Seneca Daily Messenger
Dance Virtuosos Visit Seneca
Big Town Training in Small Community

DAVID McALISTER
David McAlister formerly of Westminster SC and 2001 Graduate of West-Oak High School has been accepted as a member of the Cedar Lake Dance Ensemble's Junior Company. David has attended North Carolina School of the Arts for the past two years through the generosity of Joe Merck, a member of the Board of Directors for Foothills Conservatory for the Performing Arts. All major dance companies recruit from NSCA in the spring. This past Spring David auditioned and later was notified he was accepted. Cedar Lake has come onto the dance scene like no other new company has. It is strong in your face choreography with the best-trained dancers from around the world. Though a contemporary company, all their dancers must have a strong classical ballet background.

McAlister started his dance training relatively late. His first class in modern dance was not until his 10th year at West-Oak High School. It was not until 11th grade, when he got his drivers license was then able to begin studying classical ballet at Foothills Dance Conservatory in Seneca. He progressed rapidly and in the summer of 1999 was accepted into Governor's School for Arts and Humanities in Greenville and the following summer after only two years of classical ballet training was accepted into the summer program of American Ballet Theatre.

This Saturday evening Foothills Conservatory for the Performing Arts will present Foothills Dance Conservatory in Concert at the Brook's Center at 7:30 pm. David will be one of three guest Artists to perform. David will perform in Revolution an excerpt from the ballet Flames of Paris. This piece was staged by Kee-Juan Han, faculty at NCSA.

Also performing will be former Principle Dancer of New Jersey Ballet, Rhonda Murray. Ms. Murray will dance Synergy, a premier work by guest choreographer Sandra Miller, former principal dancer of Fortworth Ballet. Also dancing Bharatnatyam dance of India will be Sarita Dani. Ms. Dani holds a degree in classical Indian Dance from S.N.D.T in Pune, India. Tickets will be available at the door, $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for students.