Fall Dance Concert Celebrates the Complexities of Life and Strength

The highly anticipated Fall Dance Concert is returning to the Lindenwood Theater, November 21-23. The fall concert marks the first of three annual shows produced by Lindenwood's dance program. The concert's theme is "the complexities of life and strength we draw from each other."

This year's concert features performances choreographed by Professors Gbaho, Strzelec, and Zweier as well as students Carly Hughes, Grace Ferrell, and Natalie Olmstead. The choreographers will direct 71 students performing in the concert, with eight more students working backstage. Included in the show are 20 first-year dance students. These students have taken the opportunity to learn from upper-class students, professors, and a guest choreographer as they prepare for their first performance on the Lindenwood Theater stage. The event will also feature a special piece by Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence, Anna Hicks.

Based in Los Angeles, Hicks is a Lindenwood alumna with international touring, film, and commercial experience. Having studied ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance at Lindenwood, Hicks has gone on to work with the likes of Keke Palmer, DaBaby, and RuPaul's DragCon.

Professor Tricia Zweier notes that Hicks's piece will be a highlight of the show. Having met Hicks as a student, Zweier believes that Hicks's well-traveled career has offered a unique perspective on commercial and entertainment dance to the current generation of students. Hicks also completed a one-week residency on campus in which she detailed lessons learned from working with Hollywood A-listers.

Hicks's piece, "Finding Me," interprets themes of self-discovery and independence through jazz and hip-hop dance. In addition to this piece, the Fall Dance Concert will feature work in a wide variety of genres, including Afro Dance and ballet. Zweier attributes the growing energy and diversity of styles as things she is most proud of through her 14 years in Lindenwood's dance program. Zweier points to the current first year class, one of the largest in the program's history, as a sign of energy and excitement. With 13 weeks of preparation, the class embraced the opportunity and worked to fit seamlessly into the production.

Zweier says this high-energy show is ";an opportunity for anybody to come and let loose for an hour," elaborating that the show "can be for people who like dance or people who want an hour of a good time."

Tickets for the Fall Dance Concert are on sale now at the J. Scheidegger Center Box Office.