A+E

If the last dance performance you saw included one of the Real Housewives of somewhere, it's time to expand your horizons. Maybe start with a little of everything. On Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m., Redwod Raks is host to Free the Beasts, a smorgasbord of local choreography.

Dancers and choreographers alike run the gamut in age and genre, with modern, tap, Middle Eastern, Polynesian, contemporary, jazz and hoop all taking the stage. Among the performances on the bill, Eboni Session has put together a "high energy" jazz piece with the HSU Interdisciplinary Dance Club, and Carrie Maschemeier of the Dance Scene studio presents a contemporary duet that speaks to the idea of balance, both within and without. Shoshanna directs the Ya Habibi Dance Collective in a fusion piece — belly dance meets Giselle's second act.

With more choreographers than you can shake a hip at — Stephanie Carter, Ciara Cheli-Colando, Susie Kidd, Keili Joan, Laura Lopez-Ayllon, Amanda Perez, Allie Phinney, Kevin Sharkey, Stephanie Silvia, Ya Habibi Dance Collective, Yanoula and Melanie Zapper round out the roster — Free the Beasts is a chance to see what's really happening in classes and studios all over Humboldt. No snarky judges, no spray-tanned C-listers, just dance.