FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dancers, drummers and singers from tribes across the United States will perform energetic and colorful American Indian dances Sunday, March 10, as part of West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Distinguished Performance Series.

The American Indian Dance Theatre will be featured in a 7 p.m. program in the college’s multi-purpose room.

The company includes dancers and musicians from tribes across the United States and Canada. Among them are Assiniboine, Comanche and Creek, Cherokee, Menominee/Potawatomi, Navajo, Southern Ute, Cree, Sioux, Nez Perce, Ojibway, Tsau Tini/Blackfoot and Zuni. Company members are chosen from the most prestigious Native American festivals and dance competitions held in North America.

The ensemble is recognized as a pioneer in successfully presenting traditional Native American dance and music in a theatrical setting without sacrificing the basic integrity and meaning of the dances.

The group tours extensively throughout the United States and has performed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Centennial Celebration, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Gathering of the Tribes spectacular in California. It has had three standing room only engagements at the Joyce Theatre in New York City. Internationally, audiences and critics have hailed the company throughout France, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Italy, Scotland, in Middle Eastern countries and in cities across Australia.

New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff has lauded the ensemble as "a feast for the eye." Clive Barnes of the New York Post noted, "AIDT has something most exciting to offer – sheer spectacle with a transcendental spirituality. That is quite a gift."

Tickets are on sale now in the college business office; any remaining tickets will be sold at the door one hour prior to the concert.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $2 in advance for WVU Parkersburg students, faculty and staff.

The Distinguished Performance Series is presented with financial assistance from the WVU at Parkersburg student activity fee and academic affairs budget and the WVU President’s Office for Social Justice.  For additional information, contact the college at 424-8000.