Hilton Head Dance Theatre presents 'Terpsichore'

The spirit of Terpsichore, the mythological muse of dance, lives on as Hilton Head Dance Theatre presents a program that runs the gamut of dance styles and techniques from classical ballet to jazz.Opening with the elegant Sylvia, notable for its mythological setting, followed by two of Bob Fosse's iconic numbers, Bye, Bye Blackbird and Rich Man's Frug, and closing with the rousing Stars and Stripes, the program showcases a diversity of dance styles.

Under the direction of artistic directors Karena Brock-Carlyle and her husband John, Hilton Head Dance Theatre presents Terpsichore, the final production of the 2007-08 season tonight and Saturday at 7:30 and again Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

A rarely seen ballet, set to ascore by Leo Delibes, Sylvia will feature Lyndsay Ogden and veteran guest performer Peter Kozak. Justine Hale will portray Diana, goddess of the moon, and guest artist Nathan Griswold of the Atlanta Ballet will portray Eros, the god of love. Jessica Neville and guest artist Robert Michalski of the Columbia City Ballet will portray Bacchus and Fauna.

With choreography by Hilton Head Dance Theatre Artistic Director John Carlyle and music by the Irish rock band The Pogues, the next number on the program features Nathan Griswold and Mary Elizabeth Tinervin dancing the pas de deux Fairytale of New York.

Kathleen Watkins, former Dance Captain for the Broadway hit Fosse, has staged two numbers for the program: Bye, Bye Blackbird and Rich Man's Frug.From the television special Liza with a Z, Bye, Bye Blackbird is the quintessential Fosse number as it incorporates all of the elements of his signature style in that one number.

Columbia City Ballet dancer Robert Michalski and Ruthie Fuller will take the stage for a contemporary ballet pas de deux set to the 2nd Movement of Piano Concerto Number 2 by Dmitry Shostakovich.

Local choreographer Sanny Wartko has contributed a tap piece featuring Tessa Owens and returning island favorite Jamal Edwards set to Jessica Simpson's "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

To conclude the program, the entire company, led by Ashley Sineath and guest artist Peter Kozak, will march onto the stage to the stirring and patriotic "Stars and Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa.Containing as much pure dancing as many full-length classical ballets, Stars and Stripes is evocative of an old-fashioned Fourth of July parade.