Common Ground

Erskine Fall Arts Season Kicks Off With Night of Dance

The Erskine College Fine Arts season opens Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. with the celebrated dance ensemble "Common Ground" appearing in Lesesne Auditorium on the Due West campus.

The Palm Beach Post has described a "Common Ground" performance as "an exciting and contemporary look at three related forms of dancing"–step-dancing, clogging, and tap-dancing. The program will include Irish, Appalachian, and African American music and will show the relationships among these three traditions.

Creator and producer Lorraine Rennie, whose company, Top Entertainment & Events, has been featured on CNN, got the idea for the dance ensemble when a corporate client asked her for a rousing way to end an international sales meeting. She produced a 20-member a capella Irish dance number.

It occurred to Rennie during rehearsals that there were a number of similarities between Irish step dancing and American tap dancing and clogging. Rennie did some research on the topic and decided to incorporate all three dance styles into one entertaining show tracing the evolution of these forms.

The cast of "Common Ground" is young, with an average age of 22. "One of my great joys is in spotting and developing talent," says Rennie. "I look beyond how they execute their steps. I’m looking for that special spark, that love of dancing.

"Repetition will yield flawless execution, but only a burning desire to perform will produce the energy that touches the audience. I devoutly believe that if you love what you do, you will do it well."

Admission to "Common Ground" is $5 and the public is welcome to attend. For further information, please call Dr. Joan Little at 864/379-8849.