University of Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble to Hold Formal Dance Concert, “Chromatic,” March 30 and 31

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble will present its formal spring dance concert, “Chromatic,” at 8 p.m. March 30 and 31 in the Seventh-Floor Auditorium of Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 general admission. Public parking is available.

The Dance Ensemble will showcase works in the jazz, tap, hip-hop, and modern dance idioms created by 10 Pitt students and by professional guest choreographers Judith K. Steel and Gabriel “Kg” Ash. 

Steel’s dance piece, titled “Temporarily…Out of Order,” will feature six ensemble students and is described as a “light-hearted look at what can happen when one’s mind wanders at a performance.” A Pittsburgh native, Steel is a former dancer for the Dance Alloy Theater, a contemporary repertory company in Pittsburgh. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Dance and Choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University.

A local choreographer and dancer, Ash has created a piece showcasing 17 of the ensemble’s dancers. The yet-to-be-titled work is described as an upbeat and energetic hip-hop dance. 

Among the 10 student choreographers is Pitt senior Jasmine Singson, whose two featured works are “Les Oiseaux Volent” (“Flying Birds”), a depiction of birds leaving the comfort of home to find their own place in the world, and “A Lesson,” cochoreographed with fellow Pitt senior Camille Keenan. “A Lesson” will be performed to a violin accompaniment written by Pitt student composers Danielle Rager and Wil Snead. Pitt senior Kaitlin Weaver’s “Give and Take” is described as an “explosive tour de force” about finding and losing love and will feature 11 ensemble dancers.

Also included among the student works will be sophomore Emily Cramer’s tap dance, titled “Strayed,” inspired by what happens when a girl strays from her family’s approval. The performance will feature 11 students dancing to the music of R&B songstress Deni Hines. Other student choreographers for “Chromatic” include Lauren Burgess, Angela Byrd, Amanda Ferrara, Madeline McCauley, and Cayla Turner.

Susan Gillis-Kruman, a Pitt School of Education faculty member, is the Pitt Dance Ensemble’s advisor. She has provided her expertise in dance education as the director of the Dance Ensemble since 1978.

The Dance Ensemble is a Pitt student organization dedicated to furthering dance appreciation and understanding through dance classes, workshops, and theatrical opportunities for interested students. For more information, contact Susan Gillis-Kruman at 412-648-8262 or gillis@pitt.edu.

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