2024-2025 Professional Presenting Season
At Ƶ State University Department of Dance, we host professional companies not only to show our students what is possible in dance performance, but also to share professional works with the community at large.
Previous Professional Seasons
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2023-2024
- BODYTRAFFIC
- Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre
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2022-2023
- Boca Tuya, Amor
- Hofesh Shechter Company, Clowns and Political Mother
- Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Long ago and Only Once
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2021-2022
- Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Marley Was Dead, To Begin With.
- Tentacle Tribe, Ghost
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2020-2021
- Shaden Dance Company, Trilogy
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2019-2020
- Charlotte Ballet, Redbird and Walking Mad
- Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Modern Myths
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2018-2019
- Spellbound Contemporary Dance Company, Full Moon
- Ballet X and Terminus Modern Ballet Theater, Off the Edge
- BODYTRAFFIC, Dust; and at midnight, the green bride floated through the village square
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2017-2018
- Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Horses in the Sky
Guest Artists
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Fall 2023
Senegalese choreographer Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye ("Kaolack") delighted students, faculty, and patrons as a guest artist at Ƶ in fall 2023. Born and born and raised in Senegal by his grandmother, Kaolack began his professional dance career at École des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. -
Summer 2023
Lior Lazorof and Nicola Wills were chosen to set works on the Ƶ Dance Company dance majors and alumni for the opening season concert, Double Exposure. -
Fall 2022
Dance performer and creator Jamal White joined Ƶ Dance as our Artist-in-Residence. Based in Birmingham, AL, Jamal has performed works by many well-known choreographers, including George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, and Hofesh Shechter. -
Summer 2022
Tsai Hsi Hung and Chuck Wilt were chosen to set works on the Ƶ Dance Company dance majors and alumni for the opening season concert, Double Exposure. -
Fall 2021
Ido Gidron, a performance artist, dancer, and choreographer, joined Ƶ Dance as our Artist-in-Residence. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Ido's residency was made possible with support from the Israeli Institute.
Heath Gill, a prominent Atlanta choreographer, joined Ƶ Dance as a guest choreographer, choreographing a ballet work for the Ƶ Dance Company fall concert, Forces of Grace.
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Summer 2021
Annalee Traylor and Omar Román De Jesús set works on the Ƶ Dance Company dance majors and alumni for our opening season concert, Double Exposure.
Glenn Edgerton, former dancer of the Nederlands Dance Theater (NDT), former executive artistic director of NDT1, and former artistic director of Hubbard Street, held a 2-week intensive Jiri Kylián repertory workshop.
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Fall 2019
Jimmy Orrante, choreographed classical ballet work Onward for the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2019 concert, Slang. -
Fall 2018
Sean Nguyen-Hilton, Ƶ Dance 2018-2019 Artist-in Residence. Choreographed work Public Domain on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2018 concert, Pariah, and taught DANC 3310 Modern II and DANC 3600 Dance Improvisation. -
Fall 2017
James Graham, choreographed work Path of Occlusion on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2017 concert, Suspended Vision, and taught gaga classes.
Martha Goodman choreographed classical ballet work Allego Vivo on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2017 concert.
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Fall 2016
Ella Ben-Aaron, Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist. Ƶ Dance Artist-in-Residence, choreographed work Hyperselves on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2016 concert, MELD, and taught DANC 3500 Choreography I. -
Fall 2015
Ido Tadmor choreographed work The Empty Room on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2015 concert, TEN, celebrating 10 years of Ƶ Dance. -
Fall 2014
Ido Tadmor choreographed work Black Morning on the Ƶ Dance Company for the Fall 2014 concert, Pyromania.
Masterclasses
The Department of Dance offers masterclasses each semester for our students to learn firsthand from experts in the field.
