UW-Whitewater hosts fewer than five dance productions each year, so students, faculty and community members need to take advantage of each performance.

The next dance ensemble coming to campus is Thodos Dance Chicago. The dance company will perform Nov. 15 in the Young Auditorium.

Thodos is a contemporary dance company that performs a wide-range of dance styles.

“At UW-Whitewater, we will be performing some historically significant works from Bob Fosse, one of America’s best known choreographers in the Jazz style,” Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos said. “Some of our work has elements of ballet, others are more classically modern.”

The dance company consists of 12 dancers and four trainees who serve as understudies. Each of the dancers has a college degree and they range in age from their early 20s to 30s.

This year Thodos Dance Chicago is celebrating its 20th season.

“We started as a small group performing in local festivals in the early years and now perform all over the U.S. and the world,” Thodos said.

Thodos said they were delighted to be asked to perform in Whitewater.

This performance is presented by the Cultural Affairs Committee. Each year the Cultural Affairs Committee is responsible for bringing 40 percent of the productions to the Young Auditorium.

The Cultural Affairs Committee attends the Midwest Arts Conference each year

Thodos said the dance company was honored to be chosen out of hundreds of acts the committee saw at the conference.

Cultural Affairs Committee Vice President Serena Sretenovich said the organization is a “buffer” between the productions and campus.

“Students booked the show so we kind of have some idea of what students want to see,” Cultural Affairs Committee President John Smits said.

Thodos said she hopes students and community members will attend the performance, even if they don’t have a dance background.

“We love to inspire people with our work,” Thodos said. “While those who see a lot of dance enjoy the complexity of our work, we really pride ourselves on being accessible to those who have never seen it before.”

Thodos Dance Chicago will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Young Auditorium.

Tickets are $14.25 for students with I.D. and for the general public are $29, $26 or $19 depending on seat location.