The Department of Theatre & Dance will present Zodiaque Dance Ensemble May 2-4 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.

The concert, directed by Melanie Aceto, associate professor of theatre and dance, showcases eight distinctive choreographers — including guest artists, dance faculty, returning alumna and invited students — reflecting the artistic diversity and movement versatility to which Zodiaque is dedicated. Student works employ both classic and contemporary jazz vocabulary to portray themes of human relationships, social dynamics and decay.

Choreographers include Cristiana Cavallo, Jordan Dumars, Kerry Ring, Jon Yepez and Claire Jacob-Zysman. The concert also features works by guest artists Jonette Lancos, professor of dance studies at SUNY Geneseo, and Buffalo choreographers René Giglia and Jenna DelMonte. 

Lancos’ “Celebration Suite” is a tribute to Charles Weidman (1901-1975) and is based on America’s classic Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman movement style and technique. The suite is performed by nine dancers to “Concerto in G Minor” by Antonio Vivaldi.

Giglia’s piece explores the attitude, grace and strength of women, while DelMonte’s piece seeks to produce chemistry between dancers, asking the audience to consider alternate manifestations and definitions of “chemistry.”

UB faculty member Kerry Ring presents a balletic group dance that follows the traditional form of Teleman’s rich music through variations on adagio and allegro movements. Ring explores the metaphor of bodies blooming like roses and twisting like vines within the structure of the classical ballet vernacular.

Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts box office and at tickets.com.