WFU to present Fall Faculty/Guest Artist Dance Concert

The concert features 27 Wake Forest Dance Company members in choreography by two guest artists and four members of the Wake Forest dance faculty.

The guest choreographers will be Kenneth Green, casting director for Walt Disney Entertainment, and Tina Yarborough, a dance instructor and artistic director of Otésha Creative Arts Ensemble, a professional African-American dance company based in Winston-Salem.

Green has created “Idol Songs,” a jazz dance set to music by “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard and runners up Clay Aiken and Tamyra Gray.

Green, a former faculty member at Spelman College, has taught for several dance companies and organizations throughout the United States and Canada. He has choreographed for Vanessa Williams, Adidas, Target Stores and Kodak and appeared with Bob Hope and Donna Summer. He also produces instructional jazz dance technique and choreography videos for Staler Records and Video.

Yarborough will present “Heartburn,” a jazz piece set to music by Alicia Keys.

A native of North Carolina, Yarborough has taught at Wake Forest, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the North Carolina School of the Arts. She has choreographed the musicals “Grease,” “West Side Story” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

Choreographic work by the dance faculty include Brantley Shapiro’s restaging of variations from the 1881 ballet “Paquita”; an original modern dance titled “Nightbird” by Nina Lucas, director of dance, that is set to music by Deep Forest ; “Zip Gun Bop,” a tap piece by Debi Spencer with mobsters in zoot suits showing off their fast feet to music by the Contenders; and an original work created by Diann Sichel titled “e.t.a.” (estimated time of arrival), in which dancers move to the sounds of Stephan Kent’s music for didjeridu, cello-sintir and percussion.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens and children. Advance tickets will be available beginning Nov. 8 through the Wake Forest Theatre Box Office at 336-758-5295 between noon and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets will also be available at the door.

For additional information, call 336-758-5393.