Sweet Briar College dance majors Samantha Angus and Casey Poore will present a diverse array of original performance pieces for their Senior Dance Concert on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. in Murchison Lane Auditorium of the Babcock Fine Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the general public.

Angus, an Amherst native, and Poore, from Amelia, Va., have put together a modern dance program that includes large and small group pieces, a self-choreographed solo work, and a duet choreographed by guest artist Clay Taliaferro.

A Lynchburg native, Taliaferro is a professor of dance at Duke University and has worked with the renowned dance companies of Jose Limon and Donald McKayle. He also is an old friend of Mark Magruder, SBC professor of theatre and dance, who is thrilled to have a personal mentor working with two of his most innovative students.

"Samantha and Casey are learning under the hand of a master," he said. "We've had good guest artists in the past, but Clay is very special. It's a big honor to get someone of his caliber to work with our students."

The senior concert gives dance majors a chance to showcase their accumulated skills and experience through original choreography and performances. Sweet Briar students have several opportunities to hone their performance abilities before an audience, including the annual fall and spring dance concerts as well as other events. In the fall semester of their senior year, students are asked to create a program that encompasses two group pieces and a solo work, and to perform a solo choreographed by a faculty member or guest artist.

Magruder calls Angus and Poore "the backbone of the dance program for four years." The pair have gained a wealth of experience through other projects in addition to their pursuits at Sweet Briar. Poore is a student teacher at Amherst County High School, where she works with dance students and the Belles and Amherechos show choirs on her way toward a PK-12 teaching certification.

Angus started at Terrific Time Dance Studio in Amherst as a young student and evolved into an instructor. She currently serves as assistant director of Cabaniss Consultants in Lynchburg, a provider of services for the developmentally disabled. Both Poore and Angus have taught at the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center and teach children's dance classes at Sweet Briar.

A dancer since age 4, Angus credits an inherent need for self-expression as the impetus behind her burgeoning dance career. "Being able to express myself creatively has been the constant in my life," she said. Still, putting together a complete concert is taxing her organizational, as well as creative, abilities. "It's been a huge responsibility," she said. "It's made us realize how much work goes into a production."

Poore started dancing 18 years ago, when her mother enrolled her in Joy's School of Dance in Amelia. Poore explored other academic avenues over the years, but "everything led me back to dance," she said. She met Angus on her first day of Sweet Briar orientation, and the chemistry was instant.

"I think, both of us being from small towns, we kind of hit it off," Poore said. "We found out we were in the same fields and have been great friends since."

Working with Taliaferro seems to have further strengthened the pair's bond. "It's been absolutely fantastic," Poore said. "We've become more aware of the professional world working with him. He wants to push us as far as we can … to see what we're capable of doing. I feel like it's been a great opportunity."

For their group pieces, Angus and Poore worked with seven fellow students, many of who had performed the pieces in earlier concerts. "We went with dancers who had the ability to be dedicated and work with us," Angus said.

The creative ways seniors reinvent pieces they've performed earlier, often incorporating advice gleaned along the way, always impresses Magruder. "They've heard the criticism of judges," he said, "and have taken time to rework the piece try to make it better. It's fun to see the pieces again and see what ways they've changed. "The Senior Concert is exciting that way."

For more information on the SBC Senior Dance Concert, please contact Magruder at (434) 381-6150 or mmagruder@sbc.edu