Centenary Stage Company celebrates the artistry of dance in the Lackland Center with its ever–popular Dance Fest. This year’s event will feature Moe-tion Dance Theater March 31, a double feature with 10 Hairy Legs April 2, and Nimbus Dance Works on April 3.

All performances will be held in the Sitnik Theatre in the Lackland Center.

Dance Fest kicks off on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. with moe-tion dance theater, a New Jersey-based contemporary dance company. Under the artistic direction of Maureen Glennon, the company is dedicated to experimenting and creating new forms of expression. The company is known for its diverse repertory and site-specific work, seeking to expose its audience to multiple art forms at each event. The company also promotes an inclusive vision of the arts through the language of modern dance, painting, sculpture, photography, literature, and live music. It strives to include people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

On Saturday, April 2, the all-male dance company, 10 Hairy Legs, will thrill with a double feature, starting with C.S. Lewis’ beloved and magical novel, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” brought to vivid life through dance at 2 p.m. Featuring guest female artists, this classic story for all ages is set in the fictitious Narnia and features all of your favorite characters – the heroine Lucy and her siblings, The White Witch, Tumnis, Maugrim, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, the nymphs, giants, and, of course, Aslan the Lion.

moe-tion dance theater, based in NJ, integrates the language of several art media into their eclectic performances.

The excitement doesn’t stop as 10 Hairy Legs follows up their afternoon family performance with their own original programming at 8 p.m. Highlighting the diversity and breadth of their repertory, evening works include “Bath Tub Trio” for three men by New Jersey choreographer Cleo Mack, David Parker’s hilarious duet “Slapstuck,” and Doug Elkin’s rousing “Trouble Will Find Me” for five men.

The Dance Fest wraps up on Sunday, April 3, with its final performance at 5 p.m. by Nimbus Dance Works. Presenting “Dance Speaks Out: Lynchtown/Thistown,” the program consists of rarely seen iconic American modern dances: Charles Weidman’s 1963 masterwork, “Lynchtown,” and Pearl Primus’ renowned 1943 solo, “Strange Fruit.” These works explore race, violence, and mob mentality and illustrate the socio-political foundation of America’s early modern dance movement.

The program includes “We Acquiesce,” which is Artistic Director Samuel Pott’s response to “Lynchtown,” as well as an in-depth creative program where students from the community use dance to address and articulate themselves about current social and political issues. These students will also perform their work, called “Thistown.”

Nimbus will also perform “Patch of Turf,” which uses a patch of artificial grass to tell the story of humankind in a diminishing natural environment. Set to a commissioned score by Quasim Naqvi or Dawn of Midi, the work is an intense, 18-minute tour de force for four female performers. Both ironic and poignant, the performance intends to reveal human’s estrangement from the natural world and insatiable appetite for its resources.

Tickets for each Dance Fest performance are $17.50 per adult and $15 per child under 12. Ticket prices increase $5 the day of performance. Centenary Stage Company is also offering a three-performance flex pass for $37.50.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 – 0900. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 – 5 p.m., and two hours prior to every performance. The CSC box office is located in the Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown.