Live Music, Original

Works Featured

in Coker's

Spring Dance Concert

Rehearsal for the spring dance concert

Hartsville, SC - Coker College’s annual Spring Dance Concert will be held Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. in the Watson Theater of the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature a variety of original works by dance majors, guest artists and faculty, and live accompaniment by several musicians. Admission at the door is $6 for adults, $3 for children and students, and free with a Coker College ID.

Among the dances to be performed are the senior thesis works by Angel Campos and David Foster (pictured left), who have explored their cultural heritage for inspiration. Campos’ piece concentrates on the development of Latin music and dance and it will be accompanied by guitarist Julio Saldana of Beaufort, SC. Foster’s dance focuses on the development of African-American music ranging from the time of slavery to today’s hip-hop music and it will feature a singing by fellow student Tangela Benliza.

Coker’s dance professors will be showcasing pieces in the spring dance concert. Wanda K.W. Ebright choreographed an acappella ballet rendition of “Jitterbug Waltz”. This piece will be performed live just on opening night under the direction of her brother, Wendel Werner. Angela Gallo choreographed a contemporary work that was recently performed at the American College Dance Festival at George Mason University. The piece features music by Miles Davis and text from the poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg.

The dance concert will also feature a piece by guest choreographer Suzette Francis of the Djoliba Don West African Drum and Dance Company in Columbia. This work is a West African dance and on opening night it will feature a group of African drummers.

The performers in the spring concert are made up of both dance majors and non-majors. Auditions were held in January and the dancers have been in rehearsals since to prepare for the concert. The Coker College technical theater students have worked with the choreographers to design the lighting for each performance.

Coker College is one of only three colleges in South Carolina that offers a dance major. The program is recognized for encouraging students to develop their own creative abilities while learning first hand how to stage dance productions in a state-of-the-art facility.

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