University Dance Company Fall Concert builds to an out-of-this-world finale

Can dancers defy gravity (or at least make it appear they do)? 

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, MFA 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 are Caitlin Belmont, a freshman in math from Powell, Wyoming; Maren Benz, a sophomore in dance and sports media from Raymore, Missouri; Christian Boudreaux, a graduate student and KU lecturer in theatre; Rylee Brown, a junior in marketing from Houston; Rhubarb Brubacher, a freshman in dance and journalism from Lawrence; J.T. Czoch, a junior in dance and anthropology; Sofia Dunkelberger, a junior in dance from Wichita; Nicole Fronek, a sophomore in marketing from Plainfield, Illinois; Mia Godinez, a senior in digital marketing communications from Chanute; Penelope Guezuraga, a sophomore in human biology and dance from Kansas City, Missouri; Kaitlyn Harris, a sophomore in dance from Omaha, Nebraska; 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; Thomas Jenson, a graduate student in theatre and performance studies from Provo, Utah; Jadyn Kaufman, a junior in business management and leadership from Iola; Alexandria Lefler, a sophomore in architectural engineering from Lebanon; Kaylee Lempke, a sophomore in dance from Omaha, Nebraska; Abigail Lorenz, a senior in exercise science from Schaumburg, Illinois; Ella Nadeau, a sophomore pre-nursing student from Topeka; Dylan Pope, a junior in communications from Naperville, Illinois; 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; Sloane Smith, a senior in dance and exercise science from Littleton, Colorado; Maggie Stephan, a freshman in dance from Davenport, Iowa; Sydney Thomann, a freshman in criminal justice and dance from Topeka; Joslyn Vetock, a senior in dance from Omaha, Nebraska; Whitlee Walker, a sophomore in dance and economics from Fayetteville, Arkansas; Elizabeth Wellman, a senior in dance from Lawrence; Stephanie Wirth, a senior in dance from Topeka; Rizzy Xiong, a junior in dance and education; and Claire Yarborough, a sophomore in dance and atmospheric science from Elkhorn, Nebraska.  

About the choreographers

Jessica Chen

Jessica Chen is a Chinese American dancer, choreographer and director based in New York City. Her credits include choreographing “Almost Famous” at A.C.T. of Connecticut, “Cabaret” at CenterREP, “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at GEVA and Syracuse Stage, as well as performance works at New York Fashion Week, Lincoln Center, MACY’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the World Expo/Shanghai. She is the founder and artistic director of J CHEN Project, a 501c3 nonprofit contemporary dance company with a mission to create dance works that emphasize identity, cultural diversity and belonging. She was a 2023 Bessie Award nominee for outstanding choreographer/creator and a Broadway World Regional Productions Best Choreography Nominee in 2024. 

Shannon Stewart

Shannon Stewart is an assistant professor of theatre & dance. Her work has been presented in the U.S. and Europe on stages, screens, poetry publications and galleries. Stewart's current research exploring ecological entanglements between humans and forests has received a New Faculty Research and Development award and is a finalist for Creative Capital and the State of the Art Prize. Stewart's previous solo, “river, river, river” and accompanying hybrid manuscript, has been supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project, National Performance Network, Foundation for Contemporary Art and multiple residencies. Learn more about Stewart on the department website.

Ashley Brittingham

Brittingham is a full-time lecturer in the department. As a professional dancer with the Tulsa Ballet, she has performed a wide variety of classical and contemporary principal roles by the world's leading choreographers. Read more about Brittingham on the department website.

Marisa Plasencia

Marisa Plasencia is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance. Prior to arriving at KU, she held visiting positions in dance at Tufts University and Reed College. In collaboration with her twin sister, she has presented work at the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers and the Risk/Reward Festival of New Performance. With an interest in transnational spaces and bilingualism in dance composition, Plasencia is currently developing choreographic projects and research in flamenco and cumbia. Her research has been supported by Mellon/ACLS and the Fulbright Program.

Justin Harbaugh

Justin Harbaugh is a multidisciplinary performing artist and a lecturer in dance with the Department of Theatre & Dance. He graduated from KU in 2019 with a doctorate in clarinet performance and has taught clarinet at KU, Missouri Western State University and Emporia State University. Harbaugh is the director of performing arts at the Lawrence Arts Center where he teaches tap, social dance and musical theatre workshop classes as well as directs and choreographs multiple shows each year.

About the University Dance Company

The University Dance Company is a production wing of the Department of Theatre & Dance, offering public productions during the academic year. Established in 1923, the Department of Theatre merged with the Department of Dance in 2018. The University Dance Company is funded in part by Student Senate fees. 

The department is one of three departments in the School of the Arts. As part of the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the School of the Arts offers fresh possibilities for collaboration between the arts and the humanities, sciences, social sciences, international and interdisciplinary studies.