EUGENE–Jennifer Knight Dills, a University of Oregon dance master’s degree candidate, will present two performances of her thesis concert, "Entertaining Muses: Dance Reflections and Revelations," at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12—13, in the Dougherty Dance Theatre on the third floor of Gerlinger Annex, 1484 University St.

The performances will include historic works by modern dance legends Doris Humphrey and Valerie Bettis, as well as four new pieces performed by students and choreographed by Knight Dills.

General admission prices will be $3. Tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes prior to each performance. Due to renovations in progress, seating will be limited.

Under the direction of certified dance reconstructor Janet Descutner, a UO dance professor, Knight Dills learned two historic masterworks for solo performance, "Two Ecstatic Themes," by Humphrey (1931), and "The Desperate Heart," by Bettis (1943).

Knight Dills created four short works which will premiere at this concert. Through an 11-month collaboration with 14 female UO students and alumnae, she developed a strategy for translating historically significant dance aesthetics and styles into more contemporary forms.

"Signatures" is an Isadora Duncan-inspired work set to "Modere" from Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche. This work was informed by Knight Dills’ experiences with Duncan scholar Kay Bardsley, during her residency at the UO Department of Dance in 1997-98.

"Evenings...yes!" and "In moto perpetuo" are based on the theoretical and choreographic principles of Humphrey. The dances were fuelled by Knight Dills’ work with Descutner and her studies with Leslie Main, director of the Humphrey Foundation, U.K.

The final dance is a theater piece based on the specific stylistic and choreographic characteristics of Bettis.

For further information, call the UO Department of Dance, (541) 346-3386.

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