With virtuosic dancers and thrilling choreography, Eisenhower Dance, one of the nation’s premier contemporary dance companies, blends drama, momentum and force with technical brilliance.

Founded by Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower in 1991, Eisenhower Dance has been captivating audiences for more than two decades with an evolving, exhilarating repertoire dedicated to the performance of a diverse range of contemporary dance works.

For their January 17 & 18 performances at Diana Wortham Theatre, Eisenhower Dance will perform several works. Begin with the End in Mind is an abstract work by Ron de Jesus that showcases the dancers’ dynamic range, from soft and tender to powerful and athletic. Open Veins by Laurie Eisenhower is a virtuosic pure movement work. Threads is a luscious and passionate work for eight dancers—a signature work by Eisenhower Dance and an audience favorite.

Music Lesson is a piece by Eisenhower that utilizes old recordings of narrated music lessons spliced with new music samples, giving a tongue-in-cheek version of music history and form. Better Places is a crowd-pleasing suite of five dances to Southern and Blues influenced music, also by Eisenhower. An additional work by a guest choreographer will be revealed at the performances.

Eisenhower Dance has received critical acclaim along with enthusiastic audience support from around the world, called “stunning” by the Holland Sentinel and acclaimed as “intelligently crafted repertoire” by Dance Magazine. The company has received numerous grants and awards for its work, including a prestigious Touring Award from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) to present its work NewDANCEfest during the 2012-2013 season.

In addition to the public performances, Diana Wortham Theatre hosts Eisenhower Dance for an extended residency at the theatre. Activities include an after-school performance, “Kids in Motion,” on Wednesday, January 15 at 3:30 p.m.; a Master Class for the public on Thursday January 16 (location and time to be announced); a Matinee Series performance, “Motown in Motion,” on Friday January 17 at 10 a.m.; and a workshop at Care Partners.

Ticket holders of the January 17 & 18 evening performances can attend free pre-performance discussions with Laurie Eisenhower and/or Eisenhower Dance dancers at 7 p.m. both nights prior to the 8 p.m. performances. All activities except for the Care Partners workshop are open to the public; more information at www.dwtheatre.com.

Since founding Eisenhower Dance, Laurie Eisenhower has created over 100 dances for the company in addition to works for numerous professional and university dance companies. She has been awarded several Creative Artists grants from state arts foundations, the Michigan Dance Association Choreographers Festival Award, the Women in Art Award for Choreography, Artserve’s Michigan Governor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Michigan Artist and, most recently, the prestigious 2012 Kresge Artist Fellowship.

The new entrance for the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place is marked by the location of the theatre’s new marquee between 12 and 14 Biltmore Avenue. Patrons enter the theatre through the breezeway between Marble Slab Creamery and Circle in the Square restaurants, and into a large interior courtyard for Pack Place with multiple glass doors to the theatre’s lower lobby and new box office.

The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in Western North Carolina.

Visit www.eisenhowerdance.org

If You Go: Eisenhower Dance, January 17 & 18, 2014, at 8 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place. Tickets: Regular $35; Students $30; Child $15; Student Rush day-of-the-show (with valid ID) $10. Box Office (828)257-4530, www.dwtheatre.com