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Lindsay Renea celebrates dance
if you go
What: “Celebrate Life,” a dance concert by Lindsay Renea (above)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: East High School auditorium, 474 Bennington Ave., Youngstown
Tickets: $20 ($15 for students, $12 for children 12 and under) at the door and at lindsayrenea.com or call 330-732-5738.
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
As an outlet for her creativity, Lindsay Renea has put together “Celebrate Life,” a dance concert that will feature her original choreography in a variety of genres.
The performance Saturday at East High School auditorium will include more than 40 dancers, all of them students of Renea. An ensemble of top regional and national musicians will accompany the performance.
Renea is an assistant professor of dance at Youngstown State University and a former professional dancer with the Garth Fagan Dance Company of Rochester, N.Y.
The Ursuline High and Howard University (Washington, D.C.) graduate recently returned to her hometown to continue her career.
Saturday’s concert is not only a way for her to reintroduce herself, but it’s also a unique dance premiere — something the Mahoning Valley hasn’t seen in a while.
“I grew up here but I’ve been gone almost 10 years for college and with a dance company,” said Renea. “I got tired of living out of a suitcase and decided to come back and invest in my own creativity and choreography.”
Renea will also perform in “Celebrate Life,” marking the first time since she has danced on a stage in her hometown since high school.
As an assistant professor at YSU, Renea works with a lot of dancers. She also teaches at a Pittsburgh dance school and gives private lessons to high-school-age dance students in the Valley.
“I was experimenting with choreography and decided to put together a dance concert,” she said, explaining the impetus for Saturday’s show. Dancers will range in age from 3 to 40-something.
Those who attend the black-tie event will see modern dance, tap, Afro-Carribean, ballet, contemporary and hip-hop dance. There will also be a tribute to Faith McCullough-Wooster, the East High freshman who died in a freak accident after school Nov. 12.
The band will include Youngstowners Rick Ward and Billy Beck, both of the Ohio Players; plus Alonzo Smith, Dylan Kollat, Randy Woods and vocalist Jocelyn Parker. Renea’s father, LaMarr Benton, will create a piece of art on stage during the concert.