department of dance

The Ho Ching brothers, who have spent the last year performing together with BYU’s Living Legends, share their thoughts on faith, family and dance

Creativity, hard work and a couple of miracles result in a unique dance poster

Dancers from the International Folk Dance Ensemble worked with artists from across the world to bring a diverse performance to BYU

11 Department of Dance students and nine faculty members attended the National Dance Education Organization’s annual conference in Miami

Ballet Showcase Company will present a broad range of styles in their fall concert Nov. 15-16 BYU’s Ballet Showcase Company — an auditioned performing group in the Department of Dance — will present their fall semester concert Nov. 15-16. The concert will feature a diverse collection of faculty works performed by the company, ranging from classical variations to comedic satire. “It’s not boring for a moment,” said company member Cassidy Wixom. “There’s such variety in it, and each piece makes you feel a different way. At one moment it’s exciting and happy, the next it’s more soft and subtle. There’s so much diversity, I feel like everyone can find something they like in it.” More than anything, the students enjoy the camaraderie and growth that comes from working hard and creating art alongside their peers. “One of my favorite things is seeing the growth and the process,” said student Chelsie Sherwood. “You can see in just the six to seven weeks we’ve been rehearsing how much we’ve grown together, and how much we’ve grown as individuals.” Read more at dance.byu.edu

BYU Dance Professor Shayla Bott Shayla Bott, a professor in the Department of Dance and artistic director of BYU’s Theatre Ballet, was selected to present at the Women in Dance Leadership Conference, held this year in Philadelphia. Bott’s choreography, “Weaker,” was chosen from over 400 entries from 21 countries, a record number for the organization. Dancers from BYU’s Theatre Ballet performed the piece at Drexel University’s Mandell Theatre. The Women in Dance Leadership Conference promotes the work of female choreographers, researchers and artistic directors in a field where leadership positions are disproportionately held by men. The conference provides opportunities for female dance artists to perform and present, and fosters discussion on the empowerment of women in dance. “I think that in the field, men get a little more mentoring and resources than women, and that’s why they are where they are,” said Bott. “I’m glad to see a lot of organizations starting to put more resources behind women. But so often women don’t seek the resources, and they don’t invest the time into making good on those opportunities.” Read more at dance.byu.edu

Hit-making Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector will be the featured talent for BYU Spectacular! 2019, along with prolific LDS-Christian crossover artist Hilary Weeks. The headliners will also be joined by Vocal Point, Men’s Chorus, Young Ambassadors, Ballroom Dance Company, Cougarettes, International Folk Dance Ensemble and the BYU Dunk Team as part of BYU Homecoming 2019. BYU Spectacular! offers two performances: Thursday, October 17, and Friday, October 18, 2019 at 7:30 pm. Tickets for the general public go on sale July 15th at BYUtickets.com, with advance ticket sales for BYU alumni and students and BYU ArtsPass holders the week prior. Read more at news.byu.edu

McKenna Wright had an unexpected opportunity to speak the language she learned on a volunteer assignment for her church when BYU invited her to perform in China. Brigham Young University invited the Young Ambassadors, a dancing and singing group, to perform as part of the BYU Spectacular tour. Wright, who is a performer in the group, excitedly accepted the invitation. When Wright received her volunteer assignment to Taiwan in 2014, she had no idea that years later she would be going to China and have the opportunity to use the language she spoke while in Taiwan. While living in Taiwan, Wright enjoyed learning about the Taiwanese culture and studying Mandarin Chinese. She shared that it helped her develop a love for the Taiwanese and Chinese cultures, which gave her a desire to integrate them into her life after her volunteer experience was completed. “It was like a springboard where I was like, ‘Of course I want to make Chinese my minor at BYU,’” she said. “I want to learn everything I can and associate myself with people who are from China or Taiwan.” Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

Jamie Kalama Wood is honored to accept the new role and hopes the community knows how much the group has affected her life for good

KUED PBS gives a behind-the-scenes look at BYU’s International Folk Dance Ensemble, which celebrates cultures throughout the world through dance The BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble is known all over the world for their vibrant costumes and enthusiastic dancing; however, fewer people know the history or inner workings of the group. On May 23, KUED PBS gave viewers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the ensemble and the dedication of all involved. This seven-minute feature video about the ensemble is featured on the “This Is Utah” segment of KUED PBS. “This Is Utah” is meant to highlight and celebrate the diversity that exists in Utah through arts, culture, food and events. As a Utah-based group, the International Folk Dance Ensemble’s desire to share cultures through dance with others is met with enthusiasm for family history work and genealogy. The ensemble hopes their performances will stand as a celebration of heritage. The group spent the summer of 2019 traveling to China, Belgium, France and Poland to share their love of dance and cultures with audience members. Watch the KUED PBS feature on video.kued.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EY75r0svNc With 50 students and more than 135 pieces of luggage, Living Legends arrived in Brazil ready to make a splash. The crowds were captivated by the choreography, stunning costumes, and unique cultural appeal. Audience members thanked the students for presenting the show completely in Portuguese. While in Brazil, the group visited the Associação Fernanda Bianchini, a one-of-a-kind ballet school whose student body comprises more than 300 blind dancers. Following a dance number, the blind students led the members of Living Legends in a group activity where each student was blindfolded and taught the process for learning how to dance while being visually impaired. In Foz do Iguaçu, the local stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the mayor’s office to collaborate on a goodwill project in conjunction with the BYU performances. They offered one show ticket in exchange for a donation of a kilogram of nonperishable food, which would be given to local families in need. This food-ticket exchange took place at nine locations throughout the city. Additionally, the group was able to present and discuss the importance of higher education with more than 30 members of Brazil’s Congress and other important opinion leaders from the area. After meeting with the large congressional group, Living Legends members divided into smaller groups with local leaders to discuss how BYU fulfills the goal to be “spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service” — the aims of a BYU education. Read the complete stories: “Making Waves in São Paulo,” “Making History and Giving Charity” and “Leading and Loving in the Amazon.”