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Spring 2024
Classical Ballet, Christine Welker
Bodytraffic, Master Class
Improvisation, Tarra Lee
Flamenco, Stéphanie Boulard
Performance Readiness, John Welker
Gyrokineses, Georgia Dalton
Terminus Repertoire, Rachel Van Buskirk
Contemporary Ballet, Christian Clark
Contemporary, Elizabeth Labovitz
Contemporary Hip-Hop, Darvensky Louis -
Fall 2023
Injury prevention, Ashton Hilbrands
Senegalese Dance, Kaolack,
Improvisation, John Welker
Gyrokinesis, Georgia Dalton
Classical Ballet, Christine Welker
Contemporary, Christian Clark
Contemporary Ballet, Rachel Van Buskirk
Latin, Ana Llorente
Classical Ballet, Tara Lee
Performance Readiness, John Welker
Contemporary Hip Hop, Darvensky Louis -
Spring 2023
Classical Ballet, Jackie Nash
Bocatuya Masterclass
Contemporary Ballet, Christine Welker
Improvisation, Tara Lee
Jazz/Modern, Laura Morton
Contemporary Partnering, Christian Clark
Injury Prevention and Body Maintenance. Ashton Hillbrands
Ballet, Rachel Van Buskirk
Performance Readiness, John Welker
Contemporary Hip Hop, Darvensky Louis -
Fall 2022
Improvisation, Laura Morton
Broadway, Cary Tedder
Contemporary Ballet, Tara Lee
Contemporary Partnering, Christian Clark
Indian Dance, Anupa Thakurta
Contemporary, Jackie Nash
Latin, Ana Llorente
Performance Readiness, John Welker
Contemporary Hip-Hop, Darvensky Louis -
Spring 2022
Injury Prevention, Ashton Hilbrands
Laura Morton, Contemporary Ballet
Onye Ozuzu, Technology of a Circle
Christina Johnson, Classical Ballet
Joy Davis, Countertechinque
Christian Clark, Contemporary Partnering
Tara Lee, Contemporary
Jackie Nash, Contemporary Ballet
Rachel Van Buskirk, Classical Ballet
John Welker, Mental Readiness
Darvensky Louis, Contemporary Hip Hop -
Fall 2021
Jackie Nash, Classical Ballet
Ashley Eleby, Improvisation
Ido Gidron, GAGA
Christian Clark, Classical Ballet
Contemporary Ballet, Tara Lee
Meg Brooker, Duncan Technique
John Walker, Mental Readiness
Donald Byrd, Modern
Rachel Van Buskirk, Contemporary Ballet
Xay Zoleil, Hip Hop -
Spring 2021
Rachel Van Buskirk, Classical Ballet
Laura Morton, Improvisation
Christian Clark, Contemporary Ballet
Xavier Lewis, Hip Hop
Shaden Dance Company
John Welker, Classical Ballet
Thang Dao, Modern
Heath Gill, Improvisation
John Welker, Mental Readiness
McCree O'Kelley, Ballet
Lisa K. Lock, Modern -
Fall 2020
Marsha Barsky, Gyrokinesis
John Welker, Modern
Caroline Clark, Butoh
Tara Lee, Contemporary Ballet
Rachel Van Buskirk, Classical Ballet
Heath Gill, Improvisation
Jon Carr, Contemporary
John Welker- Mental Readiness
Christian Clark, Classical Ballet
Laura Morton, Improvisation
Alex Gonzaga, Contemporary Ballet
Xavier Lewis, Hip Hop -
Spring 2020
Tara Lee, Contemporary Ballet
Toni Jenkins, Classical Ballet
Xavier Lewis, Hip Hop
Caroline Clark, Butoh
Ana Llorente, Latin
McCree O’Kelley, Virtual Ballet -
Fall 2019
Stacey Slichter, Classical Ballet
Dre Lakin, Injury Prevention
Carson Hobbs, Musical Theatre
Dr. Ivan Pulinkala, Modern
Ana Llorente, Latin
Sarah Hillmer, Contemporary Ballet
AJ Paug, Hip Hop
John Welker, Contemporary Ballet and Dance Performance and Mental Readiness (Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre)
Tara Lee, Classical Ballet (Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre) -
Spring 2019
Christine Welker, Classical Ballet
Jon Carr, Contemporary
Jan Wikstrom, Voice
Carson Hobbs, Musical Theater
Sarah Hillmer, Contemporary Ballet
Dre Lakin, Jazz
Sean Nguyen-Hilton, Modern
Nicole Johnson, Contemporary Ballet -
Fall 2018
Nicole Johnson, Contemporary Ballet
Martha Goodman, Classical Ballet
Harrison Long, Acting for Dancers
Julie Galle Baggenstoss, Flamenco
Sarah Hillmer, Contemporary Ballet