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Sunday, December 9, 2012

BYU Living Legends To Perform In Montpelier, February 1


 


 

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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