May 2, 3, 4 // 8:00 p.m.
Space Place Theater

This performance will feature nine works choreographed by Bachelor of Fine Arts seniors from the University of Iowa Department of Dance. All performances are free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Program:

(I Can't) Look Away
choreographed by Katie Scuderi
fading echoes
choreographed by Morgan Powers in collaboration with Kendra McDaniel, Maya Villanueva, and dancers
Black and White Can Be Grey
choreographed by Brittlyn Taylor
Reckoning
choreographed by Ashley McKim in collaboration with the dancers
Invitation to the Ball
choreographed by Cami Rezabek in collaboration with the dancers
– INTERMISSION –
Planes of Existence
choreographed by Kendra McDaniel in collaboration with Morgan Powers
b e t w e e n
choreographed by Hayden Jensen in collaboration with the dancers
Dream State
choreographed by Cearra Crosser
Esto es para que disfruten
choreographed by Amya Lopez in collaboration with the dancers

(I Can't) Look Away

Choreographer: Katie Scuderi
Music: "Moonlight Sonata" composed by Ludwig Beethoven, rendition by Michael Wall
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Ellie Daley

This piece encapsulates how the mirror has impacted my dance training, growth and transformation, as well as my daily perceptions, attitudes and approaches. As dancers the overwhelming pressure to look aesthetically and technically perfect is only amplified being in a room surrounded by mirrors.

How can I recover the value of the mirror in dance? Is my reflection my enemy or my ally?
Through the choreography I explore how to cope with insecurity and understand that we are not defined by our reflection.

Special Thanks: I would like to thank my family for always supporting my passions and for being with me every step of the way. I would also like to thank my friends for making my experience at Iowa the best four years I could have asked for. Special thanks to dancer Ellie Daley for taking on this process and committing to sharing this story. Lastly, I want to thank my advisor Jennifer Kayle for supporting me through this process, as well as all of my professors for helping me get to where I am today, I would not be the dancer I am without your guidance.

fading echoes

Choreographers: Morgan Powers in collaboration with Kendra McDaniel, Maya Villanueva, and dancers
Music: "Running Ink" composed by Douglas Baker
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Claudia Jacobson, Kendra McDaniel, Abigail Powers, Dionna VanGorkom, MJ Van Orstrand

fading echoes is a piece that tells the story of someone with dementia and how that affects not only that individual, but the people around them.

Special Thanks: I would like to thank the dancers in this piece for being committed to the choreography and the performance that it requires. I want to thank my family for always supporting me throughout my dance career. Thank you to Eloy for your guidance and mentorship throughout this process. Thank you to Kendra McDaniel and Maya Villanueva for collaborating with me on movement generation. Special thanks to Douglas Baker for composing the music, your talent and collaboration inspired me so much throughout this process. 

Black and White Can Be Grey

Choreographer: Brittlyn Taylor
Music: "Torn (Redux)" and "Muse III (Transfiguration)" composed by Nathan Lanier
Costumes: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Lindsey Urbanski, Emma Richards, Elizabeth Shanahan, Erin Muntz, Lauren Short, Anna Snyder, Katelyn Lookingbill, Kennedy Bishop

This piece is about the love and passion I have experienced through both my dance major and being part of the Iowa Dance Team. The movement, the creativity, and the staging will portray dancers from each. I want to show that not one or the other defines me and that two different dance techniques can complement each other. I am a dancer who dances for the Iowa Hawkeyes, representing the university and I’m also a dancer who is passionate about studying and performing dance through the University of Iowa’s Dance Department. You can succeed in living out both dreams.

Special Thanks: I would like to give a huge thank you to my parents and brother for being my biggest supporters and always believing in me. I would also like to thank the faculty for constant inspiration and guidance, and Eloy for being a great mentor during this project.

Reckoning

Choreographer: Ashley McKim in collaboration with the dancers
Music: Beethoven Piano Sonata 14, Op. 27, no. 2
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Ashley McKim, Payton Conrad, Samantha Leverence

"But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only Hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar"
- Hesiod’s Works and Days

Special Thanks: Thank you to my amazing cast and my advisor, Kristin Marrs, for supporting and assisting me through this process. Rebekah Kowal, thank you for guiding me in research that hugely benefited the creation of this piece. To my graduating class, thank you for providing the richest friendships and support system, it has been an honor not only to dance with you, but also to know you all. To my mom, thank you for always being on my side and offering your love, care, friendship, and wisdom whenever I need it. Dad, thank you for teaching me now more than ever that with mindset, perseverance, and determination you can get through anything life throws at you. You inspire me everyday, and it truly a privilege to be your daughter.

