Yoshito Sakuraba is a Japanese choreographer whose work has been presented across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, including The Joyce Theater, BAM Fisher, Jacob’s Pillow, and Kaatsbaan. He has received the Best Choreography Award at the FINI Dance Festival (Italy) and the Audience Award at Masdanza (Spain). His commissions include Bayerisches Staatsballett, NW Dance Project, Whim W’Him, Louisville Ballet, and Ballet Arkansas. As an educator, he has taught at the Martha Graham School, Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Ailey/Fordham, Barnard, Vassar, and university programs nationwide. Sakuraba’s choreography fuses Japanese aesthetics with theatricality, abstraction, and emotionally charged physicality.

David Liu, a Shanghai-born street dancer and creative explorer, embodies diverse passions across dance and technology. He recently graduated from Duke University, studying Computer Science and Dance, and is deeply interested in exploring opportunities in dance and dance technology, interactive art forms, and innovative performance design.

As a street dancer, David has participated in multiple camps and battles around the world, where his artistry continues to evolve. Recently, he has shifted his focus toward tutting—using precise, geometric movements not only as a form of style but as a means of storytelling, often integrated with stage effects and lighting to expand the audience’s experience.

Beyond the stage, David is also an avid food explorer, relishing new flavors and cultural experiences.

Kristin Marrs is a choreographer, performer, and teacher. Choreographic works include Karkinos, an opera by composer Jacob Bancks comissioned by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, O Quanta Qualia, featuring Atlys String Quartet violinist Sabrina Tabby, and When Trees Say Nothing, a collaboration with paper and fiber artist Mary Merkel-Hess. She is a 2025 recipient of an Iowa Arts Council Project Grant, which will support her forthcoming production Chalk, co-created and performed with theater artist Anne Marie Nest. Chalk, a dance theater exploration of experiences surrounding infertility and miscarriage, will be premiere in Denver and Iowa City in March 2026.

Agnes Chew is the author of the fiction collection, Eternal Summer of My Homeland (Epigram Books, 2023), which was longlisted for The Asian Prize for Fiction, shortlisted for the POPULAR Readers’ Choice Award, and a national bestseller in Singapore; and the essay collection, "The Desire for Elsewhere" (Math Paper Press, 2016). Her fiction won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asia), and has been published in Granta, Necessary Fiction, and Best New Singaporean Short Stories, among others. She has received scholarships from Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Tin House, Granta Writers’ Workshop, and more. Originally from Singapore, she is currently based in Germany.

Colin DeJong is a Dance Accompanist in the Department of Dance at the University of Iowa. He was previously Lead Accompanist at Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy (Milwaukee, WI), following a decade in Chicago, IL as an independent dance pianist serving several local organizations (most notably: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet company & Joffrey Academy of Dance, and The Chicago High School for the Arts, a.k.a. "ChiArts"). He holds Master of Music (Music Theory) and Bachelor of Music (Composition) degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), and hails originally from Macomb, IL.

Lauren Linder (she/her) is a choreographer, performer, and educator currently pursuing her MFA in Dance at the University of Iowa.

Lauren’s choreographic research uncovers connections between dance and language. Through attention to softness, syntax, play, and gesture, Lauren’s work problematizes hierarchies of movement and traces relational ambiguities. Lauren’s research interests encompass dance as a literacy practice, the discursive connections between dancing, writing, and femininity, score building, as well as inclusivity and accessibility in dance spaces. laurenlinderdance.com

Tomás Downey (fiction writer, translator, screenwriter; Argentina) is the author of three short story collections and a novel. His first book to be translated into English, Diving Board, will be released in October 2025. He is the winner of the Fondo Nacional de las Artes prize for a short story collection and the María Elena Walsh Foundation literary prize, among others, and the recipient of grants from the Fondo Nacional de las Artes and Übersetzerhaus Looren. He is currently working on his second novel, Coma. His participation is made possible thanks to the generous support of Hugh F. Culverhouse, Jr. and other donations made to the International Writing Program.

