Dance faculty can explore their choreographing creativity for Dance Sites, which opens today. Dance coordinator and Associate Professor Lorelei Bayne said she has been excited for her sixth year with the show.

“It’s one of my favorite things (to) choreograph all the students here. I just see how much they are learning and I get to try out new ideas,” Bayne said.

Bayne and Dance Department Chair Linda Goodrich are directing Dance Sites. Dance Sites is an annual faculty and guest artist choreographed show performed every fall.

Dance Sites will be highlighting an array of dance genres, from folklorico to tap to contemporary modern. Audiences have the opportunity to experience Dance Sites on five different occasions.

Bayne said the name comes from Paul Besaw, a previous faculty member. She said the title pertains to each piece being its own “site” because choreographers have full creative reign.

Open auditions for the show are held every September and after the audition the faculty decides who they want to cast in their piece. Original works are choreographed for the show.

Dance Sites is a tool for students to have a hands-on experience, not only with dance, but also with a full production of a dance show including rehearsal time, dress rehearsals with full costumes and a live performance. Students are in control of the backstage, so they may also have firsthand experience with lighting and other aspects of running a performance behind the scenes.

Dance Sites features eight performances. One piece has 12 dancers, who were choreographed by guest artist Shakiri. Bayne said two new faculty members, Osvaldo Ramirez and Philip Flickinger, are choreographing for the show. Bayne said Ramirez’s piece is exciting and upbeat and will be closing the show.

Bayne said Flickinger’s work is about 11 minutes long and has a musical piece from Steve Reich that will be performed by Pat Metheny on guitar.

This year, Dance Sites is working with Sacramento State’s percussion group. Bayne said professor Daniel Kennedy has a percussion group playing live Marimba music for Goodrich’s piece, and will also play live hand drums and a self-made drum kit for Bayne’s piece. Bayne said there will be live violin playing for one of the pieces as well.

Karen Toon choreographed the Dance Sites tap dance. Toon said she first had the students meet and run through steps to determine each dancer’s level of skill. From that, Toon chose the music, which is called “Promenade” by George Gershwin. She said this is a bit of a storytelling piece. She also chose a faster song by saxophonist Johnny Hodges.

Toon said she choreographed more traditional steps for the faster song, and has mixed the dance with traditional and new choreography. The costumes for Toon’s piece coordinate with the period of her music and are a bit more casual.

“Most of the students in my piece I haven’t worked with before,” Toon said. “So that is always a challenge in learning what their skills are and trying to put the piece together that includes their best skills, and makes an enjoyable presentation. It is coming together. It’s been a whirlwind.”

Nicole Matthews, a dancer in Toon’s piece, has been taking extra rehearsals to brush up on her tap technique.

“I haven’t performed in any shows before,” Matthews said. “This is a challenge for me because I have only taken two tap classes, and all the other people in the piece have taken more tap than I have. So I feel like I’m constantly trying to catch up, but I have learned a lot and I feel like I’m better than I was when I started.”

The performance dates were moved from its usual slot in December, up to October. Associate Professor Ed Brazo’s “A Broadway Christmas” will be playing in December instead, because it is closer to Christmas.

Bayne said this has proved to be a bigger challenge than expected.

“It’s kind of fun in that it’s more concentrated, but it is challenging for all the dancers because they are dancing more,” Bayne said.

Bayne said the rehearsals have had to move along quicker in result of the pushed up deadline. Usually the dancers and choreographers have the whole semester to rehearse.

“We’ve been working really quickly this time to put the show together,” Bayne said. “The dancers are rehearsing more, and then when the show is done they will be done with that rehearsal period, instead of having it all semester.”

For ticket prices and showtimes, visit csus.edu/dram

Courtney Owen can be reached at [email protected].