Élan Dance Company to Present 2017 Showcase at Pfeiffer Hall on May 6

The Naperville Park District's Élan Dance Company will present its 2017 Showcase at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 at Pfeiffer Hall, located at 310 E. Benton Ave. on the campus of North Central College.

Tickets for the Showcase may be purchased through the Naperville Park District at www.napervilleparks.org, by phone at 630-848-5000, or in person at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center at 305 W. Jackson Avenue, Fort Hill Activity Center at 20 Fort Hill Drive or at the 95th Street Center at 2244 W. 95th Street. Tickets are $8 in advance (through May 5 at 4:00 p.m.) or $10 at the door.

Performances will feature original choreography in a variety of genres, including ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, jazz, hip hop and musical theater. Performers include soloists and ensembles from each of the three companies within Élan, which are the Senior, Apprentice and Junior Companies.

"We are excited to present two ensemble pieces choreographed by Senior Company members in collaboration with their mentors," said Élan's artistic director, Kristy Meza. "Graduating senior Emily Rosa and her mentor, Katie Wickey created a jazz piece for the song 'Woman Up' by Meghan Trainor that will be performed by the Apprentice Company. The second dance is a ballet piece choreographed by Alyssa Wolff with her mentor, Alex Webb to 'River Flows in You' by Yiruma, which will be performed by the Senior Company."

Also featured on the program are solos by three graduating seniors. Merve Addemir will present a contemporary piece, "Lay Your Head Down" that she choreographed with mentors Katie Wickey and Alex Webb. Britney Lee will perform "Hand Hold," choreographed with mentor Lindsay Stein, and Emily Rose will present "Try," a lyrical piece choreographed with mentor Alex Webb.

A fun and familiar element of the program will be the chimney sweeps' dance, "Step in Time" from the Broadway musical "Mary Poppins." The dancers also will present a hip hop number entitled, "We Own It," and will debut a jazz piece by Stacey Fontechia that involves the entire Élan Dance Company.

Now in its 21st season, Élan Dance Company is a pre-professional dance company for students ages 9 and older, performing in Naperville and in the Chicago region.

Partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency since 2009, the Company makes high quality, creative dance experiences affordable and accessible both to audiences and to its members.