Ariel Lance, Vorece Miller, Grace Chakerian and Faith Stevens dance in MLKBallet Company's "The Funeral." Photo: Grace Sullivan.

MLKBallet's going alternative. The tuition-free Hilltop ballet school and dance company is putting on its next couple of shows in some really funky venues: The Warehouse nightclub and the Robert Daniel art gallery.

This Saturday, the show is part of the MOVE! series of contemporary dance events that MLKBallet has put on for the last few years. They're part fundraiser (to keep the free tuition going for needy kids), part dance concert, part showcase for students--and they're always great to watch. Deciding it was time to move contemporary dance into alternative spaces, the folks at MLKBallet have set this MOVE! up in The Warehouse, collaborating with live musicians like Vicci Martinez, John Walker and the Hitchhikers and Travis Barker. There'll be dance alongside the music from the MLKBallet Company, including their piece "The Funeral" (see the photo,) and refreshments.

"MOVE! Underground: A Night of Music & Dance" begins 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at The Warehouse, 1114 Ct. E, Tacoma. Entry $5.

Then, next Wednesday, the MLKBallet Company will dance again at another fundraiser, this time at the Robert Daniel gallery in the warehouse district. Proceeds go not just to MLKBallet tuition but to company dancer Vorece Miller, who's going to New York this summer for the program at the esteemed Alvin Ailey dance company. (Miller is one of the upside-down dancers in the photo.) There'll be live music, a silent auction and raffle, wine and appetizers.

Says director Kate Monthy: "Vorece is an incredible performers and choreographer and will be performing two or three pieces she has choreographed herself. Also, members from the MLKBallet Company will be performing vignettes from 'The Funeral.'"

"On Her Way to Alvin Ailey" begins 6 p.m. on April 29 at the Robert Daniel Gallery, 2501 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma. Entry by donation.

And in other news from MLK: The school has decided to settle at Urban Grace Church on South 9th and Market Streets in downtown Tacoma, rather than the still-being-renovated former Swedish church on South 11th and J Streets on the Hilltop. The whole process was too much for the company, says co-founder Alexa Folsom-Hill, and they decided to "focus on what we wanted to do--education." The school now has 75 students, including a new adult class for parents who dance while their kids are in lessons and a Barefoot Beat class taught by Barefoot Dance Collective member Marla Sims. The school is expanding into the whole third floor at Urban Grace, including a large studio with a newly-installed dance floor.

For more information, call Kate Monthy on 253-906-2190.