The SHSU Theatre and Dance Department will present the Fall 2009 Spectrum Dance Concert today and Saturday.

Show times are at 8 p.m. each evening, with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee, in the University Theatre Center’s Mainstage Theatre.

This fall’s Spectrum Dance Concert features work from dance faculty members Jonathan Charles, Dana Nicolay, Andy Noble and Dionne Sparkman Noble.

As an added treat Professor Dr. Cindy Gratz resets the solo work “Monolith: The Woman” by Rick Guimond, a work originally danced by Dr. Gratz 20 years ago. Also on the program are works from three guest artists Meghan Durham Wall (Ohio State), Charlotte Boye-Christensen (UT) and Astrid von Ussar (NY).

“The dancers had the great opportunity to work with three very different artists this semester. The experience of changing gears quickly to take on new ideas and ways of working has been invaluable. It has been a very exciting and productive time in the dance program,” Sparkman Noble said.

The program opens with the contemporary pointe piece, “Pterodactyl," by

Jonathan Charles inspired Charles says by “his evenings spent enjoying The Animal Planet programming”. Sensational partnering mixed with animal-like mannerisms pepper the work. Next on the program is Meghan Durham Wall’s “One Minute to the Next.” This post-modern work explores in one-minute sections the various ways to spend 60 seconds.

“Quarter Moon Tides” by Dionne Sparkman Noble is a feminist look at iconic female attire, fashion runways and various cycles in women’s lives. Astrid von Ussar’s “Decisive Moments” closes the first half with a work inspired by photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson’s theory on capturing specific moments in time.

Andy Noble’s hip-hop influenced work, “I Am,” opens the second half of the program. This work is a social commentary on hip-hop and delves into some of the controversial issues surrounding this culture. “Alone, Again, Apart,” by Dana Nicolay and danced to music from the film “Once,” is moving dance about people coming into and out of relationships.

“Monolith: The Woman” by Rick Guimond and reset by Dr. Cindy Gratz is a solo performed by graduate student Marian Hart. Dr. Cindy Gratz states, “While dressing like Lucille Ball and acting like Donna Reed, a 20th century woman was expected to cook, clean, shovel, shop, nurse, grovel, and manage all aspects of a household in high heels! That was how I perceived Rick Guimond’s piece, Monolith, every time I performed it.”

The evening concludes with a work by Charlotte Boye-Christensen entitled “Solitude.” This piece is a virtuosic and specific movement exploration that serves as a wonderful conclusion to a fine evening of work.

Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students with valid ID.

For more information, contact the ticket office at (936) 294-3988.