Department of Dance Nov. 10, 1997 Contact Ruth Heller (541) 346-3387; Emmely Muehlhauser 346-4096; or John R. Crosiar 346-3135 EUGENE--Young dancers "devouring the universe like gingercake" will perform at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, when University of Oregon graduate student Emmely Muehlhauser presents two performances of her thesis concert. The University of Oregon Department of Dance invites the public to witness the free performances in the Dougherty Dance Theatre, on the third floor of Gerlinger Annex, 1484 University St., on the UO campus. The theater is wheelchair accessible, and families are encouraged to attend. Muehlhauser, originally from Manchester, Tenn., has been teaching several dance genres to children and adults for the past six years. Her experiences in teaching creative movement inspired her to explore how young people make and perform their own dances. Her choreography for this concert emphasizes what dance means to children and demonstrates the ageless nature of a child's creativity. A cast of six children from local elementary schools will join with six UO dance students to perform the concert's dances. "Embraceable" is an improvisational dance set to an original piano score by Timothy Mason. The dance allows the performers to respond to a variety of music and to find new kinds of "hugs" with one another. Pianist Genevieve Mason accompanies the cast in this dance. Another piece, "The Jungle," is a series of duets. Each duet was created in a collaborative manner by one adult and one child. The partners worked together to show different images from nature. "The Jungle" is set to an original electronic score by Mason. "My Favorite Things" is performed by the adult cast. The first half of this dance was choreographed and directed by the children of the cast. The second half was choreographed by Muehlhauser to show a "grown-up" perspective of the movement the children created. Also included in the concert is "Spiders and Giants," originally premiered in May 1997. "Spiders and Giants" is also performed by the adults of the cast. In this piece, Muehlhauser explores the energy levels and spontaneity found in children's movement. For further information, call the UO Department of Dance, (541) 346-3386. -30- #P-2098/A&E