​​Dancers and choreographers are showcasing their work this weekend at the spring dance concert, “Journey.”

The show will be held at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. Shows will be Friday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 each for the public, but students receive free entry with an ID.

The show was organized by Dr. Melissa Hauschild-Mork, a dance professor at South Dakota State University. Hauschild-Mork, along with faculty and staff has been working on the show since auditions in November.

“The biggest challenge with this production is always time,” Hauschild-Mork said. Hauschild-Mork talked about how SDSU does not have a dance major, just a minor. Because of that, and to respect students’ time, they only meet Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. with each choreographer getting 45 minutes. Hauschild-Mork said staying focused with those 45 minutes a week is challenging.

“The show’s theme, Journey, is about the journey we all went through in the last two years,” Hauschild-Mork said. “Themes are really rooted in the context of students right now. The show addresses things such as depression and the pain of loss. Everyone should relate to the themes.”

With the theme Journey in mind, the words used to inspire different dances, and in the posters advertising the show were “Breathe,” “Pulse,” “Activate,” “Create,” “Discovery,” “Play” and “Exhale.” Hauschild-Mork said these words came as they were brainstorming the idea of the important parts of a journey.

Hauschild-Mork has helped mentor student choreographers for the show. 

This will be the final show for seniors Hailey Haber, Jessica Morey, Olivia Davis and Rebekah Bonnemann.

“As dancers, we are a pretty close community,” Hauschild-Mork said. “There is truly something joyful about mentoring them through their growth as people and as artists. It is exciting to see where their journey will take them.”