OXFORD, Miss. – Mississippi: The Dance Company presents “Extra/Ordinary
Stories” Thursday, Friday and Sunday (April 23, 24 and 26) at the
University of Mississippi’s Meek Hall Auditorium.
Sponsored by
the Department of Theatre Arts , the show focuses on the extraordinary
in ordinary events and lives, as well as the ordinary in the
extraordinary. The nine dances explore such topics as the courage of
residents in a retirement home and the relationship between Mary, the
mother of Christ, and John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth.
Curtain
time is 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.
Tickets are $10.50 for general admission, $8.50 for seniors and $7 for
UM students with valid IDs. They are available at the UM Box Office in
the Student Union or by calling 662-915-7411.
The performance features multiple dance styles and an eclectic mix of music, from Bach to Radiohead. “It’s not classical ballet; it has a contemporary edge to it,” said Jennifer Mizenko, theatre arts professor and artistic director of the company. “There’s some movement that is a little more ballet-like and some movement that we might even call pedestrian-like.”
The theme of the performance came from Mizenko’s experience on sabbatical working with residents in a local retirement home. “The more I learned about these people, the more I learned about how a community is made up of a lot of individuals who may not be superstars, but they make significant contributions that are extraordinary. On the surface, we take these individuals for granted,” Mizenko said. “I decided that I wanted to create a dance about them.”
Mizenko worked with five other choreographers on the production. Rene Pulliam, associate professor of theatre arts; Jimmyle Listenbee, adjunct professor of theatre arts; and Nathalie Broizat, special guest artist, helped choreograph the show. Student choreographers who are assisting with the production are Dana Clark, senior theatre major from Huntsville, Ala., and Chase Welch, senior journalism major from Vaiden.
Mississippi: The Dance Company is the theatre department’s resident dance company. It began in 1983 when John Henry became the first full-time dance faculty member at UM. In 1989, Mizenko took over as artistic director. The company achieved national finalist status in 2004, and was invited to perform “Before Now and After Then” at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. From the company’s inception, modern dance has been the focus of its work, but all of its concerts have included a diverse mix of jazz, tap, ballet and even hip-hop.
Mizenko promises “Extra/Ordinary Stories” will entertain. “We have nine completely different dances, so there’s definitely something you’re going to like,” Mizenko said. “Many people around here have never seen modern dance. They haven’t seen expressive, modern dance where there’s a feeling, there’s an emotion and there’s an idea.”
For more information about the Department of Theatre Arts and the production, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/theatre?arts/. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-5816.