Sanspointe Dance Company Presents Free Performance at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sanspointe, a professional dance company based in Birmingham, will present “Dances Fall” Tuesday, Oct. 27, in The University of Alabama’s Morgan Auditorium.

The event begins at 5 p.m. with an open discussion, followed by the concert at 7:30 p.m. A question-and-answer session will follow the performance.

Through the sponsorship of the department of theatre and dance, Creative Campus, New College and the Honors College, this event is free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Dances Fall” features works choreographed by Lynn Bowman, Shellie Chambers, Michelle Hamff, Rhea Speights and a collaboration between Allison Hetzel and Sarah M. Barry, UA theatre and dance faculty members.  Pre-show live music will be performed by the group Abram and Sarah, which also will provide the accompaniment for a solo dance performance in the second half.

Included in “Dances Fall” is “It’s Only Paper,” which features dancers costumed in paper dresses, and “Trick or Treat Me Like a Fool,” featuring four masked characters; both are choreographed by Speights. Speights will also perform a solo to music performed live by the local folk music group Abram and Sarah.

Also featured is the collaborative work conceived and performed by Tuscaloosa-based artists Barry and Hetzel, titled “so you want me always to paint flowers … .” This project is based on the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe. The dance premiered May 29 in Biel, Switzerland, as part of the 46th International Choreographer’s Showcase.

Sanspointe was founded by Hamff in 2003; its artistic director is Chambers.  Many of Sanspointe’s artists are graduates of UA; they bring to the company a wide range of skills and talents, often doubling or tripling their roles within the organization.

“It takes a lot of motivated and committed people to keep a professional dance company going,” Chambers said. “Many of our company members work other jobs full-time, some are mothers, a few attend graduate school and several travel an hour for rehearsals.  Each of us is passionate about presenting modern dance for Alabama audiences.”

UA’s theatre and dance department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.