SoMar Dance Works presents a mid-SoMar Night’s Dream this upcoming weekend, April 20-21.

SoMar Dance Works has been working to produce a concert that includes a collection of dances and interludes that express the realm of dreams.

“SoMar never disappoints with its creative movements, awe-inspiring tricks, and entertaining dancing, and ‘A mid-SoMar Night’s Dream’ is no different,” said senior Eileen McDonnell.

Co-directors, Solveig and Mark Santillano have created a concert that involves intricate movements in relation to music and poetry.

The concert is not a reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s play.

SoMar has pulled pieces of inspiration from a variety of musicians and works of poetry including Henri Mancini, Tom Waits, Sting and Felix Mendelssohn as well as Shel Silvestein, Langston Hughes and Edgar Allan Poe.

Dreams have long been a source of creativity for artists, poets, playwrights and more. Using these particular studies, Santillano says they are very useful for special choreography.

SoMar Dance Works premiered in 1999 in Missouri, and relocated a year later to Erie. The studio features eight dancers, and talent is constantly being molded for the dancers to be creative and form their talents to their highest extent.

McDonnell can vouch for the skills she has received over the last few years.

“SoMar has allowed me to expand upon my movement vocabulary and become a much stronger and more versatile dancer,” said McDonnell.

Over the years, SoMar has also earned seven Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts grants from ArtsErie and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Six dance majors from Mercyhurst University are performing in the concert taking place this weekend. Those dancers include Alexa Bradley, Kelsey Chamberlain, Elena Cvetkovich, Marchetta Genis, Eileen McDonnell, and Linea Stureson.

This is the final production for senior Kelsey Chamberlain and she hopes to impress the audience with the talent that she and her fellow dancers have been working on.

“I look forward to dancing with my fellow company members in my last SoMar show, and wowing the audience with our talent,” said Chamberlain.
The concert is a family-friendly event.

“This performance will definitely be showcasing some quirky and interesting pieces, and it will surely bring joy and delight to people of all ages,” said Chamberlain.

SoMar Night’s Dream will be performed on Saturday, April 20, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m., at Daftmark Studios located at 1033 State Street, Erie.

Tickets for the concert are available at the door: Adults, $15, Students/Seniors, $10 and Children ten years old and younger, $5.

SoMar is offering a 40 percent discount off of ticket prices to those who attend the show wearing their pajamas.

For questions, contact SoMar Dance Works via telephone at (814) 824-2176.