EIU Dancers celebrate decades through “Timeless” performance

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EIU Dancers will be showcasing dances from various decades Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Jason Franc, Staff Reporter

EIU Dancers are bringing back the styles of dance from each decade through their upcoming show “Timeless”, a performance 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday at the Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Theatre

The show will focus on dancing styles dating from the 1920’s to the present day.

The EIU Dancers want to make the audience feel as if they are having a firsthand experience of each era the dance group will be showcasing.

The performance was put together by student and guest choreographers and is under the direction of director Amanda Baima and assistant director Samantha Saunders.

Saunders said the group made sure to do their research when choosing what styles of dancing they would perform.

“We really studied each decade and what’s iconic about it. After that we tried to translate it into our dancing,” Saunders said.

Saunders said the main message of the group’s performance is that each decade’s culture has something worth celebrating.

The dance group has not done a performance like this one before, so the work they are doing is completely new.

Mackenzie Butler, one of the choreographers for the EIU Dancers, helped to create and prepare the performers for their “Timeless” performance.

“It’s going to be a different kind of performance because of all the different cohesive themes involved,” Butler said.

The EIU Dancers have been working on this particular performance since the beginning of their season in August.

All the dancers on the team said they are excited for this particular performance because of the event’s significance and because of the time and effort they have put into creating the show.

The dance group wishes to portray their art form using all of the different iconic styles of dance they studied.

“We expect our audience to feel like they are truly experiencing the time period that dancers are modeled after,” Baima said in the press release. “With the help of the Doudna Fine Arts Center, we are able to put on a great show with amazing lighting and special effects.

Tickets for “Timeless” are $10 general admission and student tickets are $5.

 

Jason Franc can be reached at 581-2812 or jmfranc@eiu.edu