They jump, glide, spin, and twirl. At any moment it seems they could fly. They dazzle the audience with their speed and precision. Does it sound like elite Olympic athletes? It’s the WKU Dance Company.

They take to the stage in Russell Miller Theatre April 25-29 with their electrifying season ending Evening of Dance. This year’s program features a variety of styles of pieces that are sure to entertain. Featuring WKU faculty choreography, the dancers will amaze the audience with their versatility.

Those familiar with the musical West Side Story will want to see Amanda Clark’s new piece titled Cool which features a blend of tap dance and contemporary styles which draws its inspiration from a dance sequence in the famous musical. Clark’s other new presentation is a highly energized Jazz Dance that entertains as it fills the stage with performers. Clark is also restaging two favorite contemporary dance works Empty Arms (2008) and Awaken (2009).

Princesses and royalty make their presence known in the ballet sequence staged by Angelica Burgos titled Imperial. As a ball takes place at the palace, a young innocent love story takes place. Featuring dancers on Pointe, the audience will see complex choreography. Burgos said the piece was influenced by her Russian ballet training and she wanted to showcase the WKU dancers and their precise ballet technique.

A completely different style will be found in Lisa Long’s piece Un Peu Tache which translates to “a little bit marked.” “It is a modern solo based on the rhythms created without our bodies as we struggle internally between resisting and giving into desires,” Long said. “Performed in jeans and T-shirt, this everyday attire represents the universality of this concept. We each experience the pull between the forces of what we want and what we need. The dancer’s athleticism magnifies her internal battle for all to see.”

The dancers’ athleticism will also be on display in Long’s second piece Breath-Held. “It follows six dancers through a series of tableaus in which they hold each other,” Long said. The piece then evolves from dynamic lifts to ecstatic dancing where the dancers buoy each other up using their energy and breath.

Eric Rivera is presenting two pieces on the concert. The first, a duet inspired by the simplicity of a costume, is Contratiempo and features the passion of Spanish guitar and drums. “This is a duet with two completely different energies,” Rivera said. “The male dancer represents the drums while the female dancer represents the guitar. Both have completely different rhythms and qualities, but together they are as one.”

Rivera is also restaging a piece originally choreographed and created in 2010 called Mementos that will feature live music from the Bach cello suites. Rivera’s poignant choreography does not have a storyline. “My inspiration was to capture four different moments in someone’s life: Four different paths that may cross each other.”

Performances are at 8 p.m. April 25-27 and April 29 with a 3 p.m. matinee on April 28 in the Russell Miller Theatre located in WKU’s Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center.

All tickets are $12 and are available in advance at wku.showare.com or by calling the box office at (270) 745-3121. Avoid the line and buy your tickets early.

About Theatre & Dance: More than 15,000 people were entertained by the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance last year. The department presents more than 20 productions every year including four Mainstage theatre productions, two Mainstage dance concerts, three student-choreographed dance concerts, a Children’s Theatre Series, a Studio Series of student-directed works, a Before Broadway Series featuring a staged reading of a new musical, and a Next Stage Series of showcases and works in progress. More information about the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance can be found at www.wku.edu/theatre-and-dance, on Twitter @WKUTheatreDance or by calling the department at (270) 745-5845.