Versa-Style Dance Company will be dominating the Kingsbury Hall stage on Sept. 9 starting at 7:30 p.m. With the help of The Party, an on-campus group that offers its publicity skills and party-planning services to campus arts events, and UtahPresents, their performance promises to be engaging.
Tickets priced at only $5 for U students with an Arts Pass (UCard), it’s perfectly primed for U students to attend. Students should be even more interested in this particular performance because of the event that will take place immediately following. This AfterParty is from 9-11 p.m. on stage with the Versa-Style dancers, food and a DJ for a true party experience. If you can’t make it to the pre-performance, the AfterParty is still open for general student attendance free of charge; just bring your Arts Pass.
The Party was created to help art students host an event, and put their creative work on display for others. “The goal of The Party itself [is to] actually help students run events” by helping to manage the events, said Bree McLaren, an Emerging Leaders Intern at the College of Fine Arts. The first event to kickoff the new school year usually involves a performance from an outside group instead of students in order to get students excited about The Party. Usually The Party will take place in the UMFA with a dance party, but since the UMFA is under construction, UtahPresents and The Party teamed up to present the Versa-Style dance performance in Kingsbury Hall.
These events are meant “to connect U of U students to the Arts” as well as “get people to socialize” with other students, explained McLaren. The events are meant to provide a way for students to participate in the arts while socializing with other students at the events, without feeling the need to always bring a friend along to an event, or not going for fear of feeling alone. These events break a barrier for those who don’t always have people to go with to art performances.
As for the Versa-Style Dance Company, the group incorporates Hip-Hop styles as well as Afro-Latin styles into their choreography, in order to represent Los Angeles’ extensive diversity and history. They mainly focus on bringing LA youth together by providing a way to express themselves through dance. According to the group’s website, “Versa-Style demonstrates freedom of expression, freedom of individuality, hard work, self-discipline and dedication to the form.”
Their website explains that the dance company was formed in 2005 by Jackie Lopez, aka Miss Funk, and Leigh Foaad, aka Breeze-lee, both currently Artistic Directors for the group as well as LA locals. They continue to promote body positivity and work to unify racial boundaries in Hip-Hop through dancing.
Do not forget to make a note to attend this event this Friday. You will be able to enjoy a dance performance, music, food, socializing and fun.
Check out The Party’s website, Facebook page or Instagram feed at http://www.finearts.utah.edu/theparty , https://www.facebook.com/ThePartyatUofU or https://www.instagram.com/thepartyatuofu/ for more details.
Kingsbury Hall, Friday Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m., tickets at http://utahpresents.org/events/versa-style/.
@casualcolie