From Local Stages to Global Platforms, College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) Students Gain Hands-On Experience While Showcasing their Talents Around the World
This summer, CFAC students and faculty have been taking full advantage of every opportunity to study, learn and perform together all around the world. As they have left the classroom for places like Bali, England, China and New Zealand, they have expanded the boundaries of BYU campus. Read more below to see what these students said about their experiences from this past month.
Dance | Ballet Field Study in England
For the first time, members of the BYU Theatre Ballet and BYU Theatre Ballet Studio Company shared the studio and stage with the English National Ballet School (ENBS) in London, England. BYU students took classes alongside international pre-professional students who study ballet full time at ENBS. Additionally, BYU dancers performed two pieces as guests of the ENBS Summer Performance: Gerald Arpino's Italian Suite Pas de Deux and faculty member Hilary Wolfley's Rhizomatic.
Wolfley said, “The students represented the university so well. They showcased their professionalism and artistry in a way that invited the influence of the Spirit in their interactions with each other and their performances onstage.” The students and faculty were inspired by the power of creative art to influence hearts and minds. As they studied ballet from multiple entry points, they pondered on their creative capacity, their place in this world, and their relationship with their Creator.
Recent graduate and BYU Theatre Ballet Studio Company member Caitlyn Richey said, “A major highlight of the trip was our backstage tour of the Royal Opera House in London where the Royal Ballet trains and performs. While the opera house itself was stunning, the most incredible part was observing a rehearsal of Frederick Ashton’s one-act ballet “Rhapsody.” The artistry, athleticism, attention to detail, and amazing choreography took my breath away; I left this experience feeling inspired and more in love with ballet than ever before.”
Comms | Advertising International Awards Shows (ISP) 6/13-7/22
BYU advertising students took their creative talents across Europe, learning firsthand from some of the world’s most prestigious ad festivals. From the beaches of Cannes to the streets of London, students attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the Design and Art Direction Awards while developing their own creative portfolios and exploring global storytelling through advertising.
Senior advertising student Taryn Kadri, who has an emphasis in art direction, called the experience “phenomenal.” She described the Cannes Lions Festival as “INCREDIBLE … an industry-wide convention where the best of the best get awarded.” What surprised her most wasn’t just the high level of creativity, but the purpose behind it. “So many of the ads that won awards had ideas that started with solving problems in people’s lives — hearing loss, domestic abuse, and more. Companies were finding ways to advertise that also helped with real-world issues.”
Beyond the festivals, students visited museums and landmarks in France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK to strengthen their artistic eye and creative intuition. “Viewing art in new settings has helped me understand my own voice better,” Taryn shared.
School of Communications| Church Communications Internship
BYU students stepped into global public affairs this summer through internships with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany, and Auckland, New Zealand. Interns worked in fast-paced international settings, honing skills in journalism, media relations, strategic communications and interfaith outreach.
In Auckland, journalism student Emily May discovered a new side of communications. “I was really pushed to work beyond the boundaries of journalism,” she said. “I learned more about strategy planning and reputation management — two things I never did as a journalist.”
Her responsibilities at the Pacific Area Office ranged from writing press releases and managing social media campaigns to helping plan interfaith events and presenting trainings to Church communication directors across the region. “It’s been enlightening, challenging and rewarding,” she said.
Outside the office, Emily embraced the opportunity to explore New Zealand’s culture and landscapes. “The most amazing part of this internship was definitely getting to travel. I crossed off a bucket list item going to Hobbiton. This is the furthest and longest I’ve ever been from America, but it’s an experience I’ll remember forever.”
Reflecting on the experience, she added, “There was no better way to finish off my time at BYU than with an internship abroad in this beautiful country.”
Whether in Germany or New Zealand, students gained real-world experience that helped them grow personally and professionally as communicators on the global stage.
Dance/Music | Folk Dance/ Music Ensembles at CIOFF July 23–Aug 15
The BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble and Mountain Strings are traveling to Italy during August to participate in two CIOFF International Folk Dance Festivals. At the Latium Festival in Cori, Italy, BYU students had the opportunity to perform in front of the Roman Colosseum. The Pope was in attendance as part of the 2025 Jubilee of the Catholic Church.
BYU dance and music students are collaborating to present various traditional selections that represent the American identity over several centuries with its cross-cultural influences between the European immigrants, the indigenous Americans and African Americans. Dances include Appalachian big mountain circle dances and hambone, square dances, western hoedowns, clogging, flatfooting, western line and swing, charleston and lindy hop. “My favorite dance in the show is the piece ‘Calico,’ which is the women's section of our square dance number,” said student and IFDE dancer Emma Richardson. “This dance style is from Texas, and I love it because it's fun, high energy and has the cutest costumes!”
