By Nathan Cross
Staff Writer

Quick-moving jazz and tap dance entertainers will accompany Purdue's Variety Band and American Music Review in the Purdue Bands' next free performance.

The performance will take place at 8 p.m. today in Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center.

"The Little Mermaid's" theme, "Under the Sea," and a medley of Stevie Wonder songs are slated to be performed by the Variety Band. The American Music Review will play classic melodies by Cole Porter, George Gershwin and others.

The concert will also feature songs in many different genres such as "The Shadow of Your Smile," "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," "Fever" and "Cobblestones."

The American Music Review will add a jazz dance routine to Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz" and a tap dance that is choreographed to Gene Kruppa's "Sing, Sing, Sing."

The dancing routines are not a new idea for the American Music Review. In the past, the American Music Review used to feature singers-dancers with its big band but in the past few years, it has become difficult to find people who can both sing and dance. Because of this, director William Kisinger decided to just use vocalists.

The lack of performers who could sing and dance ended in 1999 when Alisha Bane joined the Purdue Bands' staff as auxiliaries director. Bane was determined to bring back the tradition.

The Purdue Golden Girl, Ann Loppnow, will also add to the production by twirling her baton along with the Variety Band in "If You Can Rock Me" and then performing a jazz dance routine with the American Music Review to "Puttin' On the Ritz."

Student auxiliary director Angela Howes said, "Dancers really add to entertainment of the bands; they make the show a lot more fun." Bane and Silver Twins Erin Buescher and Wendy King will perform along with Loppnow.

Loppnow said, "The concert will let the audience see us in a different light than we are normally used to being seen in. The dancing adds pizzazz; it's something a little different."

This marks the year's final performance for David Leppla and Martin Owens' Variety Band and William Kisinger's American Music Review.