The Fall Dance Concert will host a range of dance styles from ballet to contemporary. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching and Christmas peaking right around the corner, performances of the Nutcracker will take over theaters all over the nation. A Christmas Carol will conquer all the remaining show nights. 

For those looking to open the door to a holiday season spent in and out of chilly theaters, the dance program at USF has prepared a spectacle. The Fall Dance Concert put on by DanceUSF has its opening night Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

This year’s Fall Dance Concert features a special guest choreographer Robert Moses. Moses is the founder of Robert Moses’ Kin Dance Company based in San Francisco. The other original pieces are choreographed by DanceUSF’s faculty. 

Lindsay Brooks, a junior majoring in dance, is taking part in one piece this year. 

“I’m in one piece it’s choreographed by John Parks,” Brooks said. “I think all of the pieces are amazing and they’re all so different from each other, so it’s hard for me to pick a favorite because they can’t really be compared to each other.”

The auditions to be in the Fall Dance Concert took place the first week of the semester. Since then, rehearsals for each of the pieces going into the show have been taking place. The dance program at USF is dedicated to showcasing high quality performances and pushing its dancers to better themselves. The show will host a range of dance styles from ballet to contemporary to modern. 

“The rehearsal process was long and at times frustrating, but generally a good time,” Brooks said. “It’s always different with every choreographer you work with. But I think it was worth it for this one in particular because it’s an important matter and the piece is going to be very impactful and controversial for the audience.”

In order to share the message with the audience, Brooks, as well as the other dancers in the piece, have dedicated many hours to rehearsals.

“For our piece we rehearsed three times a week for three hours each, so it’s always nice to have an audience to come experience what we’ve been working on,” Brooks said. 

The Fall Dance Concert will take place on campus at Theater 1 and tickets are at a discounted price of $10 for students. The opportunity to experience art is right at every Bull’s fingertip. 

“People should come see the show because not only is it entertaining and featuring some amazing dancers and choreographer, but it’s a great way to expand your perspective,” Brooks said. “The arts are often overlooked and even when they’re not, things like music are usually more popular, but us dance and theater students are here too working just as hard.”

With multiple showings from Thursday to Sunday, USF dancers are dedicating their weekend to their craft. 

“Especially for those who don’t really know much about dance, or don’t even know that we have a dance program here at USF, you can come see what we’re putting a lot our time into.” Brooks said.