A little jazz, a touch of swing, a whole lot of modern, and enough tap to even it out sounds pretty eclectic for an average dance concert.

But there’s nothing average about Iowa State dance troupe Orchesis I’s annual dance recital known as “Barjche.”

“[‘Barjche’] is like going to a potluck, there’s all kinds of different dances available to you,” said Janice Baker, assistant professor of dance.

This year’s smorgasbord of dances is likely to be more eclectic than ever before with the incorporation of a variety of themes and dance styles.

The inherent nature of “Barjche” is strictly innovative, which means when the choreographers create dance patterns for their pieces, they don’t even have a theme to follow.

By chance, many of the dances for this year’s “Barjche” deal with topics such as living and dying, as the dancers paint images of death, violence and destruction alongside images of growing up, reaching for grace, cultural community and “joie de vivre.”

A piece that accentuates one of the more positive themes is a dance from Chicago-based choreographer Billy Siegenfeld. The ISU dance department originally found out about Siegenfeld’s work through temporary dance instructor Linda Sabo.

“I’d seen his company perform on a couple of occasions and I fell in love with it,” Sabo said.

Sabo, who was working on her thesis when she first saw Siegenfeld dance, had seen him perform at a jazz dancing convention while she was researching jazz dancing great Guss Diordano.

“I wrote to Siegenfeld and had one of his company members call me back,” Sabo said.

After the contact was made, two dancers from Siegenfeld’s company called “Jump Rhythm Jazz Project!” came to ISU to teach members of Orchesis I some of Siegenfeld’s techniques. These professional jazz dancers (Kari Knudson and Becky Cooper) were brought to ISU as a result of the Betty Toman Guest Artist Endowment and the Alvin Edgar Fund for the Performing Arts.

Mellissa Ham-Ellis, double major in pre-physical therapy and performing arts, said members of Orchesis I have enjoyed learning Siegenfeld’s new moves.

“The movement is innovative and classic and it energizes you,” Ham-Ellis said. “[Siegenfeld] is an incredible choreographer and has a very specific style.”

There are a few other dances that will be performed this weekend with specific styles that were created by ISU students. Baker said many of the student choreographers whose pieces will be performed this weekend “came forward on their own,” volunteering to create their own dances.

Ham-Ellis, also a choreographer for the show, said most of the choreographers are involved in a choreography class that starts in late September and continues throughout the rest of the year.

“The choreographers start working and audition the dancers,” Ham-Ellis said. “It’s a very lengthy process.”

In Ham-Ellis’ piece, she tries to portray different aspects of water through an eight-person dance. One thing that distinguishes Ham-Ellis’ piece from the others is that the music for her piece was specifically composed (by Laura Bock) to accompany the dance .

“I think a lot of people have had experience with water,” Ham-Ellis said. “I want it to be familiar and I want people to be able to relate to the dance. Even when water can be harsh, it’s cleansing.”

To contrast with Ham Ellis’ calming piece is Nadege Souvenir’s disturbing piece called “Still,” which uses five women dancers to show how a community deals with conflict.

Some parts of the dance are very specific as to the type of conflict, but others are nebulous.

“I try to let the audience decide what kind of conflict,” said Souvenir, president of Orchesis I and liberal studies major.

Although Iowa State students choreographed many of the pieces, a few of the dances were created by ISU dance professors, Baker and Sabo.

Sabo’s piece “Grace,” which is accompanied by a jazz flute rendition of “Amazing Grace,” explores how the human spirit reaches for grace in time of need.

“The original idea was to explore group design and the shapes the body can make,” Sabo said. “Also, I wanted to look at the different dynamics man have compared to women when they dance.”

Baker’s piece examines the issue of women’s rights through the use of dance and poetry. While the dancers perform to the music of contemporary composer Phillip Glass, Baker will read a poem by Evelyn Jensen.

Though the dances themselves may communicate their messages efficiently through choreography, complementary costumes always help the artists to get the message across.

Baker said some of the costumes are created by prominent designers in the Ames area such as Annie Kreman and Valerie Williams; however, some of the costumes simply come from the closets of the performers.

“It’s a community effort,” Baker said.

And members of Orchesis I appreciate any extra help they can get. Baker said this event is Orchesis I’s main event of the year, and the success of the event is extremely important to the club.

Although Orchesis I is involved in various other projects throughout the year, none of the other projects have the potential to bring in as much money for the club as “Barjche.”

“The revenue at the gate is very important,” Baker said. “None of the [Orchesis I] budget comes from the university.”

Barjche will be held at Fisher Theater Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets for the performance are $6 and are available at the Stephens Auditorium box office or from any member of the Orchesis I dance troupe.