Imagine sitting in a focused, dark theater. A single dancer walks onstage with quiet energy.

He raises an arm, slides a foot, and a flash of light reveals an entire line of dancers tumbling across the stage behind him. In mere seconds, the stage goes from a solitary individual to a silent, coordinated explosion of movement.

The Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre (WCDT) will have similar effects this Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre.

The program offers a repertoire of diverse dance works, including ballet, modern, jazz and a work that includes mixed media. Yet all the dance numbers have a contemporary influence.

Sabrina Vasquez, WSU dance instructor and one of the choreographers for the event, says this program will reach a very broad, diverse section of the audience in terms of accessibility.

“If you are somebody who likes ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, you will be able to see a couple of pieces that would be along those lines, (and) that kind of fall in the jazz or more contemporary dance,” she said.

The WCDT is an entirely student-based company. There are about 30 students participating in total, both onstage and backstage.

However, this student company does not compromise quality for fewer years of experience.

Vasquez said that the audience is often so amazed at the strength of the performance that they forget they are watching students, not a professional company.

Some audiences are wary of contemporary arts, but Vasquez said not to worry.

“You don’t have to understand every piece. You can just sit down and enjoy the show for what it is,” Vasquez said.

The program is expected to elicit different emotions, thought-provoking pieces and chuckles.

The boundaries for WCDT are not the Wichita city limits. They have performed abroad as well as locally.

Recently, WCDT performed in Taiwan and Italy.

By attending the performance, the campus community will support students in their craft and give back professional-level dance entertainment.

Witnessing the spectacle costs students less than a price of a movie ticket at the Warren.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre, located at 200 North Broadway Street.

Tickets are $7.50 for students and children under 12 and $15 for general admission.