Concert Features Works by Guest Choreographers

The company’s dance director, Nina Lucas, created a trio, “Shadow Weaving,” for the performance.

Patricia Wilcox, a New York director and choreographer, was a visiting artist at Wake Forest during the week of Oct. 18. While on campus, she worked with the university’s dancers on a musical theater piece titled, “A Bit of Benny,” performed to Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing.” A teacher at the renowned Steps Studio in New York City, Wilcox recently directed and choreographed “A Swell Party, The Cole Porter Songbook,” for the Kennedy Center.

Andre Tyson, a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey Company for nine years, also worked with the company to perform two pieces, “Duality of the Fray” and a solo work, “Paradox.” Freshman Catherine Lewan will perform the role on Thursday and Saturday. Freshman Katherine Kerns will perform the piece on Friday. Tyson is a guest faculty member at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

“Siblings,” the largest work on the program, was created by Rick McCullough, assistant professor of dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The contemporary work focuses on family and features twins, triplets, quadruplets and an only child. Soloists will be freshman Kendell Scully and senior Ann Horsley.

The dance company will also present “Heaven” by Brenda Daniels, a faculty member at the North Carolina School of the Arts. The piece is the second Daniels has created for the Wake Forest University Dance Company.

Lucas, who has directed Wake Forest’s dance program since 1996, previously taught dance at Illinois State University. She has studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Phil Black Dance Studio in New York.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased through the Wake Forest University Box Office at 910-758-5295. The box office is open 12-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.