Mosaic Dance Project returns

By Dylan Venglar/ reporter

Members of the NW Mosaic Dance Project rehearse for a show last year. Members of the project will perform Mosaic in Motion at 2:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the WTLO theater. Collegian file photo
Members of the NW Mosaic Dance Project rehearse for a show last year. Members of the project will perform Mosaic in Motion at 2:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the WTLO theater.
Collegian file photo

Mosaic Dance Project, the NW touring company, will perform its annual Mosaic in Motion concert at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the WTLO Theatre.

The concert is designed to provide a sampling of the many facets of the company, director Lacreacia Sanders said.

“The dance genres include modern, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and swing,” she said.

The concert features choreography from the NW dance faculty, guest alumni choreographers and students from the dance courses.

Students selected for Mosaic serve as leaders within the dance department, setting the examples for hard work, positive energy, artistic merit and appreciation for the diverse members of the program, Sanders said.

“The majority of our body is from the area, but there are people who come from out of state and audition for our company,” student choreographer Aaron Rodriguez said.

The Mosaic Dance Project is a touring group directed by Sanders that performs across the country though most of the performances stay within Texas. As part of the performance, organizers are also bringing in choreographers and performers from other states.

Rodriguez said the group asks people to come in and get an experience and feel of what the program does. He said the aim is to not stick to dancing in one place but to venture out and get the feeling of different areas and different styles.

“It’s like I wanted to dance in college, but I didn’t want to do a drill team kind of thing,” student performer Harlee Jeter said. “It’s just something I like doing. I wanted to be in Mosaic my senior year of high school because I had a friend who was in Mosaic, and I would watch them perform and thought it was cool.”

Rodriguez said the Mosaic Dance Project enjoys inspiring others to try for their dreams.

“It’s what we love to do. It’s a way of expressing who we are and what we live for,” he said. “There’s a lot of different things you have to try out and see. If you just stay in one area, it’s not the same feeling you would get as if you went to New York or L.A.”