Dance Ensemble in concert this week in Bliss Hall

Nearly 40 dancers perform 11 pieces in a variety of dance genres at the annual Youngstown State University Dance Ensemble 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 5, 6 and 7 in Bliss Hall’s Ford Theater on the YSU campus.

Tickets are $16. Special rate tickets are $8 for non-YSU students, YSU faculty and staff with valid ID, senior citizens, Penguin Club members and groups of eight or more. YSU student tickets are free with valid ID. All tickets are general admission and available by calling 330-941-3105, purchasing online at www.ysu.tix.com or at the door prior to each performance.

The YSU Dance Ensemble, a sanctioned student organization, accepts members via an audition process in the fall term. Members practice weekly to hone their performance skills.

“The students who audition and are accepted put countless hours into practicing their discipline,” said Christine Cobb, faculty member in the YSU Department of Theatre and Dance and director of the Ensemble. “The spring concert is the culmination of their year-long efforts.”

Several of the works are choreographed by students in the bachelor’s in Dance Management program.

The concert includes pieces that deal with serious issues such as abuse, depression, gender, relational issues and politics. Cobb will perform “A House Divided” which speaks to the turmoil, division and polarization in today’s current climate. Adjunct faculty member Stephanie Frey Anderson has choreographed a piece, “Swallow,” inspired by what it means to be exhausted.