The Sweet Briar College Dance Program will present its Fall Dance Concert on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15 and 16 in the Murchison Lane Auditorium of Babcock Fine Arts Center. The Friday show starts at 8:30 p.m. and the Saturday performance at 8 p.m. The shows are free and open to the public.

The concert will feature SBC faculty, guests, and students performing original works. Special guests Nick Ross, assistant professor of music, and his wife, Jana, will accompany dancers on piano and violin, respectively.

Mark Magruder, SBC professor of dance and theatre, said the Rosses add a fresh dimension to the show. "What really makes it special is that we will actually have live musicians performing for some of the dances," he said. "They're phenomenal musicians. They provide a concert in themselves."

Ella Magruder, professor of theatre and dance, has choreographed a dance for seven students with music composed by Philip Glass. Ella's inspiration came from watching an osprey soar around the new fountain on the James River in Lynchburg. "The dance is about the power and beauty of a flowing river," she said.

Mark Magruder is performing two solos featuring Nick Ross on both pieces and Jana Ross on one. "Last Bow," a dance about an old vaudevillian's last performance, was designed by renowned New York choreographer Beverly Blossom and features the music of Jules Massenet. "Hussar" is choreographed by Magruder with music by Franz Liszt.

Three senior dance majors - Samantha Angus, Jan Jennings, and Casey Poore - have choreographed dances in preparation for their 2005 Senior Dance Concerts. Jennings has created a dance for six students called "Connection," in which different relationships of the dancers are explored through duet partnering and group shapes. Toward the end, each performer is attached to one another by elastic bands as the music of Odonata adds to the overall effect.

Amherst County native Angus has choreographed a quartet influenced by hip-hop music. The performance features challenging lifts and quick level changes to the sound of multiple hip-hop recordings. Poore's piece for six dancers, accompanied by electronic music, features one large lift and interchanging patterns throughout the space.

Junior dance major Tacy Bolton has choreographed a quartet with emotionally charged dancing and compelling music. Caryn "Charli" Brissey, a sophomore dance major, has choreographed a trio that humorously and kinetically portrays the frustration of two siblings dealing with a younger sister. The piece is intriguingly crafted to the lullaby of "Hush Little Baby."

Sophomore dance major Betty Skeen has choreographed a text-and-movement piece about those who make unappreciated sacrifices. The dance's movements wryly show the repeating patterns people make that tend to go unnoticed.

For more information, please contact Mark Magruder at (434) 381-6150 or mmagruder@sbc.edu.