The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Department of Theatre and Dances annual Danstage production will be presented in the Noel Fine Arts Center Studio Theatre for the first time, giving audiences on two sides a look at faculty choreography collaboratively designed for the studio space.

"In contrast to working in Jenkins Theatres proscenium setting, the choreographers have had the wonderful challenge of composing new work with more than one front and re-imagining our ideas for the total volume of the theater," said UWSP Professor Joan Karlen, coordinator of the dance program.

Danstage 2008 will be staged at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, Saturday, April 12, Thursday, April 17, Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19. Matinees will be offered at 2 p.m. on the Sundays of April 13 and 20.

Tickets are $17 for adults, $16 for senior citizens and $12 for youth. UWSP students with a valid ID may purchase advance tickets for $4.50 per show or get in free the day of the show if seats are still available. Seating is limited to 150 seats per performance.

Instructor Michael Estanichs "Sediment or The vast sky as seen through a glass pane" for 13 UWSP dance majors and minors, examines the landscape of the human psyche. Exploring ideas of memory, intimacy, collection and residue, this contemporary dance work juxtaposes highly personal, idiosyncratic gestures with dynamic partnering and serene dance phrases. Estanich is collaborating with UWSP art and design major David Kuhl to create large-scale sculptures that create a delicate environment for the dancers to inhabit.

Estanich joined the theatre and dance faculty in 2006 and continues to be active as a choreographer and collaborator in several national projects.

Luedtke has taught at UWSP since 2004 and has worked as a dancer, choreographer and teacher in New York City. She founded Point Dance Ensemble for young dancers in Portage County and is certified in educational kinesiology.

Karlens "Lines of Resolution" explores interpersonal relationships as a metaphor for connection and resolve on a larger scale. The ten performers gentle athleticism reveals both quiet and dynamic moments. The title also refers to video resolution. John Little, assistant professor of communication, has composed the video montage that will be projected on the white floor, the dancers bodies and a quarter pipe slope. The creative team, which includes Professor and Chair Gary Olsen, will use Cinema 4D and Isadora software programs to create a richly textured visual environment.

Karlen continues to create video and multimedia work, which she has shown both nationally and internationally. She has taught at UWSP since 1988.

Little recently moved to UWSP from Montana. He is in his first year teaching film and television studies in the Division of Communication. Little also is a physicist and a filmmaker exploring the intersection of art and science in media.