Arianna McLean in Ode to Self

(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's (RVCC) Arts & Design department will present DanceWorks, an evening of student and faculty dance performances, April 25-26, 2024 at 7:00pm. The event will be held in the Edward Nash Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus. Loretta Fois, Director of RVCC's dance program, will produce the concert.

The concert will include dance works from students, faculty, and guest artists. Student choreography includes pieces by Jia Chen (Branchburg), Amanda Diaz (Edison), Dree Dray (Colonia), Breanne Malanga (Somerville), Cedric Thomas (Branchburg), and Alison Stone (Bridgewater). The student choreography is the culmination of a semester of classwork, as the students create and rehearse the new works to be performed.

In addition to the student work, three faculty works will be presented. Loretta Fois (Branchburg) will present Ludic Conversations, a quartet for dance, voice, and piano, at the Friday concert. A recipient of a 2022 NJ State Council on the Arts Choreography Fellowship, Fois premiered the piece at the SOPAC Fellowship concert in early April. The playful piece investigates the merging of structure and improvisation, posing the question: “When does order become chaos, and vice versa?” Adjunct faculty Camille Rennie (Somerset), Artistic Director for the Company of Collaborative Artists (CoCA), will present two pieces. Ode to Self is a solo work that premiered at the American College Dance Conference this past March. Rennie’s group work is a jazz piece that celebrates the power of the human soul and spirit.

The concert also celebrates RVCC dance alumni and will include works by Elanna Etemad (Warren) and Nathan Forster (Warren). In addition, it will feature a special appearance by the young dancers at Modern Motion School (Somerset), where alumna Ginger Haithcox is the Executive Director.

Many students appearing in the concert also perform with the Raritan Valley Dance Ensemble (RVDE), under the direction of Loretta Fois. Ensemble members include current RVCC students, alumni, and community members. In conjunction with the Arts & Design department, RVDE provides the College and greater community with opportunities to experience and appreciate live dance performances. The touring Ensemble performs at local schools and community groups each semester, as well as at campus events. For information about scheduling a lecture/performance for a school, senior center, or community group, contact Professor Fois at [email protected].

General admission tickets to DanceWorks cost $12 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for alumni. For tickets, call 908-725-3420. For additional information, call 908-218-8876.

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.