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Berthoud Dance Company presents: “Harmony”

January 26, 2018 | Local News

By Aaron Reynolds

The Surveyor

Berthoud Dance Company has been a staple in the community for 14 years: however, as the dance troupe begins to make final preparations for its Feb. 3-4 performance of “Harmony” at the historic Rialto Theater, it will be its final with assistant artistic director/instructor Robyn Waid.

Waid, who has worked closely with artistic director David Mineo for the past nine years, is moving out of the state and, thus, Mineo says “Harmony” is all about her.

“It’s kind of a farewell to her,” Mineo explained. “She’s helped build this company to what it is today, which is a very creative company. I’m very proud of what she’s done here. Her choreography is just outstanding. She’s truly helped to build a strong reputation and helped us evolve into a quality company. I’m going to miss the living daylights out of her to tell you the truth.”

Waid, who says she will miss the dance studio a lot, described the experience as being “phenomenal.”

“It’s super rewarding to have students go through the company for years and watch them grow,” Waid reminiscenced. “I have two students, I have watched them grow since they were really little until now in high school. It’s pretty cool to see that. Not only do they grow as people, as adults, they’re growing as dancers too.”

Berthoud Dance Company puts on two shows a year at the well-known Rialto, presenting a terrific opportunity to highlight local talent, as dancers range in age from young children to teens and adults. According to Mineo, the “Harmony” production will feature around 60 students from the dance company, along with several more from dance troupes Dance Express (Fort Collins) and Spoke N Motion (Denver).

“Harmony” will also spotlight a local Berthoud group of Hawaiian dancers who go by the name Ka Wai Ola Ke Akua, performing “Aloha ‘oe (Till We Meet Again)” – a tribute to the departing Waid. According to Mineo, the farewell dance is fitting for Waid, since she will be moving to Hawaii with her husband, who will be stationed there.

Mineo, who prefers to describe his shows as more full-length productions than traditional recitals, says his vision is to stray away from the uber-competitive modern world of dance where performers are categorized into winners or losers, and unfortunately turns dance into more of a sport than an art. “Harmony,” therefore, seemed like an appropriate theme for Berthoud Dance Company’s latest performance in order to celebrate what the term means in music, dance and the world in general.

“I’ve asked a lot of people when they hear the word harmony – what do they think of?” Mineo remarked. “I think we are losing that in this country. We need more harmony in the world. I’m kind of tired of how the world is getting, it’s not as harmonious as I would like it to be.”

Waid added, “Harmony is about bringing everyone together and feeling good about yourself. There should be no downs to it… you should be happy.”

“Harmony” will show at the Rialto Theater in downtown Loveland on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors/students. For more information call (970) 962-2120 or visit berthouddancecompany.com.

 

 

Photo: By Tim Hardy (Left Hand Printing). Caption: Mineo was inspired to create the promotional poster for the upcoming “Harmony” after seeing an image of a girl walking while she held a small bird, on Google.

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