The dance is about more than choreographed steps on a stage.
It’s a performance created to encourage people to take action.
The Dance Ensemble from California University of Pennsylvania in Washington County creates dances that focus on the art of movement and advocacy for topics such as autism awareness, suicide prevention and mental health.
Their most recent dance shines a light on domestic violence.
“You can use your time on stage to just dance, or you can use that time to make the world a better place,” said Diane Eperthener-Buffington of Coraopolis, who has been teaching dance at the university for 12 years in the Department of Cultural Media and Performance. She also taught psychology for eight years. “We dive into topics. These dancers are selfless. They want to make a difference.”