The University’s Spring Dance Concert, 8 p.m. Fri. April 30, features Nevada students performing works created by faculty and guest artists. Rounding out the second half of the concert, the Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre, wearing the ornate ceremonial dress of the Great Plains, presents the cultural and artistic legacies of the Lakota people through music, storytelling, dance and film. The company’s northern Nevada tour includes a series of free concerts for Washoe County School District and Pyramid Lake High School students April 29, and the Marvin Picollo School for special needs children Friday, April 30.

Founded at the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with the support of traditional Lakota Indian educators, healers, community leaders, championship Pow Wow dancers, singers and storytellers, the company creates opportunities for everyone to experience and interpret the holistic world view of the Lakota Sioux people through live performance and educational outreach.

The University dance troupe, under the direction of Barbara Land and Cari Cunningham perform a variety of dance pieces, from classical ballet to modern, Martha Graham-style numbers. The performance includes a piece with the entire cast accompanied by a grand piano and a violinist, as well as two duets by seniors choreographed by Cari Cunningham.

Becca Kitchen, a junior journalism major/dance minor, is performing this year in her third spring concert, and said she is excited to learn more about symbolic movement from the Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre.

“I’ve never seen tribal dance before,” Kitchen said. “It’s something I’ve always been interested in, learning to create a dance that has deeper meaning and is not so movement heavy.”

The University Spring Dance Concert will be held in Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building on the University campus.

For more information on the Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre, contact Barbara Land, Lecturer Music and Dance, at (775) 784-7017 or bland@unr.edu. For more information about the University Dance Concert, contact University Arts at (775) 785-4278 or arts365@unr.edu.