MARYSVILLE, Kan. — The Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company gave a free public performance at Marysville High School on Wednesday after spending three days in Marshall County.
Spectators of all ages watched in awe at the artistic and athletic moves made by the performers.
Members of the Wylliams/Henry Dance Company, based in Kansas City, Mo., are the “artists-in-residence” at the University of Missouri, Kansas City’s conservatory of music and dance.
The group’s visit was sponsored by the Marshall County Arts Cooperative.
The dance company’s routine included new dance works focusing on important social issues like the Holocaust and racism. The aim to be thought-provoking as well as challenging.
Wayne Kruse, executive director of the Marshall County Arts Cooperative, said a goal of the board is to have all art forms represented.
“Modern dance is one of the art forms that’s not as vibrant in our area,” Kruse said. “We have a great dance studio in town, but there’s no emphasis on modern dance, so we wanted to make sure the residents in this area were exposed to that dance form as well.”
Kruse said he couldn’t be happier with the performance given Wednesday night.
“Their stuff is phenomenal,” he said. “They’ve been talking to kids and adults the last few days and explaining that they you don’t have to ‘get it,’ but just enjoy the beauty of their movement. I was blown away by their performance.”
The second half of the groups performance Wednesday night was a tribute to early Rock and Roll music. They performed dances to such songs as Elvis Presley’s “There’s a whole lot of shaking going on;” Van Morrison’s “Cleaning Windows;” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.”
Spectators walked out of Marysville High School satisfied with what they had witnessed.
“I really liked it,” said Christina Tabor. “This stuff is all new to me and it wasn’t what I expected at all.”
Michael Ratliff also enjoyed the performance and hopes here will be more opportunities to enjoy such unique performances.
“I hope they bring more stuff like this in the future,” Ratliff said. “I bet half the people in here have never seen dancing like that. It’s pretty unique.”
Kids enjoyed the performance as well. Allison Dierking, who was celebrating her seventh birthday, loves to dance. When asked how she liked Wednesday’s performance, she put two thumbs up in the air.
Kruse said he felt like Wednesday’s show was a huge success.
“All too often people think they need to have a certain skill-set or a certain background to understand dance,” Kruse said. “That’s not true. Sometimes all you have to do is let the performance wash over you and enjoy the beauty of the moment.”