The Ventura College dance department has spent 27 years making a name for themselves with their annual fall concerts and 2009 was no exception.

The event was organized by department chair Cathy Jean Butter, who seemed excited and pleased with what the dance team has put together this year.

“What’s great is almost the entire recital was student choreographed,” said Butter.

V.C.’s dance group was able to team up with guest choreographers Marlon Pelayo, Conner Casavan, and Monica Brupbacher. Casavan has performed in Las Vegas, Pelayo is a dancer for the Fanatix Dance Company, and Brupbacher is a well-known local artist.

2008’s fall concert, entitled “Planet Dance,” represented the theme of being ‘eco-conscious’. The student’s dance work in that concert was designed to raise awareness of environmental issues and interpret sustainable living situations. The concert also had an original ‘rock-operetta’ called “Reboot Earth,” written and composed by local artists Loren Evans and Tamarasue Varney. This rock operetta was a comparison of the recurring environment versus the industrial struggle.

This year, the ensemble put together a wide variety of dance styles, including everything from aerial dance to contemporary and even modern abstract.