Select dance majors and minors at Slippery Rock University will take the stage to perform original dances at the Saturday Fall Dance Concert in Swope Music Hall.

There will be two performances at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Student choreographers and performers from the area include Sarah Dietsch, a junior dance major from Russell, and Grace Larson, a freshman dance major from Sugar Grove.

Juniors and seniors submitted letters of intent earlier this semester to have their dances be considered for the concert. The dances are based on students’ experiences and knowledge. Once approved, students showcased their work to underclassmen who then auditioned to perform the dance pieces.

Of more than 40 auditions, 18 dances were selected for the Fall Dance Concert. Eleven pieces will be performed at each concert, providing audiences with a completely different experience for each of the Saturday concerts. Dances will include solos, duets and group dances and feature modern, contemporary and other forms of dance set to a wide range of music.

Dietsch features military themes and concepts of chance procedure, a semi-improvisational form of choreography where the sequence is unknown until the actual performance by improvisation. While the technique was used to construct the dance, Dietsch said she used contemporary and modern techniques often integrated into partnerwork while also drawing upon previous dances from courses in dance composition.

“I took inspiration from my military background and the stories of family members and friends who have served,” said Dietsch. “Not so much the fighting and bad experiences, but the friendships and connections they built together; they always talked about the units they were in. At the end, it goes back to the idea that they might not be always acting as best friends, especially when they’re fighting and exhausted, but they still have that connection, a connection that not only a military experience builds, but that everyone builds.”