| Dear Dance Alumni and Friends: | This is a milestone year for us. In 2026, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of Iowa's Bachelor of Arts in Dance, five decades of educating artists, building careers, and contributing to the cultural life of this university and beyond. We are proud of everything this program has become and deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of that history.
That gratitude extends especially to the 39 alumni and friends who gave during this year's One Day for Iowa. Your generosity was remarkable, and meaningful in ways that go beyond the dollars raised. Half of those gifts came in at the $50 level, a deliberate nod to our 50th anniversary that did not go unnoticed. And while we may be the smallest department in Performing Arts at Iowa, we had the highest donor participation of any department this year. That says everything about the community this program has built.
Thank you for continuing to invest in the future of dance at Iowa.
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 celebrating together!
Warmly,
Jennifer Kayle
Professor and Department Executive Officer
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- As we prepare to move into our new home this fall, we’re getting nostalgic about Halsey Hall. We're collecting memories—photos, reflections, shout-outs, poems, and short videos—to celebrate our history in this building. If you haven't submitted yours yet, there's still time. Keep written reflections under 100 words and videos under one minute. Find the submission link [HERE].
- Would you like to get a sneak peek inside the new Dance Building under renovation? Make plans to meet up with fellow UI Dance alumni in Iowa City May 29-30! In addition to a building tour, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a dance class in Halsey Hall and a performance by current dance students, and to take part in a fun commemorative video project. RSVP here!
- Mark your calendar for our official ribbon-cutting events, September 24-26. The invitation will come from the UI Center for Advancement, so please make sure they have your current contact info. UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO HERE.
| | | Departmental News: |
- Each spring at the University of Iowa, Iowa City becomes New Work City: a place where new works are being premiered all over campus as our graduate students in the performing arts present their creative projects to the public, often for the first time ever. This spring we’ve seen thesis performances of new work by MFA candidates Tori Leffler, Lauren Linder, and Mikey Rioux, and our Dance Graduate concert will take place May 7-9 in Space Place Theater. Come see the creative work of our grad students! DETAILS
| | | Faculty News & Accomplishments: |
- The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies has named Stephanie Miracle, assistant professor of dance, the recipient of the inaugural Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award. The new award recognizes scholars who cross disciplinary boundaries to produce insights not possible within a single field. More here
- Miracle will travel to Essen, Germany for a Guest Professorship in the Contemporary Dance Department at Folkwang University, where she’ll continue her research with master’s students through a newly commissioned performance on the Neue Aula stage. During her time abroad, she will also work with her international ensemble project FAKERS CLUB to develop a series of live cinema performances for public spaces in Germany and the Czech Republic, planned for 2027.
- Associate Professor of Instruction Kristin Marrs (2012 MFA) and former University of Iowa theatre professor Anne Marie Nest presented Chalk, a two-woman performance using movement, personal narrative, and music to explore infertility, miscarriage, and child loss with honesty and humor. Premiering in Denver, CO, at the Savoy Theater and continuing at the James Theater in Iowa City March 21–24, the project featured a talented creative team including undergrad dance students Avery Provorse and Tyler Phi, and alumni Ramin Roshandel, (2024 PhD, Music Composition), Mariana Tejeda (2020 Theatre MFA, 2022 Spanish Creative Writing MFA, and 2025 Dance MFA), and Monica Basile (2012 PhD, Women’s Studies). Read more about it here.
- Eloy Barragán, Associate Professor of Dance, will perform two movements of his Iowa Arts Council Fellowship Project at the Faculty Concert at Space Place Theater before taking the full three-movement work on the road this spring, with performances at the Stanley Museum, Figge Museum, and Des Moines Arts Center on May 12, 13, and 14. The project returns to the stage in November with a performance at Hancher Auditorium. In addition, Barragán has been invited as a Guest Artist to the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts this summer, where he will teach master classes and choreograph for the program.
- Visiting Assistant Professor Jenn Pray has an article forthcoming in The International Journal of Social, Political, and Community Agendas in the Arts titled, “Combinatorial Creativity for Senior Adults: Bridging Language and Movement in Community Engaged Storytelling and Dance.”
- Dan Fine, Associate Professor of Digital Media in Performance, recently premiered a major original devised production, The Survivor’s Way, at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Serving as co-creator, producer, and co-media designer, he collaborated with Alex Oliszewski, Julie Rada, Dana Keeton, and Brian Foley on the project.
- Professor Jennifer Kayle spent a week as resident guest artist with MADCO, a legacy dance company in St. Louis. There, she led intensive training in ensemble improvisation for company members, culminating in their first improvised stage performance. She also premiered a new work 18 months in the making, Dr. G. and the Betterfeels, featuring University of Iowa students and alumni Madison Burkhart (BFA 2026), Soraya Cohen (BFA 2025), Ellie Daley (BFA 2025), Tori Lefler (MFA 2026), and Claudia Jacobsen (BFA 2026). You can read a review for the performance HERE
| | | Alumni News & Accomplishments: |
- Jesse Factor (2018 MFA) will present his solo work The Marthaodyssey at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC, this summer. Deeply inspired by the “High Priestess of Modern Dance,” Martha Graham, and the “Queen of Pop,” Madonna, Factor forges a celebratory hybrid where discipline meets excess and devotion flirts with diva. Part modernist archive, part pop-culture pageant, part drag extravaganza, The Marthaodyssey is unapologetically fabulous. Open auditions are in May! More info at americandancefestival.org.
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