The Undercurrent

Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Entertainment

Thursday night, Buena Vista University and the ACES program brought Odyssey Dance Theatre to Schaller Memorial Chapel. The theater comes from Salt Lake City, Utah where they practice at Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah.

The Odyssey Dance Theatre has been operating for fourteen years and employs 24 dancers ranging in ages 16 to 30. Their dancers must have experience in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and tap.

This is the tenth year that the program has had Thriller as part of their seasonal performances.

"When we first started the company, we were trying to think of some show that we could do that wasn't the Nutcracker, but it would be something that would be holiday oriented," Derryl Yeager, the art director of the company, said.

"My favorite number, because of audience reaction, is 'Jason Jam'," Eldon Johnson, one of the "Lost Boys" said, "but my favorite number to dance is 'Lost Boys'. It [the blood] is mint flavored. It tastes like toothpaste. "

Though "Jason Jam" was quite a memorable performance, the dancers enjoy dancing to many of the other dances just as much.

"I love 'Frankenstein' just because the acting is fun," Thayne Jasperson, one of the Jasons said. "You can always approach your acting with different aspects."

A unique aspect that Odyssey Dance Theatre incorporated into their show was allowing local dancers to dance in their finale.

"This was really incredible for me because I did not get to perform in my senior dance recital," said first-year Morgan Anderson. "It was amazing."

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