FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/18/2017
Ashley H Pollock, Public Relations & Information Coordinator Office: (435) 865-8667
College of Performing and Visual Arts Cell: (435) 590-0961
Southern Utah University [email protected]
Explore Beneath the Surface with SUU’s Dance Concert

Written by Ashley H Pollock

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance are
preparing for their fall performance of Beneath the Surface: An Original Choreographed Dance
Concert. The concert will run November 29, 30 and December 1, 2, and 4, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
with a matinee on December 2 and 2:00 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Tickets are $10
for adults and $5 for students and children. Southern Utah University faculty, staff, and students
are free with a valid ID card. Faculty and staff IDs are allowed one guest. Tickets can be
purchased at the door the night of the show or online at www.suu.edu/pva.

Kay Andersen, Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance at SUU, said, “This
performance of Beneath the Surface is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a variety of
innovative dance experiences created by our talented students, faculty, and guest artists. This
process brings a collaboration of student choreographers and our technical theatre students in
an experience that is innovative, dynamic, and always educational.”
SUU dance students, under the direction of Lise Mills, will present a restaging of The Foot
Peddler, a choreography of Burch Mann who was the founder of the American Folk Ballet. Mills,
who performed for over 30 years with Burch Mann and her daughter, San Christopher, said, “I
love Burch's choreography. As I have found every year I have set something from the American
Folk Ballet repertoire, the students are never quite sure what they are getting into the first year
they do it, but they quickly find out they love it and look forward to being a part of it the next
year, and the next. It's addictive. The choreography is extremely challenging and unique. Not
only do they have an opportunity to learn some difficult choreography, but also how to act and
tell a story.”
Mills went on to say, “I love working with the students and sharing my expertise of Burch's work
with them and have a wonderful time through the process. I always tell them, ‘If you make me
cry, you've hit the mark.’ Every year, I cry.” Rocky Mountain Power is a continued supporter of
the American Folk Ballet and provides funding each year to carry on Mann’s legacy.
Michael Crotty, Assistant Professor of Dance, will be performing in the concert. He said, “The
dancers here are profoundly hardworking. I am amazed at the depth of dedication that they
bring to a creative process.”
Senior dance performance major, Emilee Clements, said, “When I finished my piece and got to
watch my dancers perform what had previously just been an idea in my head, I was beyond

excited. However, the most rewarding part of any production is showing your hard work to an
audience.”

Explore beneath the surface with choreography by SUU students, faculty, and guest artists. For
more information about the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, please visit
www.suu.edu/pva/ta.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally
accredited programs in Art & Design, Music, and Dance. The College also offers programs in
Theatre Arts, graduate programs in Arts Administration and Music, as well as a Center for
Shakespeare Studies. The College offers 26 academic programs, including liberal arts Bachelor
of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine
Arts in art and theatre degrees; and Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration, Master of Arts in
Arts Administration, Master of Music Education and Master of Music in Music Technology
graduate degrees. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching
and mentoring over 600 majors in the College. The College presents over 100 performances,
lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include
the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival and SUU’s Ballroom
Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit
www.suu.edu/pva.
For Calendar Editors: Explore Beneath the Surface with SUU’s Dance Concert
What: SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance are preparing for their fall
performance of Beneath the Surface: An Original Choreographed Dance
Concert. The concert will run November 29, 30 and December 1, 2, and 4, 2017,
at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on December 2 and 2:00 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones
Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Southern
Utah University faculty, staff, and students are free with a valid ID card. Faculty
and staff IDs are allowed one guest. Tickets can be purchased at the door the
night of the show or online at www.suu.edu/pva.

Who: Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, Southern Utah University
When: November 29, 30 and December 1, 2, and 4, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee

on December 2 and 2:00 p.m.

Where: Randall L. Jones Theatre, Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, SUU

Campus

Tickets: Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Southern Utah
University faculty, staff, and students are free with a valid ID card. Faculty and
staff IDs are allowed one guest. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of
the show or online at www.suu.edu/pva.

Info: For more information, please visit www.suu.edu/pva.

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