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Christmas Traditions From Around the World Brought To Life Through Dance

November 16, 2023 05:20 PM
BYU’s International Folk Dance Ensemble Presents Annual “Christmas Around the World: Celebration” Performance
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Ballet Area Fosters Connectivity Through Ballet Showcase Company Rebrand

November 07, 2023 07:53 AM
BYU’s Department of Dance Renames Ballet Company
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Contemporary Dance Theatre Reimagines “King Lear” Through Dance

November 03, 2023 08:20 AM
The Department of Dance Explores Shakespearean Questions Through Contemporary Movement
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World of Dance Celebrates 55 Years of Tradition in the Marriott Center

September 07, 2023 08:38 AM
After 55 Years in the de Jong Concert Hall, BYU Department of Dance’s World of Dance To Be Performed in Marriott Center and Off-Campus
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The World is Our Campus: CFAC Students Venture Out on Experiential Learning

July 07, 2023 10:32 AM
CFAC Students Travel Nationally and Internationally to Gain Real-World Experience and Share Their Talents While Studying Abroad, Competing, Interning and Performing
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BYU’s Contemporary Dance in Concert Will Feature Guest Artists, Musical Collaboration and Aerial Dance

February 08, 2023 02:07 PM
The Dance Concert Will Be the First of its Kind and Will Showcase Faculty Research, Mentored Student Projects and Innovative Themes
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BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble Presents Journey: Reflections

February 02, 2023 11:35 AM
Join the International Folk Dance Ensemble in their Performance, Journey: Reflections, for a Night of Culture and Dance
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BYU Announces 2021 Winter Lineup of Streamed Performances

December 08, 2020 12:00 AM
BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications continues livestreamed events throughout the winter term
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Ballet Showcase Presents Faculty Choreography in Fall Concert

November 07, 2019 12:00 AM
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
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BYU Ballroom Dancer Finds Similar Values In China

June 06, 2019 12:00 AM
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.
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BYU’s China Spectacular Tour Celebrates 40 Years of Friendship

May 08, 2019 12:00 AM
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.
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BYU Folk Dance Legend Mary Bee Jensen Passes Away

April 17, 2018 12:00 AM
BYU alumna and founder of the International Folk Dance Ensemble Mary Bee Jensen passed away April 13, 2018. She was 100 years old. Mary Bee, as she was known to her family, friends and dancers, came to work at the College of Physical Education to teach square dancing before receiving her Master of Arts in Recreation Education at BYU in 1963. One of her most long-lasting and notable achievements was the formation of the International Folk Dancers in 1956. The program is the largest of its kind in the country due to Mary Bee’s willingness to fund the first international tours herself and her commitment to training the group both on and off the stage as ambassadors of the LDS Church, BYU and the United States. While under her leadership, the International Folk Dancers traveled outside of the U.S. over 20 times. In addition to international tours, Mary Bee’s students performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and in television performances seen in Bucharest, Moscow, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary. Mary Bee also co-founded the National Folk Organization and served as its president after retiring from BYU in 1985. She was also a member of the Worldwide Association for the Performing Artists Board of Advisors and was the first American appointed to the World Congress as a delegate to the Council of International Organizations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF®). She served in this position for fourteen years and received the CIOFF® Gold Award for Meritorious Service. Mary Bee’s impact on dance at BYU and the dancers she taught will not be forgotten. She leaves a legacy of dedication and love of dance through her BYU students and countless other individuals and organizations. More information about Mary Bee’s life and accomplishments can be found in BYU Magazine and on HFAC50. A memorial gathering will be held this Saturday, April 21 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Sunset Heights Stake Center in Orem located at 1260 South 400 West, followed by a funeral at 11 a.m.
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American and Chinese Students Join Together for Dance Cultural Exchange

