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Halestone Dance Studio will present its first indoor performance since the start of the pandemic with its “Run With Shadows” show next weekend.
The studio’s dancers will return to the Keller Theatre at Washington and Lee’s Lenfest Center for three performances on Saturday, April 29, at 1 and 6:30 p.m., and on Sunday, April 30, at 3 p.m.
The showcase of creative work will feature original choreography and direction by artistic director Molly Smith, as well as teaching artists Alexis Henk, Brittany Klinger, Chloe Mahalek, Evelyn Warren, Kathleen Gale, Lily Petsinger, Paige Bauer, Stephanie Hodde and Halestone company members.
Tickets are available for a presale price of $14 for adults and $12 for seniors (65-plus) and children (ages 4-16). Children aged 3 and under attend for free and do not need a ticket.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://halestone. com/events/2023-spring-recital or at Appalachian Sage at 9 E. Washington Street. Tickets will also be available at the performance for $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and children.
“Run With Shadows” is a deeply collaborative work celebrating the many dancers and choreographers who make up our community. It is an homage to those who created the studio, the generations that fostered so many individuals, as well as a tribute to those who will continue it in the future.
Each choreographer was given free reign to tell their story through music and movement and to chart an interrelated score of life in its many different stages. The distinctive stories shared through movement and vi- gnettes of shadow and light come together to embody the full cycle of life. Though the paths we take may vary, the consistency of our shadows all share the same density, said Smith.
Modern dance, ballet, jazz, clogging, creative movement, contemporary and hip hop dance genres at all levels, will be represented in this innovative showcase. The 20 diverse pieces of “Run With Shadows” will culminate in a final performance that brings 70 dancers of all ages together on stage, moving to David Bowie’s “Golden Years,” which features the eponymous line “run with the shadows in these golden years.”
“While the 45th anniversary of Halestone’s first performance isn’t until October of this year, we’ve been celebrating this milestone all year,” said Smith. “Halestone Dance Studio has thrived as a community in motion for 45 years in Rockbridge County because of the artists and families who value the work. Students feel especially nurtured in a place where anybody and everybody can dance.”
Halestone’s Dance Extension further supports the community through outreach programs in preschools and public schools throughout the county, serving students who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience the joy of dance, she continued.
Proceeds from ticket sales support Halestone’s educational programming, scholarships for young dancers, and its classes in local schools and preschools each month.
To learn more about Halestone, go online to https://halestone. com.