Lola Buczkowski is a dance-artist interested in where process meets performance and is excited about deeply collaborative making spaces. As an MFA Dance Candidate on the performance track, Lola aims to explore improvisation, experimental approaches to performance, and multimedia landscapes. Before attending the University of Iowa, Lola majored in both Dance and French at Bates College where she was the first undergraduate student to complete an honors thesis in dance. During her time at Bates, Lola worked closely with and performed in the works of Tristan Koepke, Christina Robson, Cameron Mckinney, Noel-Price Bracey as well as rooted herself into the Bates Dance Festival community.

Hutch Hagendorf, from Houston, Texas, began dancing at age nine at West University Dance Center. After receiving his BFA in dance at the University of Arizona, he danced for Royal Caribbean International Curies, iKADA Contemporary Dance Company (NYC) and De Funes Dance (NYC), and Spectrum Dance Theater (Seattle, WA) (director Donald Byrd). His choreography has been featured on/in Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theater, Exclamation Dance Company, Austin Dance Festival, and Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival. He is a first year MFA student in Dance at the University of Iowa and is thrilled to be sharing his voice and choreography for IWP.

Hyukin Michaela Kwon 권혁인 (playwright, screenwriter, theatre and film director; South Korea) has written and directed a competition-winning multimedia musical and several short films in multiple languages. She won the 2023 BBC International Playwriting Competition, and her winning play Steady Eyes was produced by BBC Studios Audio and broadcast on the BBC World Service in 2024. She was the scriptwriter/director representing Korea for the ASEAN-ROK Independent Cinema Project. She recently completed a stage play exploring Korea’s social rigidity and is currently developing a new play on the realities of a super-ageing society and a novel centred on self-acceptance. Her participation is made possible by a grant from Arts Council Korea (ARKO).

Clare Danz is a second year Dance (BFA) and Marketing (BBA) student at the University of Iowa. She began her dance training at CREO Arts and Dance Conservatory in Minnetonka, Minnesota under the direction of Christa Anderson-Hill. As a senior in high school, she had the opportunity to train with Crash Dance Productions (Minneapolis, MN) in their pre-professional company, CDP2. During her time at the University of Iowa, she has had the privilege to work with a variety of choreographers and teachers with diverse backgrounds. She is thrilled to be a part of the International Writing Program and Dance Department collaboration this year!

Rosie DeAngelo received her BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida. Her choreography has been commissioned for the Youth American Grand Prix in NYC, and presented internationally at Micadanses (Paris), The Dance Gallery Festival, Hofstra University, and the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. While living in New York City, Rosie also performed with Chris Masters Dance, Cameron McKinney/Kizuna Dance, Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup, Yin Mei Dance, and KEIGWIN + COMPANY. She was a 2021 City Artist Corps artist, and a 2022 recipient of LMCC’s SU CASA grant. Rosie is currently pursuing her MFA in Dance Choreography at the University of Iowa.

Bea Beaman (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist from Shanghai, China. They trained in the Chinese entertainment industry in popular dance forms before studying concert dance at St. Olaf College. They have a special interest in partnering and have trained with Pilobolus Dance Theater. Bea is now a first year MFA student on the choreography track at the University of Iowa developing skills in improvisation, partnering, and software.

Sadie Vannieuwenhoven is a sophomore BFA dance student from Onalaska, WI. She has trained in many different styles and has a special interest in choreography. Working with Rosie & Bea has been such a beautiful journey of exploring improvisation and partnering for Sadie, and she is so grateful to be dancing with them!

Grigor Shashikyan Գրիգոր Շաշիկյան (pen name Grig) Գրիգ (fiction writer, literary critic; Armenia) is the author of three books, two of which — Հիսուսի կատուն [Jesus' Cat] (2015) and Friedensdorf [Peace Village] (2023) — have been bestselling books in Armenia for years. He has received more than a dozen national and international awards, the most notable of which include: “Youth Prize of the President of the Republic of Armenia,” “HOTLIST independent publishers competition,” and “Coburger Rückert-Preis.” He is currently working on a collection of short stories. His participation is made possible thanks to the generous support of Hugh F. Culverhouse, Jr. and other donations made to the International Writing Program.

