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Steamboat Springs — What would Barbi Bryant-Bonfiglio's brain look like if it were set to music?

That's the question the Oak Creek resident will try to answer during part of "A Dance Retrospective/1995-2006" on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Bryant-Bonfiglio, who owns The Paradigm Theater, began her professional dance and choreography career at 18 and has since worked in New York City, Baltimore and Pennsylvania.

The retrospective includes eight of Bryant-Bonfiglio's favorite dance pieces, including what her brain looks like when it's moving to a beat.

"'Barbi's Brain' is like nothing else," she said. "There are voices in my head (including two of Bryant-Bonfiglio's four daughters), noises, sounds, thoughts and music ranging from Art Garfunkel to the Dixie Chicks. It runs the whole gamut."

Bryant-Bonfiglio's inspiration for the dance came from a performer who was working with her in her professional dance company "Shining Mountain Repertory."

"During one of our rehearsals, this dancer, a big clown, put a big, bright pink bag on her head, like a Barbie doll, and said, 'Look I'm in Barbi's brain,'" Bryant-Bonfiglio said. "Literally, after she popped out of that bag, the idea sprang, 'What would that be like?'"

In addition to getting a "quirky glimpse" inside Bryant-Bonfiglio's mind, audience members will be treated to a political piece called "Sacrifice," which was inspired by the ongoing saga of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier.

"Growing up in a Native American household, I was very familiar with 'The Incident' that took place on the Ogalala Lakota Nation between the American Indian Movement and the FBI," she said. "It's very important to me to keep (Peltier's) cause in the limelight, seeing as how he is still incarcerated for a crime that was never proven he committed."

In addition to quirky and political dances, Bryant-Bonfiglio features versatile modern dances - some with international influences. Other performers will include Tamara Bereznak, Joan Dunham, Jenn Kuzminsky, Wendy Mikelsons, Nikki Szyba and Laurie Wea-ver.

Featuring 10 years of work has been quite an undertaking, she said.

"Never all at once has my choreography been shown," she said. "I've choreographed an awful lot of work. For people who have been in the community for a long time or people who are familiar with my work, these are all my favorite pieces."

Bryant-Bonfiglio said tickets for any of the three shows can be purchased at Bonfiglio Drug in Oak Creek, All That Jazz in Steamboat Springs or at The Paradigm Theater the day of the show. Reservations are recommended. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance.

To reach Alexis DeLaCruz, call 871-4234 or e-mail adelacruz@steamboatpilot.com