Invitation to the Ball

Choreographer: Cami Rezabek in collaboration with the dancers
Music: "Trap Future Bass" by Nver Avetyan, "Abstract Fashion Pop" by QubeSounds, "Sparkle (Remix)" by Dirk Dehler, "Romantic Hip Hop Groove" by Anton Vlasov, "Chill Electronic" by Nver Avertyan, "Dance of the Violins" by F-777
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Fabiola Castaneda-Santiago, Kendall Hicks, Emily Pyburn, Maggie Nolan, Cami Rezabek, Trinity Woody

This work explores Regency-era English country dancing through a modern, optimistic lens. What would happen if we could keep everything we loved, change everything we hated, and bring every bit of ourselves to the table? What would it look like if we were all invited to the ball?

Special Thanks: Thank you to Emily Pyburn for stepping up to save this piece. Your work is greatly appreciated.

Planes of Existence

Choreographers: Kendra McDaniel in collaboration with Morgan Powers
Music: "Planes of Existence" composed by Douglas Baker
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Morgan Powers, Kendra McDaniel

Please be advised this performance includes the use of strobe lights.

Planes of Existence is an abstract exploration of the philosophical concept of absurdism. Defined as the belief that humans exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe. Absurdism is not about resigning oneself to a meaningless existence but creating your own purpose. Through intense physicality and emotional investment, we explore the feelings that arise from the contradiction between the human quest for the meaning of life and its inaccessibility. The narrative depicts three personal interpretations of absurdism; embrace it, run from it or revolt.

Special Thanks: I would like to send a special thank you to my family, along with all my friends who have become family, as they have always been constant supporters in my dance career and life. To my cohort, thank you for all the memories, laughs, and inspiration you have provided me over the past four years. To Morgan Powers for your collaboration in my project and your constant openness throughout this entire process. To my advisor, Armando Duarte, thank you for your constant support and guidance, and last but definitely not least, thank you Douglas Baker for your incredible talents and creating such a wonderful composition for this piece. This work would not have been complete without you all as part of this process, thank you!

b e t w e e n

Choreographer: Hayden Jensen in collaboration with the dancers
Music: "Black & White Transmissions" by Floating Spirits
Black & White Transmissions, Floating Spirits, Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-ND
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Gracie Schultz, Ruby Gentzler, Madison Burkhart

How can the smallest details of the body become visible from afar? How do these micro-moments affect everything around you?

Special Thanks: Thank you to my parents and sister for your support and believing in me. Thank you to my dancers: Gracie, Ruby, and Madison, this piece wouldn't be possible with out your contributions and your friendship. Thank you to Stephanie Miracle for advising me through this process. And thank you to my BFA Cohort and seniors in the Dance Department, I am so proud of all of you and these past 4 years where amazing with all of you!

Dream State

Choreographer: Cearra Crosser
Music: Composed by Lex Leto
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Cassidy Banwart, Soraya Cohen, Ellie Daley, Claudia Jacobson, Mia, Nagl, and Maya Villanueva

Please be advised this performance includes the use of haze.

Dream State is a work that plays with the concepts of dreams, including nightmares, drowning, falling, fighting, reoccurring dreams, sex dreams, and lucid dreaming.

Special Thanks: Special thank you to the talented Lex Leto for composing the music for this work. Thank you to my advisor Mindy Myers for guiding my creative thoughts throughout this process. Lastly, thank you to everyone else that helped make this show a reality.

Esto es para que disfruten

Choreographer: Amya Lopez in collaboration with the dancers
Music: "Ella Baila Sola" performed and recorded by Ezztupendo
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Dancers: Maddie Bulman, Garin Clinton-Nelson, Payton Conrad, Jaidyn Davis, Katelyn Perez, Katie Kramme, Amya Lopez, Lindsey Urbanski

This piece celebrates friendships created in unlikely circumstances and what it means to be supported by peers. Creating and maintaining high-quality friendships in college is one of the most essential human connections you can make in your early adulthood. Paying homage to the 2020 1st Year Seminar "On the Verge..." this work results from the power of having great friends at your side.

Special Thanks: Thank you to my fantastic cast for trusting me in this process and giving me your whole self daily. Thank you to my parents and my grandma for never doubting me and always supporting my passion for this art; to my dad for making our Mexican culture such an important and celebrated part of my life. And the most heartfelt thanks to Kendra, Katie, Hayden, Cearra, Brittlyn, Ashley, Morgan, Cami, Lexi, Maya, Veronica, Elsie and Jackie. This piece is for you, because of you, and a celebration of each of you.

Biographies