Zena Bibler believes that we practice the world into being. Her scholarship and choreography investigate dance as a relational practice—an opportunity to rehearse intentional modes of collaborating with environments and others. She completed a Ph.D. at the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa. For more information about publications, dances, and collaborative projects, please visit www.zenabibler.com

Siddharth Dasgupta is an Indian writer whose work traverses poetry, fiction, and that compelling ocean in between. He was shortlisted for the Tagore Literary Prize for his fifth book and third collection of poetry—All These Streets We’ve Known By Heart. Siddharth's literature has appeared in Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Prairie Fire, Cordite, Kyoto Journal, and elsewhere. Aside from his literary writing, Siddharth also articulates the arts, culture, luxury, and travel for a smattering of global publications. He serves as Editor, Visual Narratives with The Bombay Literary Magazine, and calls the city of Poona home. You'll find the writer on Instagram @citizen.bliss

Norah Jordan is a second-year Dance (BFA) and Marketing (BBA) student at the University of Iowa. She started dancing at the age of three at her local dance studio, Judith McCarty School of Dancing, in Texarkana, Texas, under the direction of Kathy Fomby. As a student, she performed with and worked as a rehearsal assistant for the Texarkana Community Ballet in their production of The Nutcracker. She spends her summers at Burklyn Ballet Theatre, where she has performed in works by Sarah Tallman, Ashley Daigle, Joanne Whitehill, and other notable choreographers. During her time at the University of Iowa, she has thoroughly enjoyed working with various faculty members and guest artists. She is so excited to be a part of the International Writing Program and Department of Dance collaboration.

My name is Tyler Phi, and I am a second-year BFA candidate. Before coming to the University of Iowa, I trained in hip-hop for a couple of years until I also began exploring contemporary styles. Most of my contemporary and ballet experience comes from my time at Iowa. Now, I love and explore both street styles and contemporary movement. A big influence on my artistry is Emily Culbreath, who taught me house movement and inspired me to live through dance. Recently, I’ve been focusing on improvisation with the guidance of Zena Bibler, who reminds me to dance with every cell in my body.

Avery Provorse is a second-year student at the University of Iowa, majoring in Dance and Enterprise Leadership. She is currently working with Kristin Marrs through an Independent Creative Research Fellowship (ICRU) on Chalk Dance Theater, she is a WERQ instructor at the rec center, and a choreographer at Southeast Middle School. Avery is in two other pieces this semester, working with David Liu and Lindsey Wildman, and has previously been involved in two works through the dance department. She loves performing, meeting new people, and trying new things. She cannot wait to see the impact of Siddharth’s poetry combined with our movement.

Hi everyone! I am Olivia Shaw, and this is my first performance with the University of Iowa’s dance department! I am a first-year dance and criminology double major from Anamosa, Iowa. I have been involved in dance, musical theater, and performing arts since I was very young, and love being a part of the creative process! I am so grateful to have been a part of the IWP and dance program collaboration, and to have worked with these incredible choreographers, writers, and performers. Thank you to everyone involved in this show, as well as everyone here to watch tonight!

Sam Young is a composer, music theorist, percussionist, and educator. His work explores the soundscapes of both natural and urban environments, and ranges from music for wind ensemble and chamber groups, to experimental electronic music and synth pop. He has been a featured composer at festivals such as the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, California Summer Music, and the International Summer Academy of Music in Germany, and his music has been performed by artists such as Jose Menor, wild Up!, and the Adelaide Wind Ensemble. An avid collaborator, Sam often works across disciplines with choreographers and filmmakers to create compelling multimedia experiences. He has composed scores for numerous animation and short film projects, and in 2020, he created an electronic score combining environmental sounds and synthesis for Los Angeles choreographer Marianna Varviani’s performance piece Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes. Before he began composing, Sam enjoyed a career as a professional drummer, performing and recording with national touring bands Devotchka and the Samples, and is currently drummer and arranger for rock band Kick and the Hug.