YSU dancers plan spring concert

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State University Dance Ensemble will present its annual spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Bliss Hall’s Ford Theater.

Under the artistic direction of Christine Cobb, a faculty member in the department of theater and dance, the concert will showcase 13 dance pieces of modern, ballet, jazz, hip-hop and tap genres.

The YSU Dance Ensemble, a sanctioned student organization sponsored in part by Student Government, accepts members who make it through an audition process during fall semester. Members practice weekly and hone their performance skills and leadership skills.

“The students who audition and are accepted into the YSU Dance Ensemble put countless hours into practicing their discipline,” Cobb said. “They learn the basics of running a student organization since they must elect officers and participate in activities. The spring concert is the culmination of their yearlong efforts.”

Featured in the program is a piece choreographed by Cobb titled “PBT [Plastic Bathtub Toys] Ballet,” featuring 10 YSU students in a whimsical “water adventure” in the tub. Cobb collaborated with W. Rick Schilling, associate staff designer, who designed and executed the costumes. The piece’s original score was created by Andy Hasenpflug, resident staff accompanist at Slippery Rock University, and musicians with whom he collaborated on a disc titled “Divide by PI.”

YSU student choreographers include Mandi Fetty, Kaitlyn Fabian, Caty Moran, Samantha Wilson, Amy Warner, Lee Beitzel, Malloree Miller and Erianne Raib. Guest choreographer Melinda Planey rounds out the program with a modern trio she created for the concert.