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Ole Miss Theatre Arts’ resident dance company, Mississippi: The Dance Company, is in rehearsal for their annual concert.
The theme of the concert is “Fresh Start” and will feature choreography by Artistic Director and Professor of Movement and Dance Jennifer Mizenko, Interim Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre Rene Pulliam, faculty members Roxie Thomas and Seth Lieber with special guest artist Corrie Cockrell. 
“The choreography is super engaging and the dancers are super inspiring. Overall though a lot of the pieces this year are artistically engaging,” said Cory Clarke a junior BFA Musical Theatre major.
The concert will also feature three student directed works that will be performed at the South Conference of the American College Dance Association. The pieces have been a collaborative effort between both faculty and students with choreography, music and poetry composed or accompanied by both students and faculty.
“I wrote an original song for Jen’s piece…It’s been really fun to see something I personally worked on individually come to life collaboratively,” said Clarke.
The pieces definitely reflect the theme of the show through the imagery according to Clarke. Figures falling, rising and being born again convey the message of a “fresh start.”
In addition the concert will showcase a special dance piece choreographed by Mizenko addressing water issues of the lower Mississippi River for National Water Dance Day on April 16. The piece will be adapted for a performance on a specially constructed raft built by the noted Mississippi River guide John Ruskey of Quapaw Canoe Company. The performance will include poetry by Ole Miss English department faculty member, Ann Fisher-Wirth and documented by the Director of Ole Miss Cinema, Alan Arrivee.
“This Mississippi River Water Dance project will be a minor explosion of art & creativity to attract attention to the remaining wild places on the wild river. This will take place in one of the wild stretches of river found along the border between the States of Arkansas and Mississippi,” said Mizenko. “Everything of living beauty is not appreciated until identified, documented and framed appropriately. You could say this dance will be a fresh new way of framing the raw, wild beauty of the lower Mississippi River”
Mississippi: The Dance Company’s annual concert will take place April 1-3, 2016 in Meek Auditorium Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $9.00 for students and $8.00 for Seniors/Children and will be available at the Ole Miss Box Office. For more information on Quapaw Canoe Company visit http://www.island63.com/. 
