Dancers of all ages will perform Saturday in the Sitka Studio of Dance spring recital, showing off dance styles from traditional ballet to hip hop and jazz.
The recital, at the Performing Arts Center, will be in two sections, one for smaller kids starting at 2 p.m., and one for older dancers starting at 7 p.m.
The array of dance styles will vary widely as noted by the recital's theme, "Dancing Through Time," said Kincaid Parsons, acting director of the Sitka Studio of Dance.
"We have a lot of ballet and a lot of hip hop right now at the dance studio, so you'll definitely see ballet and hip hop,” Parsons said. “We have some jazz classes, we have modern (numbers), we have lyrical, we have a musical theater class.... We have some things on point, so you'll see dancers up on their toes.”
The older dancers’ recital will have live cello accompaniment for one piece, and throughout the show there will be classical musical numbers alongside the more modern.
Choreographers for each piece on display have had a free hand in designing their performances, Parsons said.
"We have ballet to Cyndi Lauper; we have modern dance to Brahms. We've got everything going on,” he said.
Between the two recital sessions, “it's a whole afternoon of dance,” Parsons said.
About 65 performers are lined up for the younger kids’ show and 32 for the evening performances, both at the Performing Arts Center.
“It's a treat to be able to watch local Sitkans do art in that facility, and I think supporting young local artists is crucial,” Parsons said. “A lot of times, there are forces at play to limit the after-school activities that students are able to participate in. So whether it's Sitka Studio of Dance, or it's Sitka Cirque, or it's any of the numerous theater programs here in town, it's great to just go support that.”
In age, the dancers range from 4 to their forties, he noted, “It's not just for a certain age group, a certain demographic: anyone can get up on their feet and dance, and that's just sort of the message.”
Parsons has danced since he was 4, and said he finds dance to be an expression of personal and artistic liberation.
“That's really freeing, to be able to express myself in that way, which I think is something that is echoed by a lot of the dancers at the studio,” he said.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, and free for kids age 5. One ticket is good for admission to one or both performances.
