Spring recital wows audience

According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, music and dance share a parallel expression of emotion. This new research suggests that the two disciplines can express a mood together, with complementary methods of generating the dynamics of feeling.

That was proven true Saturday evening when over a hundred dancers of all ages from Sisters Dance Academy performed their 11th semi-annual recital in the Sisters High School auditorium.

"This year we started a new journey at the dance academy," announced Lonnie Liddell, owner and dance instructor at Sisters Dance Academy. "We established our performance ensemble, choreographed by dance teacher Kayla Williams. The dancers are ages 11 through 15 who've been selected for not only their ability but for their passion and dedication to dance, and we've worked so hard to bring this group of 13 dancers to their first competition in Portland, and they did super-well."

Using the theme "Journeys," the dancers represented the many different kinds of journeys through dance.

The journey of a classic children's fairy tale was depicted by the tiniest of dancers during the adorable performance of "Thumbelina."

The audience went wild when seven dancers dressed in '20s clothes from head to toe took a trip down memory lane and performed tap to "Hot Honey Rag," a song from the musical "Chicago."

The solo ballet performance of "A Whole New World" by Sara Rietmann inspired everyone with her natural ability to dance. The audience watched in awe as Rietmann performed beautifully to the popular Disney song. The number was choreographed by dance instructor Jordi Gauthier. Rietmann graduated from Bend High School last year.

In any culture, music and dance go together. Dance and music are integral to the culture of people all over the world, and it unites them like no other activity on earth.

And the last performance before intermission was a huge highlight when the stage came alive with African drumming and dancing. The teen hip hop class danced with Fe Fanyi West African Drum and Dance Troupe during the number "Roots of Hip Hop." The performance depicted the journey of hip hop dance, beginning with its roots in Africa. The dance, drum, and performance troupe from Bend has been entertaining Central Oregon with the beauty of music and dance of the Mandingue since 2007.

The performance "Surf's Up" got the audience's attention and reminded everyone of a journey through summer when the young dancers hip hopped across the stage to the surfing song, with their colorful beach towels.

This year's emotional grand finale, "Malala Endeavor," included dancers from both the senior and junior performance ensembles. The ballet-style dance represented a journey of a young Malala Yousafzai, a 12-year-old Pakistani girl who survived a shooting in her fight for girls and women to get education.

For information regarding summer classes visit www.sistersdanceacademy.com.