Can you believe fall semester is halfway over? If you missed some of the performances and events that have happened so far this fall, read about them below; and mark your calendars for the exciting things happening throughout the rest of the semester.
Halloween in the RB
Few can rock a costume better than a dancer and Halloween is no exception. Submit a photo of you dancing in your campus Halloween costume to alex_hatch@byu.edu to be featured in the next newsletter!
“Dance and Discipleship” with Rylee Ann Rogers
Rylee Ann Rogers, Soloist with Ballet West, taught a BYU Dance masterclass followed by a Q&A lecture on Sept. 18, 2025. Titled, “Dance & Discipleship,” Rogers focused her discussion on fostering positivity in what can be a very competitive and high-pressure career.
“Rogers touched on the importance of creating the company atmosphere that you want to dance in,” said BYU Theatre Ballet dancer Maia McBride. “She advised us to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses, while also recognizing others’ strengths. Someone else getting a role doesn’t have anything to do with your worth—it just means it is their time. The collective experience when everyone is of this mindset unifies us as a company and allows for greater achievement.”
McBride felt uplifted by the way Rogers taught the masterclass, saying that she brought passion and elegance to the studio. “She taught that ‘pressure is a privilege.’ This captured the way that I want to feel in every class: pushing past what I think I can achieve into something better,” McBride said. “She motivated me to train with complete presence and purpose. By stepping into the studio every day with this mindset, we automatically bring more joy and inspiration to others.”
Did you get the chance to attend Rogers’ lecture? Share what inspired you in the comment box below.
BYU Dancers and Musicians Create “Fragments of Movement and Sound” Together
Dance and music are integrally intertwined and the collaborative performance between the Department of Dance and the School of Music, “Fragments of Movement and Sound,” emphasized that relationship further. The performance was born when piano professor Jihea Hong-Park saw a video of Ravel’s “Boléro” performing with a ballet company in her social media feed. In an effort to help her students feel less intimidated by contemporary works, she reached out to 11 dance faculty to choreograph to György Ligeti’s “Musica Ricercata,” which was then performed by 11 pianists and 18 dancers from across different dance areas.
“Being a part of this production and dancing alongside so many talented artists was such as honor,” said Annie Openshaw, a dancer with BYU Theatre Ballet. “I had the best time working with my extraordinary choreographer, Hilary Wolfley, and my beautiful pianist, Norah Day. I am so grateful for both of them!”
Read more about this unique collaboration here.
Photo by Athena Davis
BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series Presents BODYTRAFFIC | Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. | RB Dance Performance Theatre | Tickets here
The award-winning Los Angeles-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC is coming to BYU for one night only! Founded in 2007 by artistic director Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC has earned international acclaim as one of the most forward-thinking companies in the contemporary dance world. Known for its stunning performers and technical mastery, the company’s repertoire effortlessly blends ballet, modern, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop styles, reflecting the vibrancy of its Los Angeles roots. Every piece the company performs is a testament to its mission: bringing world-class contemporary dance to new audiences through movement that is as intellectually engaging as it is visually captivating.
Read the full CFAC news release here.
DancEnsemble in Concert: Currents | Nov. 13-15 | RB Dance Performance Theatre | Tickets here
The mission of BYU DancEnsemble is mentoring and producing student contemporary choreography. This season, DancEnsemble turns its focus outward and asks, “How does the natural world inform and inspire contemporary choreography?” Eight emerging student choreographers worked alongside faculty from BYU Global Environmental Studies as they explored the Wasatch Front and studied Latter-day teachings on stewardship.
Original student works, along with new works by visiting assistant professor Jocelyn Smith and artistic director Marin Roper, will be performed by a company of 25+ dancers. Freshman and sophomore dance majors will also perform a new work by associate professor Keely Song.
Jocelyn Smith’s new piece explores natural forms and how they demonstrate divinity and truth in the eternities. The choreography is inspired by the events of Hurricane Katrina. Smith asked herself, and welcomed the students to ask themselves, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” Smith has come to one conclusion that He does it to grow compassion. “I’m not trying to negate the horrendous predicament people were put in,” she said. “But I’m learning that we can do a little better and plan more ahead for these things. Compassion can come before the event, not just after, when we take care of people.” Smith said that diving into this project has been a eye-opening and inspiring, albeit heavy, experience for her and the dancers.
One of the other professors the dancers are working with is George Handley, who runs the Global Environmental Studies minor and is an expert on the Provo River and its relationship to Utah Lake. There will a symposium held by the Global Environmental Studies minor the same weekend as the DancEnsemble performance.
Join the student choreographers for a Q&A on Thursday night.
Dance in the News: World of Dance and Homecoming Week Recap
- The Daily Universe | BYU Dance Department of Kicks of Fall with World of Dance
- The Daily Universe | BYU Dance Groups Share Light at Homecoming Opening Ceremonies
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events
- Q&A with former New York City Ballet dancer Miranda Weese | Oct. 30 at 11:00 in RB 185/187 | All BYU students, faculty, staff invited
- Contemporary Dance Study Abroad | Application Deadline | Oct. 31 | Apply here
- BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series Presents BODYTRAFFIC | Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. | RB Dance Performance Theatre | Tickets here
- Faith + Works Lecture: Jeremy Grimshaw | “The Dimple of Skin at the Tip of the Sword: How Art an Artists Deal with Hard Stuff in Hard Times” | Nov. 6 at 11:00 a.m. in Music Building Concert Hall | For CFAC faculty, students, and staff
- Living Legends Presents Seasons at West Jordan High School | Nov. 6 at 7:00 p.m. at West Jordan High School | All proceeds will be donated to the People of the Pacific Club of West Jordan High School | Tickets here
- Utah Dance Education Org. Teacher Conference | Marilyn Berrett will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award | Nov. 8 in the Richards Building | Register here.
- DancEnsemble in Concert | Nov. 13-15 | RB Dance Performance Theatre | Tickets here
- BYU Dancesport Championships | Nov. 14-15 | Wilkinson Student Center | Tickets here
- She Loves Me | BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts with choreography by dance faculty member Brooke Storheim | Nov. 7-22 | Mainstage Theatre, West Campus | Tickets here
Uplifting Thought of the Week by Cheryll Treu, CFAC Honored Alumni
Cheryll Treu came home for Homecoming week, giving the CFAC honored alumni lecture in the Richards Building Dance Performance Theatre. Treu graduated BYU in 1985 with a degree in dance and having toured internationally with BYU Ballroom Dance Company. Since 2006 she has served as the Ballroom Dance Coordinator for Alpine School District and is the co-founder of Danzinskule Education Foundation, a nonprofit supporting school ballroom programs. Her lecture, “Rhythm of Service: Steps of a Lifetime,” focused on the power dance has to change lives for the better. She shared inspiring stories from her years teaching where she has witnessed students and their communities experience the positive effects of dance.
Treu said, “I believe more strongly than ever that the arts, especially ballroom dance, have the power to shape paths of not just individuals, but families, communities, and futures.”
Treu shared that ballroom dance teaches “life skills, ones that follow dancers long after the music stops and extends far beyond the dance floor.” She believes that dance is physical, emotional, and even spiritual, and can reveal the divine potential of both teacher and student. “Ballroom dance, when taught in the right spirit, can mirror discipleship itself,” she said. “Dance is more than a skill. It’s a framework for life.”
Read more about the lecture here and watch a recap video on Instagram @byucfac.
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