Annual DanCelebration shows off moves in Flagstaff By BETSEY BRUNER Arizona Daily Sun Staff Reporter 06/15/2005 On the cusp of where spring turns into summer is a wonderful time to celebrate the spirit of movement. For the seventh season, Flagstaff's homegrown modern dance company, Canyon Movement Company, is hosting five days of free lunchtime performances in Heritage Square, coupled with a string of reasonably priced classes for dancers back at Canyon Dance Academy. This year, invited dancers include Nina Watt, guest artist and teacher from New York City, the Open Door Dance Theatre from Boulder, Colo., and Myriad Dance from County Wexford, on the southeast tip of Ireland. DanCelebration is the brainchild of Gina Darlington, executive director of CMC and Canyon Dance Academy, a school of dance arts for all ages. It receives support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the city of Flagstaff. "The mission of the festival is to give regional companies a chance to perform," she said. "Regional companies don't get chances to perform very often outside of their little niche. Part of the courtesy is that they invite us to come perform in their areas, including Ireland. I think we're going in the fall. We're working on doing a choreographic collaboration." This is Myriad's first international concert and they will present "Mutations" and "Adaptation of a Meeting".The Irish dancers have come about 4,500 miles to perform. "We have traveled quite a bit, but its always great to come to the states," said Deirdre Grant Murphy, artistic director of Myriad. "I think it's beautiful here. I love your downtown, all the surroundings -- beautiful. And you're so close to the Grand Canyon. Once we finish our work, we'll go up there."

Photo: Josh Biggs/Arizona Daily Sun. Deirdre Grant of the Irish dance company Myriad Dance rehearses at Canyon Dance Academy on Tuesday. To order this photo, go to http://photos.azdailysun.com

Anna Johnson has been in the CMC for six years. She said she has no specific role to play in the festival performances. "I think I'm basically just a body," she said. "My role pretty much is as a dancer. I do it for personal enjoyment, a little thrill. It's always fun to be on stage with lights and audience. What I find the most enjoyable in the festival is all the companies. Even being backstage with all the other companies is exciting." Darlington agreed that a high point of the festival is the chance to meet other companies. "Connecting with those others helps you feel we're not the only company struggling with rehearsals, schedules, making time," she said. The local company will perform three shorter dance pieces. Barbara Klimowski has danced in CMC for two years and will perform at the festival. She thinks DanCelebration fits Flagstaff to at "T." "To me, it's a very Flagstaff thing, every bit as much a Flagstaff thing as Movies on the Square on Friday nights or the Artwalk," she said. "This is a great place to live." (Article copyright of Arizona Daily Sun)