Members of the University Dance Company (UDC) will dance on benches and throw some karate kicks in the group's first-ever solo Penn State performance.

Elisha Clark, assistant dance professor and founder of the UDC, said she formed the company because she wanted to create a dance group that was strictly focused on performing.

Clark said she is excited about this weekend's performance because the members will be able to show off all their yearlong efforts.

"They work really hard, so this is our one chance a year to showcase it. It really shows the talent of these students," she said.

The members of UDC, which is in its first year, were also involved in choreographing these modern dance numbers. The show is called Passages: An Evening of Dance, and each of the four pieces has a different title and theme, Clark said.

"There's one piece that is a little idiosyncratic, quirky little number, and they dance on benches and do all kinds of flips," she said.

Another act featured in the show has a more serious undertone.

The members of the company discussed their experiences with loss after a tragedy, and they express their emotions through dancing.

"It sort of deals with how you go on after a loss. It explores personal loss, a universal theme sort of brewing in my mind after 9/11," Clark said.

The piece was presented at the American College Dance Festival at Boston University last year.

In a tribute to kung fu fighting images from movies, the company will also perform a warrior piece, Clark said.

"My father is a black belt, so I was around karate when I was little. We love the physicality [of] martial arts-type movements," she said.

After making it through the auditions around this time last year, the women started practicing at the beginning of fall semester.

"Most of the members are dance minors. They auditioned last spring and have been working all year on this show," Clark said. "It's an extra commitment. These girls rehearse extra on top of their regular technique classes."

The company meets for a class period and then has advanced technique classes, Marianne Aichele (junior-human development and family studies), a company member, said.

The University Dance Company plans on having more than one performance next year, Aichele said.

Megan Moore (junior-kinesiology), a member and student director of the company, has been dancing for years.

"I've been a dance minor since I came to Penn State," Moore said. "[Clark] made the announcements, and I went to auditions. Then she called a few days later to tell me that she wanted me to be a student director."

Moore said most of the girls have a strong background in ballet and jazz, which helps them in shifting to the genre of modern dance.

"As [dancers] transition into college, most of the universities are doing modern," she said.

Moore is the only member of the company who will perform in all four pieces of the show.

"The girls keep teasing me that I'll have to use an oxygen tank because I have to do all four numbers straight through," she said.

An advantage of having an actual company is the relationships that form among the dancers, Moore said.

"You go through a nice process of getting to know everyone and being comfortable with those you're dancing with," she said. "You really feel a connection when you're dancing with them, so I think that's the great thing about having a company."

Clark said both the audience and performers will enjoy the show.

"It's all accessible art; it's meant to be fun," Clark said. "We're not taking ourselves that seriously. We're doing what we love to do and having a really great time doing it."