CAMDEN—Local choreographer-director Kea Tesseyman and her Kinetic Energy Alive dance Company have been working for months on their fourth major show "Grit & Grace: Just Be You!" to be held at the Camden Opera House on Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, at 7 p.m.

The show promises to be heart-pounding, featuring 26 dancers who all come from Tesseyman’s classes, both professional and amateur, whose ages range from six to 60.

“It’s going encompass every style,” she said. “We’re really showing through every dance the joy and the fun that each individual dancer has.”

Performing to "Puttin' on the Ritz" — Irving Berlin's timeless show tune, redone by Herb Alpert — they'll step out with jazz-funk and jazz-contemporary, followed by a wide variety of styles including hip-hop, contemporary, and old-school funk. The evening continues with dynamic and thought-provoking duets, solos, and group dances, all flowing from one into the next. Highlights include 1970s breakdancing, modern and contemporary duets, and polished Broadway-show dancing modernized to fit today's music.

All of Tesseyman’s past shows have had some kind of them around personal empowerment and the freedom to be oneself. While the past three shows featured Power Performances, with film and dance intertwined, this show is strictly dancing. While certain contemporary pieces have the edge of a deeper story, the audience will find the dancers celebrating their joy, breakthroughs and transformations on stage.

"We were all talking about what it takes to get through the day sometimes, to be able to celebrate who we are," she said. "It takes grit to get through the hard stuff, but you also have to be graceful in the face of something that's really challenging you too — which is just as hard to do."

For many of her dancers whose first time it will be on stage, the second part of this show’s title is just for them. "The 'Just Be You' part is getting everybody to believe in themselves and celebrate their strength, courage and sheer joy of dancing.” Tickets are $15 in advance ($17 at the door) and may be purchased on-line at KineticEnergyAlive.com and CamdenOperaHouse.com/calendar.

Tickets are also available for sale at Zoot Coffee and HAV II, both in Camden, as well as at the Camden Town Office (open weekdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.). On Saturday evening April 2, the Boynton-McKay Food Co., located a block from the Opera House, is offering a special fundraiser dinner-and-show; proceeds will be earmarked for a dance scholarship. The price of $45 includes admission to the show plus a four-course, pre-show meal at the restaurant. Those interested in the dinner are urged to call Boynton-McKay at 236-2465 or Kea Tesseyman at 975-4450 as soon as possible to secure one of the limited remaining reservations.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com