CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The art of dance will be spotlighted all around town on April 29 as UI students celebrate International Dance Day.
Since 1982, Dance Day has been a worldwide effort to make the public aware of the art form.
This year, students in dance professor Sara Hooks graduate composition class will be presenting the following free performances throughout the community:
11 a.m., Strawberry Fields, 306 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana. Ya-Ju Lin will showcase multicultural dance styles, including Middle Eastern Spanish, and popular and contemporary styles. Audience members are invited to wear ethnic costumes.
2 p.m., Provena Covenant children's play area, Marketplace Mall, Champaign. Elizabeth and Anna Sapozhnikov will organize a performance that includes simple dance phrases and improvisational dance games geared toward children and parents.
3 p.m., UI Quad. Dancers will perform Cho-Ying Tsai's composition, creating a living, moving image of a bicycle.
4 p.m., near the Alma Mater statue at the corner of Green and Wright streets, Champaign. Erick Gonzalez will present his work "I'll Dance for Applause."
5 p.m., UI Quad. Young-Mi Cho will teach an informal dance class to passers-by.
6 p.m., Cosmopolitan Club, John St. between Third and Fourth streets, Champaign. Chih-Chun Huang will present improvisation to the music of Brazilian composer Hector Villa-Lobos, as part of the club's Brazilian Night.
Kara James and Kristy Kuhn will present a structured improvisation at 6 p.m. April 30 outside the UI Undergraduate Library, 1402 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana.