AU Dance To Host Diversity Dance Festival
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Anderson, Ind. — The Anderson University dance program is hosting its annual Diversity Dance Festival April 11-13 with a special Backstage Broadway virtual forum on April 17. The festival includes four different events and all are free and open to the public.
“The Diversity Dance Festival is a way of both enriching our AU students’ experience, and a way of welcoming our campus and local communities into our studios to experience the joy of movement, the discovery of beauty in various cultures, and to see all that AU dance has to offer,” said Christine Colquitt Thacker, assistant professor of dance.
The festival, which is generously sponsored by the Anderson Madison County Visitors Bureau, opens April 11 at 4:30 p.m. with a Native American dance class instructed by the Andersontown Powwow Association.
A West African dance class instructed by Dr. C. Kemal Nance of the University of Illinois will be offered April 12 at 4:30 p.m. and a guest company performance from Dance Kaleidoscope will be held in York Performance Hall April 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Comprised of 11 professional dancers from across the United States, Dance Kaleidoscope performs four mainstage performances each season along with multiple performances and engagements throughout the city in collaboration with other organizations such as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The company is known for their world class performances, and their movement is grounded in athleticism and technical expertise. AU alum, Adrian Dominguez, is one of Dance Kaleidoscope’s newest members.
Dance Kaleidoscope’s performance at AU will be followed by a discussion forum and the group will also host a masterclass for AU’s dance majors while on campus.
On April 17, AU will host Broadway Bound: Visions in Color in York Performance Hall at 7 p.m. The live virtual forum will feature performers from “MJ: The Musical” and “Hamilton.”
Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.