, I have understood that one can miss not only the past but also the future. This dance, built on classical ballet with a touch of modern aesthetic, is my reflection on the question: 'Is it possible to feel nostalgic for things that haven't happened yet?'" 

For more information contact the box office, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, at 814-949-5452.

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