LAWRENCE — The University Dance Company, in collaboration with the Department of Theatre & Dance, will present its Fall Concert Nov. 14-16. A major highlight for both University of Kansas dancers and community members is the connection between dance and science through sound, costumes and a series of postures, spins and eye-grabbing traveling lifts, according to concert producer Maya Tillman- Rayton, KU lecturer in dance.
A spinoff of her existing AAPI Heroes series, “WONDER” by Choreographic Fellow Jessica Chen investigates space exploration and weightlessness through contemporary dance style. Serving as the concert’s finale, her piece for 15 dancers is inspired by stories of astronauts Sunita Lyn Williams and Kalpana Chawla, among others. A New York-based choreographer, dancer and educator, Chen is also artistic director of J CHEN PROJECT, a contemporary dance company with a mission to create works that emphasize identity and belonging.
Faculty choreographers Shannon Stewart, Ashley Brittingham, Marisa Plasencia and Justin Harbaugh also present work in tap, ballet, modern/ contemporary and flamenco style.
Stewart’s work “Upstream” is an interdisciplinary dance theatre work made in collaboration with her cast of five undergraduate and two graduate students, featuring live projections designed by Rhea Penny, graduate student, and set design by Rana Esfandiary, associate professor of theatre.
As part of an annual feature in its sixth year, Brittingham has created physically demanding choreography for ballet dancers on pointe, moving to cello-based contemporary classical music in “Temporal Motion.”
Plasencia’s work, “Sobre madera (Fandangos de Huelva),” is rooted in the flamenco song form and inspired by dance practices of flamenco bailaoras that perform in tablaos in Seville, Spain, with traditional music created for this concert. She will also perform in the work.
Harbaugh’s choreography brings the beat as he presents “ART*IFICE,” a commentary on artificial intelligence, set to music by Matthew Kurniawan, a composition student in the KU School of Music. Harbaugh is also restaging the mesmerizing rhythm tap routine “#53” by the late dancer and educator Leon Collins.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 2 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre at Murphy Hall, with a livestream available on select showtimes. Tickets can be purchased via the show’s web page, in person noon-5 p.m. at the box office in Murphy Hall, or by calling 785-864-3982.
“The University Dance Concert show is so special. The audience gets to witness the creativity of our choreographers, grace and athleticism from the dancers, and the behind-the-scene talents of dozens of students and faculty members working to make this show what it is. It is a testament to the collaboration between theatre and dance,” Tillman-Rayton said.
The creative team is rounded out by KU theatre design faculty member Kelly Vogel as scenic designer; Joey Albano, a senior in theatre design from Kansas City, Kansas, as costume designer; August Rowse, a senior in theatre design from Kansas City, Missouri, as lighting designer; and Jenna Link, production manager and lecturer in the department, as production stage manager.
Student cast members from Kansas and the Greater Kansas City area are Maren Benz, a sophomore in dance and sports media from Raymore, Missouri; Christian Boudreaux, a graduate student and KU lecturer in theatre; Rhubarb Brubacher, a freshman in dance and journalism from Lawrence; Sofia Dunkelberger, a junior in dance from Wichita; Mia Godinez, a senior in digital marketing communications from Chanute; Penelope Guezuraga, a sophomore in human biology and dance from Kansas City, Missouri; Sophia Harrison; a senior in dance from Topeka; Aidan Hill, a sophomore in dance from Raymore, Missouri; Keaja Hodge, a sophomore in psychology from Wichita; Jillian Housh; a sophomore in English and dance from Kansas City, Missouri; Jadyn Kaufman, a junior in business management and leadership from Iola; Alexandria Lefler, a sophomore in architectural engineering from Lebanon; Ella Nadeau, a sophomore pre-nursing student from Topeka; Mallory Price, a senior in journalism and dance from Leavenworth; Linnaea Radley, a junior in history from Lawrence; Madi Seelye, a senior in dance from Lawrence; Sydney Thomann, a freshman in criminal justice and dance from Topeka; Elizabeth Wellman, a senior in dance from Lawrence; and Stephanie Wirth, a senior in dance from Topeka.
