Tyler Junior College’s Dance Department and Academy of Dance present DanceFest 2018, featuring a full-length, contemporary production of the classic fairytale, “Sleeping Beauty.”
Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, April 6; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8, in Wise Auditorium on the TJC main campus. The production is part of TJC’s Arts Festival, a month-long celebration of exhibits and performances by TJC students, faculty and staff.
Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for TJC students and children under age 12. Tickets are on sale beginning Friday, March 9, at https://tjcsleepingbeauty.eventbrite.com, or by calling the Wise Box office at 903-510-2099 between 9 a.m. and noon Wednesdays or 1 and 4 p.m. Fridays.
“We always look forward to DanceFest because it’s a unique opportunity for our TJC dance majors and our younger academy students to work and rehearse together for one production,” said Carolyn Hanna, director of the TJC Academy of Dance and chair of the TJC Dance Department.
“They’ve been working diligently on this show since December, so our dancers are excited and ready to present it to the community. Families should flock to see this original, entertaining and magical work.”
Shurrell Wiebe is the production’s artistic director and choreographer, with additional choreography by Thereza Bryce-Cotes and Hanna. Thereza Bryce-Cotes serves as the ballet mistress for the TJC Academy of Dance.
“Our production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ features a few twists that are not in the Disney movie,” Wiebe said. “Children and parents alike will be surprised and excited by what we have in store for them.”
Brooke Rhodus and Elexis Wiebe portray the leading roles of Snow White and Maleficent. Both dancers are dual-credit dance majors from Tyler.
The cast includes TJC dance majors and students from the TJC Academy of Dance Pre-Professional program, including: Brynn Allen, Michelle Azzi, Layla Brown, Bella Burton, Ana Casper, Melissa Clower, James Coats, Rebecca Coats, Cammie Coleman, Mackenzie Copfer, Faith Craig, Karsyn Cunningham, Camila Bravo, Rebecca Dai, Madison Dean, Caleigh Duquette, Haley Foster, Jules Gregory, Savannah Gregory, Malynn Hable, Nadia Hartnauer, Skyla Horace, Oliver Howard, Kyndra Hulen, Bethany Huston, Sofia Iskander, Kileigh Johnson, Liberty Koerbel, Kaylee Lesniewski, Audrey Martin, Zoe Grace Mazzare, Alli McCreary, Lydia Middleton, Leely Nguyen, Anna Nowlin, Addison Petty, Anne Phillips, Annabel Priest, Caroline Priest, Brooke Rhodus, Demi Rodriguez, Sydney Sharp, Layla Sullivan, Joslyn Sweeney-Dewberry, Elexis Wiebe, Brynn Wilder, and Ariel Williams.
For more on TJC’s Arts Festival, go to www.tjc.edu/artsfestival.
For details on TJC’s Dance Department, go to www.tjc.edu/dance.