The goal at these events is to safeguard, promote and diffuse cultural heritage. “Folk Dance provides such a unique way of learning about God's children from all around the world, and I feel like my discipleship grows as my love and understanding of others grows,” said Richardson. Fellow dancer, clogger and third generation member of the International Folk Dance Ensemble Bailey Tucker is excited about this trip as well, “After learning about so many cultures, my love for dance and for the people expands. I am so excited to travel to Italy and feel that camaraderie within the folk dance world.”
Music | Choirs in China July 8–18
Last month, BYU Choirs traveled to China as guests of the Chinese People's Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries. Many BYU students were able to participate in this experience — Brent Wells led 46 students as the BYU “Select” Choir (members of BYU Singers and BYU Concert choir), and Sonja Poulter led 47 members of the Women’s Chorus. All expenses were generously covered through the Young Envoy Scholarship offered by the Chinese education department.
The groups participated in a choral festival that featured choirs from America and China. For the first half of their trip, BYU students went to Fuzhou China for a friendship concert with Kuliang, which has a rich history of bonding with US groups through cultural arts. In between concerts and rehearsals, students were able to visit the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum and the Palace Museum. For the rest of their time in China, the students went to Beijing to participate in a large-scale concert combined with Chinese choirs and other U.S. choirs — including Utah Valley University. Amelia Davis, a recent graduate from the School of Music, said that “it was very powerful to sing with choirs from all over the world, sharing something we all love.”
Ella Nolte, a music education student, agreed that music united all of the choirs at different concerts: “The most unifying moment for me was watching a university choir in Beijing sing the goofiest song (in Chinese with subtitles) about the different choral parts. After hearing jokes about how altos are stoic and tenors are big show offs, Nolte smiled as she realized that these jokes were the same in the US. “As a musician, and especially an aspiring choral conductor, I saw impressive vocals from young Chinese choirs,” Nolte said.
Music | Bali: Society, Devotion and the Arts (ISP) 6/25–8/6 (272 words)
As part of the Çudamani Summer Institute, BYU students are studying Balinese music and dance with some of the most distinguished artists in Bali. During the program, BYU students are performing in many locations, including a Balinese temple in Pengosekan Village.
“One thing I think our students — all of whom are involved in the performing arts — are learning in Bali is that within this culture, the arts are fully integrated and consecrated as a form of devotion,” said associate professor Jeremy Grimshaw. “Artists in Bali work very hard to make their performances as complex, meaningful and beautiful as possible — not for praise or commercial gain, but because they believe that creating beauty and putting it out into the world is a divine and worthwhile act in and of itself.”
Emma Knight, a chemical engineering major with a minor in cultural dance, admitted that she found that the experience has helped her better understand music and strengthened her dance technique. “Rather than everything being based on counts and rigid structure, it is fluid and comes more from feeling and as a byproduct of the heart,” she said.
One of the highlights for Knight was participating in some of the rituals and temple ceremonies of the Balinese people and connecting them with her own beliefs. “I suddenly came to an understanding that Heavenly Father hears and answers the prayers of all his children,” Knight said, “even those whose belief practices look different than our own.”
During the remainder of their trip, students will perform for an Odalan (a series of performances and ceremonies honoring the anniversary of the completion of a temple) in the small village of Bangah.
Art | Art History: A Grand New Tour (ISP) 5/6-6/14
This past month, BYU students and faculty explored ten countries across Central Europe as part of the Europe: Art History study abroad program. From Italy to Denmark, the group visited around 40 art museums, navigated five currencies and studied centuries of art and architecture in churches, galleries and historic city centers.
“We biked across Salzburg singing Sound of Music tunes, made our own Ritter-Sport chocolate in Berlin, swam in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, and were present at the announcement of a new pope—Pope Leo XIV,” said Professor James Swensen. “We even visited Swiss artist Christian Bolt, who spoke powerfully about the divine calling of an artist.”
Student Christy Shen said: “Throughout my study abroad experience in Europe, I felt like I wasn’t just studying art history — I was stepping into it. As I stood in front of frescoes and sculptures, I felt like I was in conversation with the past … almost like I was being welcomed into the hearts and minds of artists who lived centuries ago.” Watching a sunset in Cinque Terre especially stood out to her: “The beauty in front of me, the life happening all around me — it reminded me how small I am, and yet how full life can feel. I knew the sun would rise again, and somehow that simple truth gave me peace. This experience allowed me to see that art history isn’t just about the past — it’s about being present.”
If you participated in a unique learning opportunity in the past year, capture how you #experienceCFAC and enter your essay or visual submission to the Creative Works Contest for a chance to win a cash prize!