Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre’s annual gala performance at Bardavon Opera House, February 26

The Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) will hold its annual performance at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in downtown Poughkeepsie on Saturday, February 26, at 8 p.m.

The performance will feature excerpts from "Fission" by Daniel Buraczeski, as restaged by visiting instructor Abby Saxon, as well as "The Beloved," choreographed by Lester Horton, and restaged by Ray Cook, a former VRDT director. New faculty pieces by Jeanne Periolat Czula, Stephen Rooks, and Kathy Wildberger will be showcased alongside student work. Guest choreographer Tom Price, a graduate of Vassar's class of 1995, will present his original creation "Legion." Every year, student dances are chosen to accompany the faculty and repertory pieces. The featured choreography this year will be "IDIOSYNCRACY: The Temperament or Mental Constitution Peculiar to a Person or Group," by senior Alexandra Relias; "Essence," by junior Raquel Muslin; "Apasionada," by senior Charlene Akers; "Mephisto Waltz," by senior Leo Beletsky; and "Mutually Exclusive," by junior Luke Riservato.

The crowning company finale, with guest performers Price and Kingsley Stewart, a graduate of Vassar's class of 1993, will be "Jamaican Suite." Conceived in 1991 by former faculty member Barrington Moncrieffe, it incorporates traditional folk dances from Moncrieffe's homeland of Jamaica as well as live accompaniment under the direction of master drummer Henry Miller. "Jamaican Suite" has been danced four times on the Bardavon stage and has brought the house down every time.

Tickets are available by calling Ticket Master at (845) 453-3388. General Admission is $6.50; Senior Citizens and area students with I.D., $6; and Vassar students with I.D., $5.50. For additional information, call the department of physical education and dance at (845) 437-7472. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Saturday, February 26th, 2000.