A kaleidoscope of talent and dance styles from the Ballroom Dance Company, Cougarettes, The Dancers' Company, International Folk Dance Ensemble and Theatre Ballet come together for a couple nights of excellence.

These award winning dancing companies will perform in "World of Dance," one of BYU's most popular annual dance concerts.

"World of Dance" runs from Sept. 17-20 at 7:30 p.m., with an additional matinee performance on Sat. Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $8 to $15, depending on location.

Ed Austin, artistic director for the International Folk Dance Ensemble, said the performance is unparalleled.

"I don't know where else you could go to get the quality and variety that are produced in this concert," Austin said.

Austin said of the three pieces the ensemble will perform, its first dance is an Israeli piece full of fun and energy. The second is a modern clog and their third comes from the Hun population in the People's Republic of China.

Variety is also an element of the Cougartettes' portion of the program. According to the Cougarettes' official Web site, each Cougarette is required to be fluid in jazz, funk, lyrical, character, high kick and military styles. In addition, dancers are required to have knowledge and practical abilities in ballet, modern and jazz technique.

Jodi Maxfield, Cougarettes' artistic director, said the Cougarettes are especially excited about performing the piece "Calm Before," because of their experience performing at a national competition.

"We're really excited about performing this dance because we had experiences that allowed us to do a lot of missionary work at nationals," Maxfield said. "It's a great experience to bring it back to our campus community and perform it here."

Shani Robinson, artistic director for Theatre Ballet, said BYU is not only known for its top notch dancers, but for the diversity it houses in its performing arts.

"The world of dance performance is a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of each company's strengths and repertoire," Robinson said. "It's a strength that this university has."

Theatre Ballet will perform two pieces that showcases the range ballet has.

"We are performing two different styles so the audience can see the versatility of the dancers and ballet," Robinson said.

Theatre Ballet is performing Masquerade and Adagio. Robinson said that Masquerade is an upbeat, fun and moving piece while Adagio is reflective, subtle and beautiful in its patterns.

The Ballroom Dance Company will perform "Drop that Beat," the Latin Medley it performs in competition as well as a traditional waltz.

Dancers' Company is doing a spoof on removing mattress tags called "Do not Remove Under Penalty of Law," and a modern dance to a Neil Diamond Song.

Copyright Brigham Young University 16 Sep 2008