Artistic coordinator Hilary Peterson says this year's annual Fall for Dance concert will treat audience members to "a roller-coaster ride."

"It's six pieces in a one-act show, which is a bit different from previous years," she explained. "So the audience gets an uninterrupted ride throughout the show."

Of the six pieces that will be performed at the Bedell Performance Hall later this month, Southeast Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance faculty choreographed four and another was choreographed by visiting artist Geoff Alexander.

Senior Corey Meyer's piece "De-lirium" is slated to kick off the show on an introspective note.

"It's really a dark piece," Meyer said. "It's loosely based on schizophrenia; looking at having thoughts you really can't control."

A dancer stops to rests during rehearsal for the annual Fall for Dance concert Tuesday at the Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus. (Glenn Landberg)

He says collaboration is the key to having a successful piece, especially in a dance concert. He selected junior Jessica Carlson to perform the solo in his piece, who says she draws from the other dancers as much as from the music or her own choreography.

"For Corey's piece, especially, the other dancers really inspire me," she explained. "When I see them portraying something different, it's something I can use to incorporate into my own movements."

Peterson says her own piece was inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renior's painting "Luncheon of the Boating Party." For her, the impressionist's work lends itself particularly well to interpretation through dance, which is itself a fleeting medium.

"My piece is titled 'Soiree' and it ends the concert," she said. "There are no hard edges in impressionist painting. There's a freedom from classicism with so many brush strokes."

She says one of the challenges in choreographing the piece was portraying a sense of period while simultaneously keeping it relatable for contemporary viewers. One way she accomplishes this is through balancing period-specific and modern music.

"It's not all French, but I wanted to create a specific environment, rather than a certain time period or place," she said.

Senior Colleen Spoden is no stranger to Fall for Dance -- this is her fifth as a dancer -- and she says Peterson and others have raised the bar for this year's concert.

"Hilary was able to make a really fun and funny piece," she said. "This is not an amateur concert. It's a professional concert."

With this Fall for Dance being a shorter performance, Peterson said the overall feel she has been trying to create is one of optimism.

"I wanted to end on a really happy, fun, full of-life-piece; something to make the audience want to leave and go out and move. It's entirely relatable." she said. "Everyone will be able to form some sort of relationship with the dancers onstage."

The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 to 22 and 2 p.m. Nov. 23; tickets may be purchased at the River Campus box office or on the River Campus website.

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627