December 15, 2017 12:00 AM
For the first time in its history, international guests from China joined the International Folk Dance Ensemble on stage for their annual Christmas concert and a life-changing cultural exchange Dancers and musicians from Minzu University of China (MUC) engaged in a cultural exchange with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE), culminating in a collaborative dance work titled “Encounter.” Weeks before their arrival, the Chinese students were still in the visa approval process and the performance was at stake, but everything came together in time for the longest-running BYU Christmas concert, “Christmas Around the World.” Department of Dance professor Jiamin Huang had a preceding working relationship with the MUC College of Dance. Huang and IFDE artistic director, Jeanette Geslison, worked together to pursue the collaborative dance project and extended an invitation to MUC last year. The goal for “Encounter” was to bring the East and the West together. Geslison said, “This project not only brings East and West together in a display of traditional dance expression true to each ethnic identity, but also allows students and audience members to engage in discovering and bridging the aesthetic of the two.” In May 2017, Huang and Geslison traveled to Beijing and spent a week with the Minzu College of Dance. During that time, they worked with 20 of their dancers and two faculty members to collaborate and to set the choreography for “Encounter.” The IFDE has been rehearsing and preparing on their end throughout fall semester. IFDE and MUC finally met together during the last week of November to combine the Encounter piece. These final rehearsals were held during the week of performances. Before they arrived, however, the Chinese visitors encountered a stumbling block. In mid-October, the Minzu students were denied their applications for a United States B-Visa and were told to re-apply for P3-Visa status. “A few weeks ago we were scrambling,” said Geslison. “Time was our crucial competitor, and I hired an immigration service in Washington, DC to help expedite the P-Visa process. All previous visiting Chinese students to BYU campus came on B-Visas. Things have changed.” Dancer Alli Moon, a dance education major and two-year member of IFDE, shared her experience with the visa issue. “When Jeanette told us that there were some issues with the visas, our whole group became very somber and we decided to pray for them at the beginning of every single one of our practices, sometimes at the end too. We also decided to do a team fast to help the group by asking for Heavenly Father’s hand to help them come. Actually, it was around the time we fasted that they ended up getting approved. That was a testimony-builder for sure. They’re meant to be here.” This is dance major McCall McClellan’s first year in IFDE. She said the ensemble felt worried because the visa issue threatened the whole “East meets West” theme of the concert. “We had other teams start learning other dances. I know the Tier II team learned a Serbian piece just in case the Minzu students couldn’t make it, so we would have something to put in the show. But we would have had to change the theme and it would’ve been completely different. We were so worried. We really wanted them to come. When we found out their visas had been approved and when they actually came, it felt surreal.” The Minzu students arrived on Nov. 27 and were greeted with a welcome party. In addition to rehearsals, the Chinese students and faculty also traveled to Salt Lake City for some sightseeing and had some free time to explore Provo and Orem. The Chinese students and faculty also presented a lecture demonstration and masterclass on folk, modern and Chinese classical dance. “They showed us what their typical daily schedule is like,” said McClellan. “They explained to us that they are a university composed of students who are from minority China. That is what they represent. We’ve seen their performance material for the concert, but it was amazing to watch other performances. I especially loved seeing the class warm up — what they do to warm up their hands. It’s cool to see that they’re not as different from us as we think. They have technique classes just like we do.” Moon shared that the lecture demonstration blew her away. She admired how much the Chinese students knew about their culture and where they came from. She learned a lot from their knowledge of folk dance and the different ethnic backgrounds they represented, calling the dancers beautiful and stunning. “After the lecture demonstration, I ended up getting in a circle with a bunch of the Minzu girls,” said Moon. “The interpreter wandered over and I got to ask them so many questions. I got to actually have a conversation with them, which is something we haven't had in rehearsals because it’s so time sensitive. It was nice to have that chance to talk.” Dance major M. Ken Nukaya has been on IFDE for three years. He said, “Even though they can’t speak English and I can’t speak Chinese, we still have a fun time. Even though we come from completely different sides of the world and have completely different cultures, we still value dance and they value dance. It’s this beautiful art that connects people around the world.” Nukaya said he was impressed with the energy the Minzu dancers and musicians brought with them. He said he knew they were going to be good, but once he actually watched them perform, he thought to himself, “Oh my gosh, I actually get to dance with them.” “There is one part in the show when we are interacting with them on stage and we take a selfie,” said Nukaya. “Even though we can’t really understand each other's languages, we understood each other. I love that we could bond over a selfie. Sincerely, the theme of the show ‘East meets West’ is so accurate. This collaboration and conglomeration of these cultures coming together and sparking this interaction is so beautiful and amazing.” Moon said she has learned that there are many different ways other than talking to connect with another person. “You can connect through having fun, through dancing, through laughing and through teaching each other. We’re learning from and with each other. There are some moves my partner has to ask me to show him the footwork for, and I have to ask him how to do the Chinese moves correctly for other parts, and it all works out. I am so impressed with their choreography and how fast they have picked up the American choreography as well.” Carissa Moser has been a member for IFDE for three years and is currently the club president. As Geslison’s assistant, she had the unique opportunity to work behind the scenes in preparation for their Chinese visitors. “I enjoy seeing them showcase what they do,” said Moser. “There’s one part of ‘Encounter’ when we scoot to the side and look at our partner a couple of times and my partner and I always make faces at each other. It always brings a smile to my face.” “Encounter” is the final number of the concert and combines American clogging with Chinese Tibetan folk dance. The BYU and MUC dancers and musicians all join together to personify the theme of the concert. The two dance groups partner off with a member of the opposite gender and country to celebrate life, art and love during the dance number. Nukaya said this experience has made him grateful for the IFDE program. “Because of this program, I have the opportunity to be a part of a face of what this ensemble stands for,” said Nukaya. “And what we stand for is being an ambassador to other countries and keeping open arms towards them. I’m so glad to have met these people, to have formed relationships with them and to perform with them.” After months of rehearsing separately and leaving gaps in spaces and wait time during music, McClellan said it was incredible to finally bring “Encounter” together as a piece. The dancers from both ensembles did not know what the other ensemble would be doing during those gaps. “The piece has really been brought together amazingly and that has been a really neat experience,” said McClellan. “Anytime I have experiences like this, I’m always reminded that the world is a lot bigger than Provo, Utah, and that there are a lot of really talented people in the world. It’s inspiring to me that there is all this talent in the world and it makes me want to go see it and explore it.”
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International Folk Dance Ensemble Celebrates 60th Anniversary in Southeast Asia

