The Dance Dimension's annual spring concert at Slayton House Saturday, May 3 will be a bittersweet affair. As the fresh-faced teenage troupe pays tribute to the honesty of modern dance, we will be reminded of the recent loss of Dottie Fried, who made modern dance such a large part of our Howard County cultural heritage.

"It was rare to find a kindred spirit who searched for gold in each individual dancer, regardless of how much energy it took to discover it," artistic director Marilyn Byers observes.

Byers will not only be dedicating this Dance Dimensions' concert to her colleague and friend, she is turning over half the proceeds to a dance scholarship in her name.

"She made whatever sacrifices were necessary in the true spirit of modern dance. She wouldn't give up on any kid."

News came early Saturday morning that Dorothy Fried had died in Leesburg, Va. where she had been living for the past year. Arrangements are underway for a funeral Friday, May 2.

For her many fans in Maryland, Dottie will be remembered as a dance dynamo, an iconoclast, an educator who specialized in programs for at-risk children and mainly, a modern dance maverick. She was tenaciously individualistic, much in the mold of Isadora Duncan, who threw away her toe shoes and fluffy tutus to dance barefoot and unencumbered. That same zest and raw energy characterized Fried.

Fried's dance style was robust and full-bodied. Her dancers attacked movement with no holds barred. It was Fried who brought us into contact with the artistic turmoil of the 1980s through her powerful works. In some ways, she might be called the conscience of local dance.

A tireless advocate of causes, aesthetic and otherwise, Fried fought for civil rights in Michigan (where she grew up), tossed away her toe shoes at the prestigious Juilliard School and founded the Kinetics Dance Theatre here in Howard County in 1984 with her companion, Keith Nichols, and colleague Stephanie Simmons.

In a way, Fried and this column grew up together. In the late 1970s, Eva Anderson, Caryl Maxwell and a few other local dance mavens brought the Towson University faculty member into Columbia's burgeoning arts fold. It didn't take Fried long before she formed an arts organization that eventually became the Howard County Arts Council.

At last Saturday's "Celebration of the Arts in Howard County," there was a moment of silence for Fried in recognition of her contribution to the cultural life here.

She will be missed by her friends throughout the dance world. She will be missed by her Kinetics Dance Theatre, currently directed by Priscilla Kaufhold. And she will be missed at the village centers and at local schools throughout the area where her students and followers so often gathered.

A memorial concert is being planned for later this spring. Meanwhile, the Johns Hopkins University Dance Company will join The Dance Dimension for a program dedicated to the late Dottie Fried at Slayton House, in the Village of Wilde Lake, Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. Director Marilyn Byers is re-staging "Tormented" for the teenage troupe, as well as "Song of the Shepherdess" for her college dance students. Rounding out the bill will be a new work reflecting issues relative to the China-Tibet confrontations, and "Nostalgia," about the great memories of dance in our community. Tickets are $15 general, and will be available at the door.

Local dance phases

Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co. leads our list of not-to-be-missed performances during National Dance Week. It's scheduled for one night only at Towson University's Stephens Hall Theatre Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. Known for dreamy, Asian-inspired works and sleek dancers, the Washington, D.C.-based modern dance troupe has toured the world. Look for Burgess to heat up the program with his latest work, "Chino Latino," set to contemporary music. Tickets are $15 general, $12 for students and seniors. Call 410-704-ARTS.

The always-entertaining Choregraphie Antique joins Musical Schola, an ensemble that performs period music on vintage instruments for "Ballet and Social Dancing: Kissing Cousins" at Goucher College's Merrick Lecture Hall Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m. Director Chrystelle Bond has a knack for putting on a show that offers both fine dancing and witty conversation during interludes. For information on the free program, call 410-337-6391.

The Washington Ballet presents a blockbuster ballet rendition of "Cinderella" for all ages May 7-11. It is being staged by Septime Webre, who has a special knack for athleticism, kooky characters and lavish design. It happens at the Warner Theatre (202-783-4000), where tickets range from $20 to $80 and are selling fast.

You can bet on a terrific family event when Kinetics Dance Theatre performs at the Baltimore Museum of Art's Meyerhoff Auditorium Sunday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. Take the kids to see "Carnival of the Animals," featuring the music of Charles Camille Saint-Saens, the poetry of Ogden Nash and a menagerie of dancing animals. Tickets are $5.

Later that day, Kinetics performs the humorous modern romp "Helix" at 4 p.m. In this piece, it takes a look at everyday life and the antics that prevail when things get out of control. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 for children 10 and younger. Call 410-480-1686 or go to www.kineticsdance.org.

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