Dancing: it’s something everyone does, whether at a party with friends or alone in the car.

But let’s step back from the booty-shaking and head-banging to appreciate the art of dance a little more seriously at the Spring 2010 Dance Production, with a mixture of dance styles, songs and costumes involving 50 diligent performers.

“The production is very eclectic,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Emma Nelson, performing in two pieces. “It’s been fun and whimsical because we have been given some freedom in our performances.”

Since the beginning of the semester, students and faculty have been working hard to develop the right choreography to a combination of pieces involving ballet, jazz, modern dance and a Michael Jackson tribute.

The combination and variety is a focal point of the production, which is sure to be an eye-opener to those who haven’t experienced a Creighton dance production.

The production is on April 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 11 at 2 p.m. in the main theater in the Lied Performing Arts Center at $5 for Creighton students.

Adjunct dance faculty Patrick Roddy was the main director and choreographer of the production, but allowed the students freedom in what they desired to choreograph.

“It was very difficult but very exciting,” said Roddy about a production that has been in construction since the beginning of the semester.

Specializing in jazz and tap, Roddy features several pieces in the production by Burt Bacharach, an American pianist, composer and music producer who produced hits in the 1960s through the 1980s.

Besides the Creighton students performing, several guests are contributing to production, divided in two acts, each with three pieces.

From New York comes a personal friend of Roddy’s, Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed the contemporary jazz piece Begin the Beguine.

Jeff Curtis and Chalie Livingston, a husband and wife pair with advanced dance degrees, are performing a modern dance duet featuring several Creighton students.

Six seniors will also be given a tribute in a Burt Bacharach ballet piece, with each senior allowed 30 seconds to perform what they have created with the help of faculty.

To end the production, a Michael Jackson tribute, complete with gloves, will be preformed as a special homage to the King of Pop.

Both Roddy and Nelson assure that the Michael Jackson homage will be different.

“Don’t think its another Michael Jackson tribute,” Nelson said. “We made it a little different by not using the typical songs.”

With help from costume designer Lindsay Pape and the theatre department, especially in the area of technical theatre and lighting, the dance department is showcasing their talented, dedicated and hard-working students.