Living Legends, BYU’s Native American dance group, had the opportunity to share traditional Native American dances in China, where audiences included people who had no idea that Native Americans still existed. “Having this opportunity to share my culture with the people of China is something special just because in a lot of countries they don’t know that natives still exist,” said Adam Conte, one of the Living Legends performers. Besides being able to share his own culture, Conte also became immersed in the Chinese culture while on tour. Conte said blending the two cultures helped melt differences. “Being able to share that with people around the world, I think that unifies us more because I think you can always draw similarities between cultures,” said Conte. Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

Professional ballroom dancer Allie Spinder recently traveled to China to perform in the BYU Spectacular, a performing group tour. Spinder, a BYU graduate, said she felt honored to represent the university again. Spinder feels that the BYU Spectacular was an important step for BYU in finding common ground with China. “What’s amazing about this show is it’s showing how alike we are,” Spinder said. “I think right now the Chinese people sense a difference and maybe even a divide between our two countries, but yet this show is bringing this great merge.” Despite the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, BYU Spectacular performers said they found common ground through dance and music while on the tour. Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

With a focus on pushing the frontiers of contemporary dance, Portland-based dance company NW Dance Project is one of the premier groups pioneering new choreography and methods in the American contemporary dance scene. BYU dance students and faculty were excited to learn from the company's innovative approach to current dance trends in a masterclass with members of the ensemble during their recent campus visit. “The professors in the contemporary area have a philosophy that we want to model for our students,” said contemporary dance professor Kate Monson. “Taking opportunities to learn from different sources is really important. That includes a physical embodiment and not just watching.”

Forty years ago, a group of Brigham Young University student performers traveled to China and put on a show that made history. This summer, the University is celebrating that anniversary with a return tour that highlights the relationship BYU and China have shared since 1979. Following the aftermath of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, BYU’s initial tour made the Young Ambassadors and Living Legends among the first Western performing arts groups to enter the country. The tour was the idea of then-BYU President Dallin H. Oaks, who had met with President Spencer W. Kimball of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1978. President Kimball spoke highly of China’s high standards and family values and upon returning from the meeting, President Oaks asked BYU officials to begin making plans for a performing arts group to go to China, despite no established U.S.-Chinese diplomatic relations at that time. But the diplomatic relations did happen in early 1979 and the show fell into place. Newly-launched China Central Television asked to broadcast BYU’s live performance and, even after the group had left the country, the channel continued to rebroadcast the performance. In the past 39 years, BYU performing groups have returned to China 28 more times. Read the full story at news.byu.edu.

The Ballroom Dance Company will perform their “Ode to Joy” and “Ritmo del Corazon” medleys for the last time On April 12 and 13, 160 students will come together to present “BYU’s Ballroom Dance in Concert.” The performance promises to showcase equal measures of quality dancing and theatrical spectacle. “Typically in the discipline of ballroom dance, you see couples dancing,” said Curt Holman, artistic director of BYU’s Ballroom Dance Company. “It’s really rare to take a group of people and create an ensemble piece that has eight couples. In some of our beginning teams, we have 16 couples on the floor. When you’re able to do that, it becomes very entertaining for the audience.” Read more at this BYU Dance article.

“Ballet in Concert” brings “Sleeping Beauty” and modern masterpieces by Balanchine and Arpino to audiences. The BYU Department of Dance hopes to introduce new fans to the splendor of ballet with the performance of “Sleeping Beauty” on Feb 28. “Ballet, by and large through the ages, has been removed from the general public,” said Shayla Bott, the concert’s artistic director. “You’re seeing dancers that move in a way that makes the general public think, ‘I can’t even walk like that, much less do what they’re doing.’ But, we really try to make it fun.” Read more here.

Dancers can struggle with eating disorders and perfectionism, but dancing environments can play a major role in helping dancers be mentally healthy. BYU dance professors are striving to make dance environments positive and healthy for dance students. While the need to be thin and “perfect” is a common mindset in the majority of the dance world, things are much different at BYU, according to BYU ballet administrator and BYU ballet artistic director Shayla Bott. Click here to read more.