New Edge Mix

Fri.-Sat., Jan. 11-12, 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 13, 3 p.m.; $10-$12, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-1911, cecarts.org.

by Deni Kasrel

Dance

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The latest edition of the Community Education Center's New Edge Mix features five choreographers striving to create a personal aesthetic. Enough so that CEC director Theresa Shockley observes, "The beauty of the shared evening is that there is a wide range of dance styles and themes. If one work is too edgy, stick around, that lyrical work you love could be next." Variety is part of the draw of the New Edge series, and no one takes the stage for too long, so it's kind of like channel surfing through a slice of the local arts scene. As for the upcoming slate, there are emerging artists, such as Jumatatu Poe, a recent Temple University MFA whose contemporary urban dance melds hip-hop and dancehall with high-tech media. Improv-based Emily Sweeney presents a solo work inspired by sculptures of Auguste Rodin, while Michelle Stortz offers a condensed outtake from a larger piece that plays on chaos theory. There's more, but it's best not to say too much — not knowing what to expect is part of the fun.

Fri.-Sat., Jan. 11-12, 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 13, 3 p.m.; $10-$12, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-1911, cecarts.org.