Suzanne Ostersmith, dance chair of the Theatre and Dance department at Gonzaga University, joined E.J. Iannelli in the KPBX studio to talk about the busy season of public-facing events they have ahead of them.
[NB: The audio stops abruptly just after the 3-minute mark. For some reason, our recording software cut out mid-interview. The on-demand audio we've provided here includes what was captured from the start of the conversation. We're looking into the issue to prevent it from happening again.]
Ostersmith began by recapping the GU dance students' summer studies in Florence, which also provided them with a work by Angelo Egarese that will be performed at the program's season opener event this Saturday (Sept. 23).
On October 6, Gonzaga's dance students, faculty and alumni will put on 60x60, a popular showcase of sixty sixty-second works, at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center.
Owing to contractual obligations and scheduling conflicts, Ballet Fantastique, the planned resident guest artist, has had to bow out of this season. Ostersmith said that the October 26 dance showcase will still proceed as intended but with different works by local choreographers. With a wink to the change of plans, that event has been retitled Pivot: A Ballet Celebration.
Ostersmith also spoke about events in the late autumn and winter, including the inter-departmental collaboration Spring Awakening (Nov. 16–19) and the Snowflake Showcase (Dec. 1). Looking a little further ahead, she teased the much-anticipated arrival of Pacific Northwest Ballet on February 16 and 17, 2024. The PNB's program will feature a wide range of repertory dances ranging from Swan Lake to Twyla Tharp.
For more information on the season or the individual events, you can visit the Gonzaga University Theater and Dance department's website and click on the "Our Season" tab.
