Modern Dance Technique’s 23^rd Annual Spring Celebration of Dance once again demonstrates the value of Modern dance education in our community. Artistic director Donna Blatt Ervin brings 30 dancers and nine dances for a concert that will delight, inspire and entertain.

Dances range from young dancers portraying Bashful Dragonflies to Bach’s Prelude in C to the energetic, aggressive, nonstop movement of the Advanced Performance group dancing Crow’s Dance to the music of Gabriela Roth and the Mirrors.

Highlighting the concert will be several other dances by the Advanced Performance Group.

Blatt Ervin’s Ritual Action of the Ancestress, danced to excerpts from the Rite of Spring by Stravinsky has been a favorite in the Advanced Performance repertoire since 1998. The classic modern technique of Martha Graham is excellently portrayed by this group of strong dedicated dancers. Also by Blatt Ervin for the advanced group is a re worked Seraphic Frieze to the music of contemporary cellist Sharlene Wallace. The dance is full of breath, light, and exhilarating leaps which transition to exciting balances and moments of tender connection between the dancers. A new work by Blatt Ervin for the intermediate students; Chava’s Lullaby is playful and haunting as the dancers portray both sweet dreams and nightmares to the lyrics of a Yiddish lullaby and music by the Klezmatics.

Alumna and instructor Kayleigh Stark has choreographed the poignant Filigree for the advanced group to music by Mumford and Sons and Lilac Dance to the fluid piano of Helen Jane Long for the Teens Dance class. Rounding out the concert are young dancers in a delightful gavotte, Divertimento by Secret Garden. Guest dancer alumna Heather Fenske will dance in her UO Senior piece; detached which combines spoken word and music depicting an astronaut on her day off!

The MDT dancers have all been working hard in classes and rehearsals since September. This 23^rd concert reflects the high quality of ongoing instruction, creativity and love of Modern dance shared by Donna Blatt Ervin, her fellow instructors and their dedicated students.