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Show "iLi WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 200! News Spring Dance Concert Showcases Dixie Talent By Rachael Hughes A & E Editor hughesfamlanscrcom I am a dancer. thats not right, but after spring concert performances by Li Lei and her students, I WANT to be a dancer. It is not often I go to a review without checking my watch at least twice throughout the evening; Dixie's spring dance concert, however, kept my eyes riveted on the didn't want to miss anything. Dixie opened their spring dance concert with guest dancers from the College of Eastern Utah performing numbers that reflected a more classical approach to dance and ballet in particular. Their numbers were enjoyable to watch, and though the sound on their music recordings had much to be desired, the time went Well, maybe quickly. Balancing school, work, engagements can prove challenging By Rachael Hughes A & E Editor hughe$famlanscr.com Dixie Student Harmony Heaton knows what its like to be pulled in several directions; on top of going to school full time and working part time as a seamstress for Dance Magic, Harmony is engaged to be married. Because engaged and newly wed couples are part of a growing population of Dixie State College students, we are going to address some of the challenges Harmony is facing and che decisions she and her fiance are making to prepare them for the future. I interviewed Harmony on her way to meet her fiance for lunch. It seemed to be something they'd chosen to make as a reoccurring event. She said it was important to spend time together. She and her fiance regularly schedule their weeks together to make time for one another. When I asked what they in their time together to get to know each other better, she said they read, talked, and just had fun. She stressed that it was important to Please see Engagement, page 5 Talley's Folly A Success By Marjorie Keele News Editor theclixiesunhonnail.com Talley's Folly, Dixie State College theater department's most recent production, was proof of immense talent supporting such a small cast and crew. The two person play, written by Land-for- d Wilson and directed by department chair Brent Hanson, was a realistic love story set in the South during World War II. Dixie College student Lori Wilkinson portrayed the part of Sally, a nurse in her late 20's who was afraid to fall in love because she knew she wasn't able to bear children. Matt, played by Mike Hedges, was a middle-age- d Jewish accountant who wanted to marry Sally, but had trouble talking about his haunting past, including the tragic deaths of his family members. By the end of the evening, Matt and Sally were able to put their issues behind them and consent to marry. Talley's Folly was very well done, considering it included not much more than 97 minutes of dialogue and limited elements with which to work. The production was held in the Black round' with audience members on three sides of the small Box theater and set 'in-th- e stage. The atmosphere worked perfectly to provide a more intimate relationship between audience and cast, and also provided everyone with an equally pleasing view of the action at all times. set of a quaint litThe tle boat house provided an aesthetically pleasing base that catered to all the components of the play. It also provided a trap door and falling shelf for scene variety. dramatic Attempting a piece must have been extremely difficult. Thankfully, there were doses of comedy included throughout the production as well. Lori and Mike deserve full marks for accomplishing the amazing feat of memorizthem ing their perpetual lines and executing without any noticeable flaws. The credit for this surprisingly good production should definitely not go to the playwright, but to the production staff that student-designe- pulled it off. d I must admit, however, that I was quite anxious to see Dixie's end of the evening and the direction they would take. This being Li Lei's first year teaching, I was curious to see what strength she would bring to Dixie's dance program. Opening up for them was a number choreographed by Dixie college student Cassie Christensen to the music of "Shape of My Heart" by the Backstreet boys. The number was a change of pace to CEU's structured dances and provided a nice interlude, as well as a chance for Cassie to test her choreographers wings with other dancers. At the end of Saturdays performance, if Lei had not already proven herself a competent dance instructor, this concert emphasized not only her excellence in teaching but in performing as well. Her opening dance "Happiness" was colorful and vivid, and seemed to express nor only her Chinese heritage but her love of movement. The dances following hers, performed by Dixie State College students, were a glimpse that the future of dance at Dixie is very bright. by Lei, the perforChoreographed mances combined modem movement with classical technique. Lei used repetition and a certain aspect of geometry in the design of her dances. The movement was strong and powerful and flowed smoothly from start to finish. Each one of the dancers were very talented and seemed to carry on the vision of each individual dance. The music reflected the movement and expression of the dance, and the varied lighting and backdrops visually extended the mood of their pieces. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the evenings performance and commend students and instructor alike for their impressive ability. men 04uyutfula-tei- Dixie - State GiS SLJfiC Gtiomnions 3rd Place At the NJCAA Tournament "Sweet Sixteen" |
