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The University of South Carolina’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Company will present its Fall Concert, featuring a diverse assortment of ballet and contemporary works, November 7-8 at the Koger Center for the Arts.
Show time is 7:30pm nightly. Admission is $15 for students, $20 for USC faculty/staff, military, and seniors 60+, and $22 for the public. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.kogercenterforthearts.com/event/betsy-blackmon-dance-company-fall-concert/ or by calling 803-251-2222. The Koger Center is located at 1051 Greene St.
Featured works include:
- The Kingdom of the Shades from Marius Petipa’s dramatic 1877 ballet La Bayadère, staged by guest artist Valentina Kozlova (Principal Dancer, Bolshoi Ballet & NYC Ballet);
- Corvidae by guest artist Colin Connor (former Artistic Director of Limón Dance Company);
- Essence de Femme and Momento Mágico by Dwight Rhoden (co-founder, Complexions Contemporary Ballet); and,
- Luna, an original contemporary work by Senior Dance Instructor Olivia Waldrop.
About the Works and Artists
Valentina Koslova’s storied career began in Moscow with training at the Bolshoi Ballet School and a role as Principal Dancer in the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet. She defected in 1979, leading to positions as Principal Dancer for the Australian Ballet and New York City Ballet, where she danced from 1983 until 1995. Her participation in the concert is made possible through the Susan E. Anderson Artist-in-Residence series, an initiative funded by a generous donation to the dance program by Tommy and Jane Suggs.
“Valentina has been wonderful to work with,” says Jennifer Deckert, Director of Dance at USC. “She truly understands the demands of La Bayadère, while also recognizing how to support our students in being successful with this highly technical work.”
Ballet instructor Eddie Forehand is serving as rehearsal director for the work, which he says “is choreographed to be hypnotic and transport the audience into a dream-like state.”
The creator of more than sixty choreographic works spanning ballet, contemporary and flamenco, Colin Connor has been praised as marrying “the best elements of classical form with the freedom and expressiveness of modern dance” (Style Weekly). He danced as a soloist with Limón Dance Company for 8 years and served as its Artistic Director from 2016-2020.
Rehearsal director André Megerdichian, an associate professor at USC and former Limón dancer, says Connor’s Corvidae, originally created for Limón in 2016, is “inspired by the ferocity and mystery of crows and ravens, seen as messengers throughout the ages.”
“Corvidae is based on the enormous animal power vested in human bodies,” Megerdichian says. “I hope the audience will find their own connection to the animus on stage.”
Essence de Femme and Momento Mágico were created for the university dancers as part of a three-week residency by members of Complexions Contemporary Ballet in March 2024. Utilizing movement vocabulary by Complexions Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Dwight Rhoden, the works explore themes of female empowerment and the power of imagination. Both works were premiered in April as part of a collaborative performance between Complexions and the Betsy Blackmon Dance Company. University ballet instructor Christopher Anderson, a new addition to the dance faculty, is serving as rehearsal director for these works.
Senior instructor Olivia Waldrop describes Luna, a contemporary work for a large cast, as an exploration of “the relationship between individuals and a larger group.”
“This concert is an exciting presentation of how ballet and contemporary technique can be utilized for such a wide range of choreographic expression,” Waldrop says about the concert’s varied repertory.
For Deckert, the concert is an example of the diversity of styles embraced by the program, as well as its dedication to bringing in professional guests to expose students to new approaches to dance expression.
“Our guests help us to broaden the perspectives of our dancers and help them see the breadth of what the dance world is,” she explains. “And, after the guests leave, our faculty can then facilitate conversations with students about how what they’ve learned can apply in their own artistry.”
“This concert embodies what the Betsy Blackmon Dance Program is all about,” says Megerdichian. “Producing dancers and works that range from splendid classical ballets to modern masterworks and cutting-edge contemporary dance.”
“The audience is in for a mesmerizing and thrilling rollercoaster of dance!”
For more information on the Betsy Blackmon Dance Company Fall Concert or the dance program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu.