Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           985/549-2341/fax 985-549-2061
    Date: 4/19/02
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple 25A

Editors: Photo accompanies release
BALLET MEMPHIS BRINGS ECLECTIC PROGRAM TO SLU'S COLUMBIA
THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 
     HAMMOND -- "In constant motion. Daring, imaginative, joyful." 
     Those are some of the adjectives used to describe Ballet Memphis, which will bring an
eclectic program of dance to Southeastern Louisiana University's Columbia Theatre for the
Performing Arts on May 9.
     The 7:30 p.m. performance for the public is just part of a busy Southeastern visit for the
company, which also plans a special reserved show, "Giraffe's Can't Dance," for more than 800
area school children as part of the Columbia/Fanfare's educational outreach program, said
Columbia/Fanfare assistant director Keiron Couret.
     Tickets for Ballet Memphis are on sale online through TicketWeb -- www.ticketweb.com
-- and will be available at the Columbia box office, 985-543-4371, beginning May 2. The box
office is located in the theater's lobby at 220 East Thomas St., and is open from noon to 5 p.m.
on weekdays. 
     Ticket prices are $25 for Orchestra 1 and Loge seating; $23 for Orchestra 2 and Balcony
1, and $20 for Balcony 2.                
     Ballet Memphis will present a spirited program performed to music ranging from blues to
classical to country.
     Founded in 1987 by artistic director Dorothy Gunther Pugh, Ballet Memphis was hailed
by the New York Times as "young and fresh" with "unforced exuberance."
     "You're going to enjoy these performances as much as you're going to enjoy a company
that has a worldwide name because of the honesty, the sincerity, the passion, the talent." said
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BALLET MEMPHIS AT THE COLUMBIA   Add One
Pugh.
     Ballet Memphis' program for the Columbia includes:
       "Concerto Barocco   George Balanchine's classic ballet in three movements set to
Bach's "Concerto in D minor for Two Violins" has no subject matter beyond the dancers and
their treatment of the beautiful music.
       "The Art of War"   Seven men convey the emotional feelings of how men survive war
and the effect it has on them. The explosive jumps and gestures in this piece shed some insight
into the psychological impact war has on the human mind.
       "Memphis"   Trey McIntyre's riveting choreography is danced to some of the finest
music created throughout the years in Memphis. Ballet Memphis will present three excerpts from
the ballet    "Here I Am Baby, Come and Take Me," "I'll Take You There," and "The Thrill is
Gone." The universal themes of love, hardship, pain and redemption are expressed in a poetic
narrative of music and dance. 
       "Patsy and Hank"   Robert Sund has choreographed a mesmerizing pas de deux to the
smoldering lyrics of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and "Strange."
       "Second Before the Ground"   Also choreographed by McIntyre and danced in four
movements, the uplifting, contemporary ballet expresses the anticipation and joy of romantic
love in a light, and at times humorous fashion.   
     For additional information, call the Columbia/Fanfare office at 985-549-2333.
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/news/spring02.html