Variety is the spice of life and Dance Theatre of Oregon will bring their special blend of dance and theatrics to the stage at Edmonds Center for the Arts, Friday, May 2.

Dance Theatre of Oregon (DTO) was formed in 1991 by New York artists Marc Siegel and Pamela Lehan-Siegel, and has become known for its exuberant and intriguing blend of modern dance, ballet and theater. Marc Siegel, formerly of Le Ballet Trockadero and Pamela Lehan-Siegel, from David Parsons Dance, share a marriage both of creativity and real-life romance,

The seven-member troupe presents a dynamic and athletic program with hardly a tutu in sight, featuring the very unserious “Corpus Corpus” demonstrating fun things to do with your body; “Grandiloquence Undone” using Mozart music to parody the seriousness of the Baroque period; “Sleep Study,” an unusual look at the stages of sleep; “Triseklion,” originally performed on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour; and the final act of “Kvell,” featuring Klezmer music.

“We really want to change people’s minds about dance,” said Marc Siegal. “We really just want to knock your socks off!”

Dance Theatre of Oregon is a resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Ore. The couple has worked at Yale University, New York University, Jose Limon School and Alvin Ailey School and for dance companies in New Jersey, Mississippi, the Northwest, British Columbia, California and Nevada.

DTO and its artistic directors have received several awards for their commitment and ground breaking work with educating youth and working with “at risk” youth in the public schools and for their Project Educate program giving free tickets to under served audiences.