University’s dance program to hold annual gala fundraiser in new building

The University of South Carolina’s dance program will host its annual fundraising gala Saturday, April 25, in the university’s new band and dance building.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. at 324 Sumter St., site of the new building. Tickets are $75 or $125, the latter to include a personalized brick that will be laid on the building grounds. Tables for eight also can be reserved for $1,000. Call 803-777-7264 for reservations; black tie is optional.

Proceeds will benefit dance scholarships for the university’s dance program.

Organized by the USC Board of Dance, this year’s gala features President Harris Pastides and Ms. Patricia Moore-Pastides as honorary co-chairpersons and Dr. Helmut and Mrs. Gillian Albrecht as co-chairpersons.

The gala will include a cocktail buffet by Jimmy Stevenson and Southern Way Catering, performances by the USC Dance Company and an after-dinner dance with music by the band, “Second Nature.”

The new building is the latest achievement for the dance program, which Susan Anderson, its artistic director, founded in 1977. An undergraduate degree program began in 2005.

The $9.8 million building, which will open this spring, serves the School of Music’s band ensembles as well as the dance program. To support the growing dance program, the building features three large studios that can be divided into six separate studios, sprung floors, a locker and shower area, 10 offices for faculty and staff, a smart classroom and a large meeting space for courses in dance appreciation.

“Everybody wants to be on a winning team, and I really feel like we’ve built a winning team in dance here at Carolina,” says Anderson. “We’re very similar to the athletics department in that way. We are attracting the best students because we can now provide them the best opportunity to succeed, both academically and professionally. Having quality facilities plays a vital role in making that possible.”

The dance program now has 76 majors, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing university dance programs in the Southeast. Dancers from around the country audition for the program; approximately 50 percent of the majors are from out of state.

For more information about the gala or the university’s dance program, call Kevin Bush at 803-777-9353 or visit the Web site: www.cas.sc.edu/dance/.