The University of Southern Mississippi’s Repertory Dance Company will perform their Spring Studio 115 Dance Concert May 3-7 in the Theatre and Dance Building.

Performances will be split into Concert A on May 3, 5 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Concert B on May 4 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and May 7 at 2 p.m.

According to visiting instructor Angie Simmons, the concerts will alternate over the course of the week.

“Each concert has one faculty work and several student works,” Simmons said. “Some dances have spoken word involved, some have text spoken by the dancers and there is a nice diversity of music. The concert features USM’s very skilled dance majors, ranging from freshmen to seniors.”

Simmons said she worked with seniors Sierra Howard and Alex Robinson, who will perform a piece called “Bending the Road” in Concert A.

“The work is both personal for me and very accessible to anyone who has experienced having to make a new start in life,” Simmons said. “Working on the new choreography was a bit like carving a sculpture. The dance itself had to be crafted and emerge over time. And the dancers had a lot of
input. I asked a lot of them, and they rose to the challenge like true professionals.”

Simmons said the concerts help students outside the classroom and after they graduate.

“[The concerts] allow other USM students to experience this part of the rich arts community within the school,” Simmons said. “The concerts provide an opportunity to share artwork with the local community and to connect with arts lovers outside the university. This is a strong concert and represents our students well.”

A Meet the Artists event will take place after each performance.

According to the USM Department of Dance website, the RDC’s concerts’ intimate settings are “a chance to see dance up close and personal.”

On May 8, the Department of Dance will host the Student Dance Organization Showcase in the Theatre and Dance Building studio 115 at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m. the same day, the Department of Dance will host the High Def Dance Concert in studio 115.

For more information on scheduled performances, visit the Department of Dance webpage on the USM website.