Imagine the clouds of heaven and the fires of hell coming together in a battle between good and evil. Imagine ambrosial angels versus ferocious demons and one girl trapped in the middle, the subject of their passion and desire, being pulled in both directions and then tossed about as if she were a baseball during a game of catch.

This sets the scene of the University Dance Company's (UDC) upcoming performance, "Momentum," at The Grier School in Tyrone this Saturday. The UDC is made up of 22 girls who are dance minors. It is a modern dance company, although jazz is thrown in as well for this performance. The group is fairly new; director Elisha Clark, who is also a professor in the theatre arts program, started it just two years ago.

Saturday's performance features seven dances, five of them new this semester.

Raven Cauthon, company member and head of public relations for the group, described the show in one word: intense.

"This performance requires us to be so into character. We're struggling in the dance, so it's an intense way to express the meaning. And since we can't say anything on stage, we rely on our bodies and our movements to express the emotion," Cauthon said.

The group recently had shows in Pittsburgh and New York City and performed with professional groups.

Clark said that the dance group has worked on getting many new dances together in a short amount of time.

"It was a big push in a short time to get these dances. Sometimes the girls look at me like I'm crazy!" Clark said.

Clark also said the pieces aren't completely polished, but that's what makes it fun.

"It forces us to get over our egos and just have fun out there and do our best," she said.

Clark described the show as "athletic," explaining that the group's dances involve a lot of tumbling, lifting and throwing.

"Sometimes I think of dance as more theatrical or performance art. But our dance stresses artistry and athleticism. It makes it so much fun to watch because it's not normal," Clark said.

UDC requires the commitment level of a professional training company, demanding lots of time from the girls in addition to their academic curriculum. They are required to keep up their grades and still be able to go out of town on the weekends to perform with other companies.

"They have to behave like professionals, and they have definitely met the challenge. On top of extra dance classes every day, they have a full course load, requiring a lot of time and commitment from each one of them," Clark said.

Clark also added that although Penn State doesn't offer dance as a major, they have been very successful at recruiting dancers for the minor.

"We have been very lucky here at Penn State because we still get very talented dancers, and we put together strong programs to compete against other schools' dance majors," she said.

Cauthon said her favorite aspect of the group is the diversity and the talent.

"We're all extremely amazing dancers from all over. Our generation tends to be lazy, so it's great to have girls come together to work hard and achieve," she said.

The company has made sure to make the show accessible to all students. Because the show is in Tyrone, the company has set up caravans to take anyone interested in seeing the performance to and from the location. The transportation is free. To request a ride, e-mail the company at dancepsu@psu.edu.

"It's so important to broaden your horizons in college. Go outside your comfort level and you might discover something new you like," Cauthon said.

"We all love dance, that's why we do it. I love watching them get excited to perform because that's how I remember feeling. I love that they have the chance to do what they love. But we want others to experience it too, experience something new. It's not scary or weird intellectual dance. It's acceptable and fun," she said.