For the City Times
STEVENS POINT – “Danstage 2022,” an evening of new dance created by faculty and guest artists, will close the spring season of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Department of Theatre and Dance on May 6-8 and 11-13.

It features choreography by Assistant Professor Sarah Olson and Professor Michael Estanich as well as guests Pamela Luedtke and Aysha Upchurch. “Danstage 2022” will be performed in the Studio Theatre of the Noel Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on May 6-7, and May 11-13. A May 8 matinee will be offered at 2 p.m.

Olson’s new work, “the Four Seasons,” is based on Max Richter’s recomposition of Antonio Vivaldi’s “the Four Seasons.” An ensemble of 10 student dancers illuminates the pleasures and particularities of spring, summer, fall and winter, taking the audience on a journey through the iconic piece of music.

Estanich’s “On the Edge of the Fault Line” examines the precarious connection between the past and future, memory and imagination, reality and possibility. The work features nine student dancers with costume, set and lighting design by students. It explores the intersection of text, sweeping movement and environment with original poetry.

“Dawn to Dusk,” originally choreographed by Luedtke for Danstage 2020 (canceled because of COVID-19), the work reflects the cycle of the day through lighting. It celebrates human interactions that bring meaning and purpose to day-to-day living.

Upchurch created her work, “Sonic Feedback,” during a guest residency at UW-Stevens Point earlier this semester. The work considers everyday sounds and how they blend in to maintain business as usual. It explores what happens when we send our voices into the noise of quiet desperation so that we truly hear and are heard.

Purchase tickets online at tickets.uwsp.edu, by calling 715-346-4100, or by visiting the Information and Tickets Office in Dreyfus University Center in Stevens Point. Tickets may also be available at the venue starting one hour prior to each performance.