Jeté to the Touhill

People go on road trips to visit baseball stadiums, to eat the best barbecue and to check out the world's largest roadside attractions. You don't often hear about people setting out to visit, say, all of the dance companies east of the Mississippi or some such. But that's not for a lack of love of dance — that just might be because of cool events like Dance St. Louis' Spring to Dance Festival. This three-day dance-stravaganza brings 30 companies to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; 314-516-4949 or www.touhill.org) from cities including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and more. Each night of dance appreciation begins at 5 p.m. with demonstrations and other activities in the lobby, courtesy of local groups. Then at 6 p.m. four companies perform in the Lee Theater; the action moves over to the main stage at 7:30 p.m. The Spring to Dance Festival runs from Thursday through Saturday (May 21 through 23); tickets cost $10 per night, and admission to the nightly after-party is $5 extra.
May 21-23, 2009