NEW MEXICO DANCE THEATER News
New Mexico Dance Theater (NMDT), directed by Susan Baker-Dillingham, presents it’s eighth annual spring recital, “The Sky’s the Limit,” this weekend. “Spring recitals are a chance for each student to shine and perform for their families and friends,” said Baker-Dillingham. “We usually have a theme for our recitals, but this year I wanted to give the faculty free reign in choosing a theme for each of their classes; hence, the sky was the limit.”
This year 209 of the 225 students enrolled at NMDT will perform in dances choreographed by NMDT faculty members Baker-Dillingham, Jefferson Baum, Allison Beaux, Carol Liebmann, Selena Offenberg, Daren Savage, and Ellen Walton. Twenty-seven dances will showcase the talents of the students in all genres of dance offered at NMDT, including creative ballet, creative jazz, modern, tap, flamenco, jazz, partnering, and all levels of ballet.
NMDT is pleased to welcome back the Los Alamos Hilltappers again this year. “This is the fourth year the Hilltappers have been our guests and they always add a special spark to our recital,” Baker-Dillingham said.
Graduating seniors Alicia Bowyer, Julia Murphy, Celeste Ranken, Ciara Sterbenz, and Alice Veirs will be honored in a memorable and poignant dance at the close of the recital.
“I have known and worked with some of these remarkable young women for the past 10 years. They have literally grown up at NMDT and been an integral part of NMDT since it’s inception,” Baker-Dillingham said.
The seniors’ dance, titled “Sonata,” was choreographed by Baker-Dillingham and was inspired by the lives they’ve led, the friends they have and the new life they will enter into when leaving home for the college/university setting. “These seniors are familiar with their past and their present, but their futures are now more or less in their own hands. Leaving behind the comfort of what they are used to, moving into the next phase of life and the choices they make in the future is what their dance is about. The emotional impact of their dance should leave the audience truly moved and absolutely speechless,” Baker-Dillingham said.
“The Sky’s the Limit” will be presented at the Duane W. Smith Auditorium on Friday, May 11, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 12, at 2 p.m. Tickets are available in advance at Uli’s Cottontails or at the door 30 minutes prior to performance times and are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for children four and under.
For more information about NMDT, call 920-9134, visit the web site at www.nmdt.org or visit the studios at 147 and 149 Central Park Square.