August 01, 2017 12:00 AM
Ensemble members share favorite memories from their Spring tour
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The Ballroom Dance Company Swings and Sways Through South America

August 01, 2017 12:00 AM
Dancers Spencer Crawford and Jessie Dayton share their highlights of performing and volunteering during the tour to Chile and Argentina
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Christmas Around the World

November 21, 2016 12:00 AM
Celebrate 'Festival!' with BYU’s Christmas Around the World Christmas Around the World, the longest running annual Christmas production on BYU campus, opens Friday, Dec. 2 and continues Saturday, Dec. 3 in the Marriott Center. Presented by BYU Department of Dance and the International Folk Dance Ensemble, this holiday tradition—themed “Festival!” for 2016—showcases the rich ethnic diversity of the world through music and dance, and features more than 200 dancers, singers and musicians, with colorful costumes and captivating choreography. “This year’s concert brings to the stage the international festival experience that has created countless meaningful impressions and lasting friendships over the last 60 years of touring,” said Jeanette Geslison, artistic director of the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble. “We invite everyone to come, meet and interact with dancers in costume, live music, crafts, activities, jugglers, food vendors and a special alumni booth.” The International Folk Dance Ensemble will premiere new choreographies this year representing Ukraine, Mexico, Ireland, Hungary, Indonesia and Palestine. In addition, special guest musicians I-Shan Lai (Chinese Violin) and Kerry Christensen, yodeler and Alpine horn. The BYU Folk Music Ensemble will enhance the production with live music. Patrons should plan to arrive early to join the festival activities on the Marriott Center concourse for food and fun cultural activities. International Folk Dance festivals are held world-wide to promote the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. At festivals the students share traditional American dance and music as they serve as ambassadors of BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the U.S. Folk dance festivals encourage people from around the world to gather despite cultural, political, social, or religious differences. Geographical boundaries dissipate which motivates dancers, musicians, and audience members to become united one with another. The program is sponsored by BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, Department of Dance and World Dance faculty.
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Tuesday’s devotional dedicated to BYU premier dance groups

November 08, 2016 12:00 AM
Five of the Brigham Young University’s Department of Dance premier dance groups will perform during an assembly in the Marriott Center on Nov. 8 at 11:05 a.m. The Ballroom Dance Company, Living Legends, Theatre Ballet, the International Folk Dance Ensemble and Contemporary Dance Theatre will all perform. Each dance group will present choreography demonstrating how dance can be used to inspire, imagine, reflect, celebrate, remember or express with the theme of “Together, let’s dance—just for the joy of it.” “The assembly celebrates one of the cheerful ways we express our faith and hope through a variety of expressions of joy through dance,” said Marilyn Berrett, Department of Dance chair. Berrett also referenced the words of President Russell M. Nelson who recently spoke about joy in the October General Conference. “That’s it! Saints can be happy under every circumstance,” said Nelson. “We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year! My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. The BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications is home to the largest and most versatile dance department in the United States. For more than 50 years, BYU students have shared a spirit of joy with people worldwide through the creative expression of dance. Performances strive to benefit and support members of the Church in distant lands, and can be seen on campus throughout the year. The BYU Department of Dance is also pleased to present the BYU DanceSport Championships on Nov. 11-12, BYU’s dancEnsemble concert on Nov. 11-12 and the Senior Dance Projects Showcase on Nov. 19. Performance Date: Nov. 8 Time: 11:05 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Location: Marriott Center, BYU Price: Free
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BYU DANCE in Concert to Feature Five Dance Performance Groups, Sept. 15-17

September 07, 2016 12:00 AM
The BYU Department of Dance will present this year’s BYU DANCE in Concert in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center from Sept. 15-17, at 7:30 p.m. There will be a matinee performance on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. The concert will feature performances from the BYU Ballroom Dance Company, Contemporary Dance Theatre, International Folk Dance Ensemble, Living Legends and Theatre Ballet groups, in a rare opportunity to see multiple dance ensembles in one sitting.
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