Dancers and actors will have a chance to come together once again as the Cal Poly theater and dance department gets ready for another school year filled with comedy, pirouettes and performances.
Founded in 1969 by Dr. Moon Ja Miss Suhr, Cal Poly’s dance company, Orchesis, will be holding auditions this week for the 2006-07 company.
“We provide a balance to our polytechnic environment (and) allow students to progress in dance and related studies,” said Maria Junco, director of Cal Poly’s dance program.
Auditions will be held Sept. 28, but all dancers wanting to audition must attend one of two workshops held on Sept. 26 and 27 before being given an audition time on Sept. 28.
Once members are chosen, they must also sign up for a 4-unit dance class for the company, which will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:10 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The company usually consists of 25 to 30 dancers and has a variety of styles including ballet, lyrical, tap, modern, ballroom and hip-hop.
The company’s main focus is their performance during winter quarter at Cal Poly’s Spanos Theater. There are usually around 2,500 people who attend this yearly event, Junco said. The company also performs at Cal Poly’s open house in spring.
The dance department also offers a range of classes for all students.
“We’re (the studio) packed with classes from morning ’til night,” Junco said.
Students wishing to enroll in a dance class that is already closed should still arrive to the class because the instructor can probably enroll them, Junco said.
The dance department currently only offers a dance minor, but “I would very much like to see that change and to see a dance major in the future,” Junco said.
For more information on Cal Poly’s dance department visit cla.libart.calpoly.edu/thtrdanc.
Cal Poly’s theater department will offer a variety of performances for its upcoming season. Auditions are held before every show, the first of being “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Auditions will be held Sept. 28 and 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Scripts are available in the theater and dance office in building 45 room 104. Those wishing to audition are asked to read a script beforehand. All students and community members are encouraged to attend.
Upcoming shows include “Roundheads and Pointedheads,” and “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.” For more information, contact Pamela Malkin at pmalkin@calpoly.edu.
Smile and Nod is an improvisational show peformed by students. Auditions will be held Sept. 30 in building 45, room 212 at 1 p.m. Smile and Nod encourages people to come on out for a “fun and low-key audition process.”
“I like the fact that they incorporate the audience a lot,” said mechanical engineering senior Sky Mullenaux.
Short improv shows are held every Saturday at 8 p.m. and are similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The long improv show takes place at 10 p.m., which includes one suggestion that produces a 45-minute improvisation. The performance also includes personal comedic stories concerning the issue as well as stand-up comedy.
“It’s a great precursor to a night,” Mullenaux said. “The night doesn’t have to be over. Every time I go there I leave there laughing for hours afterwards.”
All shows are about two hours long and tickets are $5. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made one week in advance at www.smileandnod.org.
The San Luis Little Theatre is a great local venue to enjoy shows that change frequently. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the theater will be showing “Crimes of the Heart,” “The Full Monty,” “Little Women of Orchard House,” “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” “Dancing at Lughnasa” and “Annie Get Your Gun.” They will also be holding two special events which include “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Viva Las Vegas!”
“SLOLT has been delighting audiences with quality entertainment, making (them) one of the oldest continuously-running community theaters in the nation,” according to the theater’s promotional brochure. They are “committed to providing a wide variety of productions from musicals, comedies and dramas.”
For more information on the SLOLT, its shows or for tickets, visit www.slolittletheatre.org or call the box office at 786-2440.