| Dear Dance Alumni and Friends: | On the cusp of moving into our new dance building (fall 2026!), and with our fall events in full swing, it is a thrilling time to be the new chair of the UI Department of Dance!
I am so excited that our annual Dance Gala returns to the Hancher mainstage this month with a program featuring both emerging and iconic artists.
This semester our department is honored to take part in celebrating the centennial of Robert Rauschenberg through a multilayered residency with the world-renowned Trisha Brown Dance Company (TBDC)—and our Dance Gala guest piece Foray Forêt, choreographed by the post-modern dance pioneer and legend Trisha Brown, kicks it all off.
Assistant Professor Melinda Jean Myers (2012 MFA), a TBDC alum, taught our student performers exact sequences from the original choreography and guided them through an extensive improvisation process using the same set of instructions Brown gave to her company: Keep it simple, act on instinct, stay on the edge, work with visibility and invisibility, and get in line. This rendition of Foray Forêt is a combination of Brown’s original choreography with sections rebuilt in collaboration with our students.
In November, TBDC will perform Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage at Hancher Auditorium, featuring two pieces with sets and costumes designed by Rauschenberg. Our student dancers will join them onstage to again perform Trisha Brown’s Foray Forêt, a rare and exciting opportunity for our community to witness the next generation of artists stepping into such an important legacy.
We are fortunate to have two of our faculty, Melinda Jean Myers and Tony Orrico (also a former member of TBDC), serving as key collaborators throughout this residency. Alongside the Hancher performance, audiences will have the chance to engage with the company through a variety of free events, including multiple performances of Floor of the Forest, a public talk at the Stanley Museum of Art, and performances of In Plain Site in the Hancher lobby and the Visual Arts Building. It’s hard to say enough about how truly special this residency will be, and how lucky we are to welcome the Trisha Brown Dance Company to our campus.
Later in October, the International Writing Program & Dance Collaboration will bring global voices and movement artists together for a unique exchange of creativity. Finally, our semester will conclude with the Graduate/Undergraduate Concert in December, featuring original works by our student choreographers.
I encourage you to explore the Upcoming Dance Events links below for more details, and we’d love for you to join us in celebrating the creativity and dedication of our faculty and students. Take a look at some of their recent highlights, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for ongoing updates.
We are eager to hear about your accomplishments and accolades, too—so please share your news with us! SEND US YOUR NEWS
Thank you for your support, and I look forward to sharing all these experiences together!
Warmly,
Jennifer Kayle
Professor and Department Executive Officer | | | Departmental News: |
- In case you missed it: The UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences released a new recruitment video this spring showcasing our department. The video highlights the vibrant work of our community and features undergraduate Dance major (and now a 2025 BFA grad) Maddie Bulman. We’re excited to share this spotlight on our students and the inspiring work happening in Dance at Iowa. Check out the video HERE.
- This summer, UI dancers Evelyn Becker and Isabella Kees performed an excerpt from "Stillness Knitting Breath," choreographed by Eloy Barragán, composed by Katie Robbins, costumes by Margaret Wenk-Kuchlbauer, and dramaturgy by Mariana Tejeda, at the DUMBO Dance Festival in Brooklyn, NY. The work explores family lineage, memories, and the world of dreams to create a dance that moves seamlessly through time and cultures, establishing the here and now with hints of surrealism. VIEW PHOTOS
- Kyle Marshall (another former TBDC dancer!) will join us this year as the 2025–2026 Grant Wood Fellow in Interdisciplinary Performance-Dance at the University of Iowa. As the artistic director of Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC), he leads a company that approaches the dancing body as a vessel of history, a catalyst for social change, and a site of celebration. Since its founding in 2014, KMC has performed at venues including The Joyce Theater, Chelsea Factory, BAM Next Wave Festival, NJPAC, The Shed, Little Island, and Roulette. Marshall’s work has received numerous accolades, including a 2018 NY Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award, a 2020 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award, and recognition as a 2020 Bessie Honoree for the revival of Colored. He also served as the 2021–2022 Caroline Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts. In his role as Grant Wood Fellow, Marshall will teach courses in contemporary dance and collaborate with students and faculty to foster interdisciplinary artistic exploration. Read more about his work HERE.
