Victim's spirit runs through dance program

Dancers from across the region want to inspire people who watch their memorial show next week dedicated to Virginia Tech shooting victims.

For 1 1/2 hours on Wednesday, dancers from a range of disciplines will perform a mix of specially choreographed pieces -- with at least two crafted by April 16 victim Reema Samaha -- as a way to celebrate life and the power of dance.

Samaha, a Tech student from Centreville and avid dancer, would have seen no better way, the organizers said.

The Contemporary Dance Ensemble started the eclectic joint performance as an addition to a scholarship they created in Samaha's honor. The show, planned as an annual event, is expected to embody Samaha's thoughts on dance.

"It is the most satisfying thing in the world to know that the simple form of dance has the power to unite so many individuals whatever their background," she wrote in a school paper.

Samaha's parents included the line in a letter to her dance company, and fellow dancers have since committed it to memory.

Some of the groups participating perform traditional ballet while others show off more fast-paced steps. One of Samaha's pieces, called "Andaloosia," is a bellydance/salsa fusion, dancers said.

"We all feel very strongly that dancing for Reema is the only way to show our respect and love for her," said Hali Plourde-Rogers, president of Virginia Tech's Hill and Veil, a bellydance club. "We're putting on a show that is uplifting and is a celebration of her."

Samaha was a member of that dance troupe, as well as three others on campus.