Today through Saturday, the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a faculty-choreographed dance performance.
Jazz, ballet and contemporary jazz dances will all be showcased during the performance.
In addition, the show will feature recently graduated dancers and past choreographers.
Since the 1960s, Cal State Long Beach has been a place where dance students go to collaborate and create artistic pieces to showcase their talents to audiences in the Long Beach area.
CSULB was the first campus in the Cal State University system to offer a bachelor’s degree in dance and it remains the only CSU campus to grant MFA and BFA degrees in dance, as well as a master’s degree in dance education, Johnson said.
Originally formed in 1970, the CSULB Department of Dance has been a staple of the Fine Arts College, according to Lorin Johnson, associate professor of dance.
Finally in 1991, $26.2 million was set aside from the state budget allocation to be used for the building of the performing arts complex at the school, Johnson said.
The department has a tradition of bringing in a wide variety of guest artists to help create pieces for concerts, giving dance students exposure to some of the most well-known choreographers of the 20th century.
Before the construction of the dance theatre, the dance faculty and students would borrow space to practice and perform from the theatre arts and sports programs, with concerts being held in other university venues such as the Studio Theatre and the University Theatre.
Johnson, the director of the show, expressed his excitement about the performance.
“It’s partially retrospective,” Johnson said. “It’s a tribute to the past while we look toward to the future. We want to celebrate the past 20 years and the visionaries who helped the dance center come to life.”
The performance will be held in the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre located near the Walter Pyramid.
The show will run Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A special gala and catered reception with a limited number of available seats will be held after the Saturday evening showing.
Tickets are $20 general admission and $16 for seniors and for students with a valid ID.
Tickets for the gala showing are $30 for general admission and $25 for seniors and for students with a valid ID.
For tickets and additional information, call (562) 985-7000 or visit www.csulb.edu/dance.
[my email begins w/ 4 ‘T’s]
The print edition of this article has a great pic of the Knoebel center under construction. How can I get my hands on it?? Where did u get it from?