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• Courtesy of HSU Theatre and Dance

Dance can appear solitary from your seat in the audience, but even a solo is a group project; there are performers, choreographers, composers, musicians and all their respective teachers. But the spring dance concert at Humboldt State University brings those hidden forces to the foreground, with students and faculty on the Van Duzer Theatre stage, just a toe shoe's throw from where they practice and plan.

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As the Latin name suggests, this year's show, Soma Spiritu, explores the connection of body and spirit. The pieces, by eight student choreographers and a pair of faculty, run the gamut from the playful to the sacred. Sharon Butcher, who heads the dance program, presents "Root and Tubers," a hoe-down tribute to her Appalachian potato-farming roots and her late mother's square dancing. Meanwhile, student choreographer Jonny Wisan's "Gratia Incarnare," danced by Ambar Cuevas, follows the Virgin Mary from the annunciation to raising Jesus, ending with the crucifixion.

You've got two weeks. Soma Spiritu runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. from April 7 through April 16, with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, April 17 ($10, $8 HSU students and seniors, limited free student tickets). It'll be good for your soul.