Denise Purvis, concert coordinator for the Thomas Dale High School Specialty Center for the Arts, has been working to bring a professional dance concert to students and the community for four years.

Next month, she will realize her goal when the Spotlight on Dance concert will feature dance groups from the Richmond area, Charlottesville and New York.

"I wanted to do this concert since I came to the school four years ago," Purvis said. "It has taken me this long to figure all the logistics to do it. I'm really excited."

She usually takes her dance students on field trips to see professional dancers in the area and around the state at least four times a year, Purvis said. But some students can't make it to those field trips, so the concert will expose them and the community to professional dancing, she said.

It will reach a different audience, which is important for her because many people don't realize "all the great dancing that's going on here in Chester," she said.

The performers include Charisma, Ground Zero Dance, Latin Ballet of Virginia and Z Mullins Dance Company from the Richmond area. R Squared Dance Company and inFluxdance are coming from Charlottesville. New York dancer Maria Bauman, who will be teaching for a week at the center, will perform a solo.

Most of the companies perform contemporary dance, Purvis said.

"It's probably going to be a very eclectic program because of our mixed styles," she said.

The performers are not being paid, Purvis said.

"They're all doing this at the goodness of their heart," she said. "They love to dance. That's why they're here."

The concert is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Thomas Dale High's Specialty Center for the Arts. Tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, visit www.SpecialtyCenterArts.com.
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or jlizama@timesdispatch.com.