Did you know that Ames is home to a professional dance company? Yes, indeed. Valerie Williams’ Co’motion Dance Theatre has been entertaining audiences since 1978 and is Iowa’s only full-time, professional modern dance company.

We all have the chance to experience Iowa’s Sesquicentennial in style when Williams will be presenting Foxglove and Foxtrot: Dancing the Ballroom Trail starting tomorrow night, with shows next Friday and Saturday also. These shows start at 8 p.m.

There will be a matinee performance at 3 p.m. this Sunday, and all performances will be held at the Ames City Auditorium, located at 515 Clark Ave. There is also a perk to this experience — free parking for everyone!

This concert will feature lively dancing based on social dances that Iowans have been familiar with for the last 150 years. This is not just a recital; it is a performance that will portray how Iowans built their communities through perseverance, hard work and good humor.

“It’s about dancing being fun, building community and just being a joyful part of life,” Valerie Williams said. “It’s been a medium for maintaining our culture. Dancing was traditionally about social interaction, and nowadays, we send our kids to dance lessons so they can learn to be performers.”

There will be live music performed by the Pretty Good Band for a better-than-pretty-good time. Foxglove and Foxtrot is an experience that will delight all ages.

For people interested in learning more about historical social dances, “feet on” workshops are open to everyone from the novice dancer to the expert dancer.

The workshop will feature 19th Century dances including the original Viennese Waltz with variations, the Argentine Tango, which was most popular at the turn of the century, along with several schottisches and polkas.

“Dancing in society has changed from what it used to be,” Williams explained. “We used to dance. We used to make music. Nowadays we interact more through technology.”

Don’t miss out on the celebration of Iowa’s Sesquicentennial presented by Valerie Williams’ Co’Motion Dance Theater when the professional company presents Foxglove and Foxtrot: Dancing the Ballroom Trail.

Performance dates are Saturday, April 20, Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m. There is also a matinee performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, from the Octagon Art Center in Ames, which is located at 427 Douglas Ave., or by contacting the Co’Motion Dance Theatre at 232-7374.