Do you know anyone who is a supporting fan of Kean Dance Theater (KDT) or artistic, skillful dance in general? If so, then mark October 18, 2009 on your calendar to join the energy of KDT in their fourth participation at the "Arts in the Gardens" venue held at Jersey Gardens Mall. The venue is an amalgam of instrumental performances, vocals, and dance performances. The three day annual celebration, running from October 16 to 18, will be especially distinctive as this will be the tenth anniversary of the mall, and KDT plans to bring their "A-game" for the special occasion. The dances that will be preformed are the continuously worked product of extensive training, practice, and strive for perfect execution. Having demonstrated the upcoming performance at last April's "Visceral Impact Show" in Wilkins Theater, KDT is ready to take stage with other local talent that the center court of the mall will be host to. The dances are mostly student choreographed. One dance piece will be the contribution of Dr. Luis Martinez, the artistic director of KDT. Dance style will vary culture influence and consist of mostly modern and jazz pieces, with the inclusion of a hip-hop dance amongst the whole.

The newest president of KDT, Jahir Calderon, a junior majoring in finance, will be showcasing two original dances in the performance and be returning for his third year participation in the "Arts in the Gardens" venue. "I'm pretty excited to show how much we as a group have improved," says Calderon. "A lot of the dancers from last year's performance are returning; this will give us the chance to show where we are at with our technique."

Since the performance will take place in front of a massive audience, all of which are expecting to be awed by what the venue has to offer, it is no wonder that third year veteran, Christopher Saurez, is still nervous about the performance. Saurez, a junior physical education major has been with KDT since their first performance at the venue and says despite his "butterflies", when it comes to execution, "it's time to man up and perform."

The performance at "Arts in Gardens" will be just one of many huge performances KDT will put on for this coming semester. On the October 23, KDT will have to tackle their performance at Kean's prep-rally which goes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at the alumni stadium and then follow it up with a stellar encore at Homecoming on the October 24.

The performance time for KDT's "Arts in the Gardens" participation will be at 12 p.m. on the last day of the venue. It is advised to get a spot early for the performance as the crowds are sure to gather to see the incredible Kean talent. For those unfamiliar with the Jersey Gardens Mall, the outlet is located on Kapkowski Road in Elizabeth, NJ at exit 13A off the NJ Turnpike. Of all days to make a first time visit, this one would be ideal and beyond memorable.