- We recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the International ScreenDance Festival, a dynamic event that brought together artists, students, and local audiences in the hybrid art form of dance film. Founded and directed by Professor Eloy Barragán and held at FilmScene’s Chauncey location in Iowa City, the festival celebrated a decade of creativity and community through compelling cinematic interpretations of movement. 2025 BFA grad Ellie Daley’s film Hours Were the Birds (featuring UI student dancers Madison Burkhart and Ruby Gentzler) was selected by the curatorial team for this special edition of the festival.
| | | Faculty News & Accomplishments: |
- Summer 2025 has been a season of recognition and celebration for Professor Eloy Barragán, whose artistry and leadership continue to enrich Iowa’s cultural landscape and beyond. Featured in Dance Teacher Magazine in June and named a recipient of the prestigious Iowa Artist Fellowship in August, Barragán was recognized for both his creative work and his commitment to mentorship. Looking ahead, he will take on a leadership role in Iowa City’s Cultural Latino Week this fall, and in December he will direct the 20th anniversary of the Iowa Dance Festival — furthering his mission to build community through dance, creativity, and cultural exchange.
- Daniel Fine, Theatre Arts and Dance Associate Professor, recently released the second edition of his co-authored book Digital Media, Projection Design & Technology for Theatre (January 2025), a comprehensive guide to integrating digital media in live performance that now includes chapters on emerging technologies such as VR/AR, generative AI, and motion capture, along with ten new case studies. Learn more about the book HERE. His upcoming artistic projects include The Survivors’ Way (premiering February 2026), the latest iteration of his collaboration Media Clown featuring a mobile projection bike and motion capture suit, and co-chairing the New Media Caucus’ 2026 symposium in Mesa, AZ. In addition, he recently developed a new course, Digital Graffiti: The Art of Architectural Projection Mapping, which debuted in Spring 2025 with final projects projected onto the Theatre Building façade and will return in Spring 2026.
- Professor of Dance and DEO of the Dance Department Jennifer Kayle spent her recent research leave advancing several major projects. She completed the final draft of her book Always in the Making: A Practical Philosophy of Ensemble Improvisation, which is now under review with a publisher. She also collaborated with award-winning screen dance maker and alumna Tori Lawrence on Time / Lapse, a screen dance filmed in the Tucson desert that will premiere September 13 in Northampton, MA. In addition, she is developing Sew-low, a solo co-choreographed and directed by Pamela Vail that explores the experience of the aging dancer, and Dr. G. and the Betterfeels, an evening-length satire on resilience and “feel-good” culture. Both works will premiere in St. Louis, first at Southern Illinois University, and next in a shared evening with St. Louis Dance Company MADCO in February 2026, with Dr. G. featuring UI students and alumni Ellie Daley (BFA ’25), Soraya Cohen (BFA ’25), Tori Lefler (MFA ’26), Claudia Jacobsen (BFA ’26), and Madison Burkhart (BFA ’26).
- Professor George R. De La Peña is collaborating with multi-award-winning director Martha Clarke on her new work The Artist and His Model and will also serve as Assistant Director on her current project inspired by artist Henry Darger. In addition, he continues to develop new projects at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City, furthering his work at the intersection of performance and innovative theatre-making.
- This summer, Professor Tony Orrico performed a durational piece at the D5 Live Arts Festival in France, combining installation, dance, and live drawing to reflect on cycles of transformation in silk production. Looking ahead, he will present two performance works at the Museo Picasso Málaga (Spain) in February 2026, including a four-hour live drawing and a duet with Professor Melinda Myers, with whom he will also lead a workshop for a local conservatory.
| | | Upcoming Events: | DANCE GALA
October 17-18, 2025
Hancher Auditorium
Ticketed concert
INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM & DANCE COLLABORATION
October 25, 2025
Space Place Theatre
FREE
TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY + UI DANCE
Trisha Brown’s Floor of the Forest
Set by Assistant Professor Tony Orrico, performed by UI Dance students
November 1-7, 2025
Visual Arts Building
FREE
TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY
In Plain Site
November 4, 2025
Hancher Lobby
FREE
TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY
In Plain Site + Floor of the Forest
November 5, 2025
Visual Arts Building
TBDC dancers will perform In Plain Site, followed by a special presentation of Floor of the Forest, activated by Kyle Marshall and performed by UI Dance students
FREE
RESTAGING TRISHA BROWN & MERCE CUNNINGHAM IN COLLABORATION WITH ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
A free conversation with artists and scholars reflecting on the restaging of historic collaborations between visual artist Robert Rauschenberg and
choreographers Trisha Brown and Merce Cunningham
November 6, 2025
Stanley Museum of Art
FREE
TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY
Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage
Student dancers from the University of Iowa’s Department of Dance will perform
Brown’s Foray Forêt (1990), restaged by Assistant Professor Melinda Jean Myers.
November 7, 2025
Hancher Auditorium
Ticketed concert | | | |
