Parsons Dance combines elements of dance, music and narrative into one package. Photo credit/Jack Vartoogian

The fetching and exuberant personality and movement of Parsons Dance is coming to the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage for a one-time only performance at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Parsons Dance is an internationally renowned contemporary dance company under the artistic direction of choreographer/director David Parsons. Parsons Dance is committed to creating and performing American dance works that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world.

The company tours nationally and internationally with nine full-time dancers. The schedule includes an annual season in its home community of New York City.

David Parsons has choreographed a repertory of more than 80 works for Parsons Dance. Since 1985, the company has toured an average of 32 weeks per year to more than 250 cities, 35 countries and five continents.

Many more have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network and the Discovery Channel.

In addition to choreography and performance, Parsons Dance is committed to audience development and arts education for participants of all ages and all levels of artistic experience.

Parsons Dance regularly offers outreach opportunities, including post-show discussions, master classes, open rehearsals, and studio showcases. In partnership with Marymount Manhattan College and Broadway Dance Center, Parsons Dance offers year-round training opportunities in New York for professional and pre-professional dancers from throughout the world.

Tickets for Parsons Dance are available by calling the LMC Mendel Center Box Office at (269) 927-1221 or visiting www.lmcmainstage.org. Students (kindergarten through college) and seniors (60 and older) receive $3 off single-ticket prices. Groups of 20 or more receive $5 off ticket prices.

For further information about group rates and special arrangements, contact Quinn Tabbert at (269) 927-8609 or qtabbert@lakemichigancollege.edu.

There will also be a pre-show dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Mendel Center featuring Italian fare from Santaniello’s Ristorante.  Tickets for the pre-show dinner are $10 for adults, $5 for children aged 6 to 12, and free for kids younger than 5. Included is a variety of Santaniello’s award-winning Italian fare along with complimentary soft drinks.

Comcast and Santaniello’s Ristorante are sponsoring the LMC Mendel Center performance of Parsons Dance.

The 1,517-seat Mendel Center Mainstage Theatre offers state-of-the-art acoustics and comfortable seating in elegant surroundings.

It is located 30 minutes from Niles and 40 minutes from Kalamazoo and South Bend, Ind., on the Lake Michigan College Napier Avenue Campus in Benton Township, one mile east of I-94 (Exit 30) and one mile west of the US 31 Bypass (exit 24).

The Mendel Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and one hour before show time.