News Article

Gonzaga University’s sixth Annual Dance Concert will grace the Russell Theatre stage April 26 at 7 p.m., April 27 at 6 p.m., and April 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 per performance and are available through the Russell Theatre Box Office at (509) 323-6553.

This year’s performing dance classes are Jazz II, Musical Theatre Dance, Ballet II, and a group of dance students who attended the Northwest regional conference of American College Dance Festival (ACDF) at the University of Montana.

Suzanne Ostersmith, dance instructor and head of the dance minor program at Gonzaga, shared the following thoughts about development of Gonzaga’s dance program: “Six years . . . truly it is a challenge every year, but I feel like every year we try new things and challenge ourselves to make a better performance.”

The dance minor became available in the 2005-2006 school year after the program grew gradually since 2000, when the number of dance classes tripled from two to six. The dance concert premiered in 2001.

“I am challenged to find new ways of speaking through dance,” said Ostersmith, who choreographs Musical Theatre Dance and Jazz II. “Dance is my language.”

The theme for this year’s production is “7 6 2” to highlight the variation in starting times for the shows.

For more information, please contact Summer Berry at (509) 323-3606 or via e-mail.