Students in the School for Classical and Contemporary Dance at TCU are presenting their work to the community on Dec. 9 and 10.

There are seven works total featured in the concert: six are choreographed by seniors in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program and one is choreographed by a first year graduate student in the Master of Fine Arts program.

Students in the School for Classical and Contemporary Dance have to take four choreography classes towards their major. The six seniors and the one graduate student are currently enrolled in the third of their four classes.

As part of their grade for the class, the students are required to produce their own work by the end of the semester.

“We have been presenting this December concert for the past 20 years,” Susan Douglas-Roberts, the choreographer’s professor, said.

“The concert is a rite of passage: the choreographers come away changed. They come to a more clear and sure understanding about who they are artistically. I will never ever grow tired of seeing that shift.”

The students have been preparing for the concert since the first day of the semester. On the first day of class, the students are asked to bring a choreography proposal with the concept and ideas for what they will be creating throughout the semester.

They cast dancers from the dance department. The students are in charge of choosing the music, costumes, lighting and producing the entire show.

“The concert is a great opportunity to show all the students on campus what the School of Classical and Contemporary Dance is all about,” Caroline Lloyd, senior Modern Dance major, said. “It features our students as dancers, as choreographers, as lighting designers. It just shows the whole broad spectrum of our education at TCU.”

They are in charge of every aspect of the program, from the graphic design on the advertising posters to the technical aspects of the show like lighting and studio work.

“We work with [the students] to give them a “real life” experience of what it takes to envision and produce their dances,” Douglas-Roberts said. “Fortunately, they have a strong background in production and lighting design from earlier course work.”

“We would love for as many students to come see what we’ve produced.”

Both concerts take place at 7 p.m. at Erma Lowe Hall studio theatre and admission is free.