The popular BYU dancing group Living Legends
will be performing at Bear Lake Middle School on Friday, February 1 as part of
the 2013 concert series for the National Oregon/California Trail Center. The event will kick off the school’s
renovated auditorium. Tickets are now on
sale at the Center or online at www.oregontrailcenter.org.
Brigham Young University’s Living Legends
celebrates the Latin American, Native American, and Polynesian cultures through
song and dance in its 90-minute performance, Seasons. Each year hundreds
of BYU students representing the cultures of North and South America and the
South Pacific audition for the opportunity to pay tribute to their ancestors.
All Living Legends members are of Native American, Latin American, or
Polynesian heritage.
Authentic choreography, intricate costumes,
and heart-pounding music bring to life the beauty of traditional cultures often
forgotten in today’s modern world. From the graceful Hawaiian Hula and Mexican
Fiesta dances of celebration to the excitement and beauty of a Native American
Pow Wow, this year’s Living Legends performance will reflect the cycle of
civilization. The dances will portray the changing seasons experienced by
ancient cultures, weaving together legends of the past with the reality of
today.
In January and February of 2012, Living
Legends participated in a 10-day tour to Nevada and California. Traveling by
bus, the group transported over 5,000 pounds of costumes, props, and production
equipment throughout Southern California, performing major concerts and doing
outreach performances in seven cities.
In 2011, Living Legends dazzled audiences in
Russia for the first time. This trip marked the first visit to Russia by a BYU
performing group in 10 years. The group inspired everyone they met in seven
cities, and was presented by the US Embassy in the Theater for Young Audiences
in Moscow. In addition, Living Legends performed a benefit concert in St.
Petersburg where they were introduced by the U.S. Consul.
In 2010, Living Legends went on an extended
tour to China for the first time in 18 years. Living Legends was one of a
select few ensembles who was invited to represent the United States at the
World Expo in Shanghai, where they performed on the America Square Stage for an
audience of 8,000, and participated in a parade for over 300,000 spectators.
“It is always exciting to visit a culture
that we represent,” said Janielle Christensen, artistic director for Living
Legends. “The audience members appreciate how the group represents their
heritage and dance in an honorable way. Out of respect, we learn from the
culture’s artwork, architecture, and lifestyle, which are all incorporated in
our purpose.”
Living Legends has also been applauded
worldwide in places such the Pacific Islands, Australia, Canada, Europe, and
South America. During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City,
Utah, Living Legends had the honor of performing for visitors and athletes in
the Olympic Village. Members of Living Legends also had the privilege of
participating in Light of the World, a production featuring several BYU
performing groups.
Living Legends strives to encourage all
people to take pride in their individual heritage. Its joyful expression of
cultural tradition encourages audiences to better themselves, as illustrated by
a statement from the Office of Culture in Guatemala: “Your performance was
wonderful. Your presence here teaches our people something—to have high ideals
and to walk proud as a people. We hope this community will not be the same
after tonight.”
Living Legends originates in the Department of Dance, College of
Fine Arts and Communications, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. BYU
is one of the nation’s largest private universities with an enrollment of
30,000 students from throughout the United States and 120 foreign countries.
Host families interested in housing student performers for the
night of the concert in Montpelier are being sought. Those interested in hosting student pairs can
call the Oregon Trail Center at (208) 847-3800.
The performance is sponsored by the Allinger Community Theatre
season sponsors including Bear Lake Memorial Hospital, Zions Bank, Monsanto,
Direct Communications, Rocky Mountain Power, Clover Creek Inn, Agrium and the
Bear Lake Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For more information about upcoming theater and
center events at the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier,
Idaho, please call (208) 847-3800 or visit www.oregontrailcenter.org.
For
more information, please contact: Executive
Director Becky Smith @ (208) 847-3800
320
North 4th Street, P.O. Box 323, Montpelier, ID 83254
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