Daily Loaf

The USF Fall Dance Concert lives up to its billing as a “vibrant mélange of ballet, modern, swing and flamenco-fusion.”

Not having seen one of the USF dance concerts for many years, I was very pleasantly surprised at the exceptional quality of dance, choreography, music and costuming. The execution of the dances demonstrated a high degree of quality and professionalism, particularly in the pointe work. This show makes it very obvious that USF School of Theater and Dance has attracted some esteemed faculty and visiting choreographers with impressive credentials.

The seven varied dances, none overly long, provided a perfect amount of entertainment. When so often dance shows are composed of one modern piece after another that all tend to look alike, it was great to see a dance concert that had enough variety to be truly entertaining. Also, it was gratifying to see a number of talented male dancers. From the vantage point of dead-center front row, we could see all of the footwork at close range.

The opening number, “Noches Argentinas,” for my taste, is the best Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. For those (three or four) of you looking for something non-Halloween related to do this weekend, check out The University of South Florida’s School of Theater and Dance Fall Dance Concert, which offers a veritable So You Think You Can Dance episode’s worth of styles.

You can see everything from modern to flamenco-fusion to ballet and swing (albeit no krumping), which puts these students and choreographers on our Hot Tamale Train. In celebration of USF’s Day of Dance, the Nov. 5 performance also includes contributions from high school and college students from around the state, who visit to pay tribute to the art of expression through motion. (Pictured: Cathryn Lacy rehearses for the USF Fall Dance Concert. Photo by Kyle Scharf) Oct. 29-30, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.; Sun., Nov. 1, 3 p.m.; and Nov. 5-7, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., USF College of Visual & Performing Arts Theatre I, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, $12, $8 students and seniors in advance; $15, $10 students and seniors day of the show, theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu. – Franki Weddington