Jazz composer Billy Strayhorn gets dance tribute at Northrop auditorium

Billy Strayhorn was a close collaborator of jazz great Duke Ellington. But Strayhorn mostly stayed in the shadows of his famous writing and arranging partner. Los Angeles choreographer David Roussève celebrates the life and work of this overlooked musician with "Halfway to Dawn," set to recordings of Strayhorn's music from the 1940s and '50s. Exploring Strayhorn's quiet existence as a gay man as well as the lack of public recognition for his work, Roussève and his nine-member Reality dance company use a mix of jazz dance, modern and postmodern movement to paint a portrait of the unsung pianist and composer. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Northrop, 84 SE. Church St., Mpls., $27-$47, 612-624-2345, northrop.umn.edu.)