The holidays are right around the corner but BYU dancers are keeping busy with Christmas Around the World, the Senior Capstone Concert, Winter 2026 auditions, and scholarship applications.
BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble Presents Christmas Around the World
December 5-6 in the Marriott Center | Purchase tickets here
Christmas Around the World is a favorite holiday tradition here on BYU campus. This year the International Folk Dance Ensembles explore the question, “What are some places we gather during Christmas time?” The dancers will use props to create a church, a town square, a home, and a stable as they share traditional dances from countries across the globe.
160 folk dancers will be joined on stage by BYU Mountain Strings and two Irish dance schools from the community. Shelley School of Irish Dance was founded in 1999 by BYU Folk Dance alum Tina Shelley, making it the oldest certified Irish Dance school in Utah. Harp Irish Dance company is directed by BYU Folk Dance alum Aubree Walker Shelley and trains students in both modern and traditional Irish styles. Dancers from these two schools will join IFDE in a double reel, one of the best ways to showcase Irish dance.
This semester, IFDE dancers learned from Turkish choreographer Ahmet Lüleci, who came to set two pieces that will be featured in Christmas Around the World. This was Lüleci’s fourth visit to BYU, and his passion and intimate understanding of Turkish dance continue to impact the students.
“The dances we learn from guest choreographers like Lüleci don’t stay in the classroom,” said Levi Hancock. “They become part of the performances we share with audiences across the country and even internationally. Every year, thousands of people experience joy through these shows, and it’s inspiring to realize that something we learned in just a few days with Lüleci can ripple outward to touch so many lives. In that way, our learning directly translates into service as we share culture, joy, and connection through performance.”
Another unique aspect of Christmas Around the World is that it will feature the BYU Scottish Highland Dance Club and the Wasatch & District Pipe Band. This year IFDE has 8 Scottish dancers on the ensemble, each highly trained in the athletic footwork that makes traditional Scottish dance so exciting to watch.
Preshow activities will take place in the concourse one hour prior to the show.
Check out @byu_folkdance on Instagram for a chance to win two tickets to Christmas Around the World and a BYU Folk Dance Jacket.
2025 CFAC Creative Works Contest Winner: Colette Radstone
Congratulations to Colette Radstone, a senior majoring in American Studies with a minor in ballet, who won first place for the Visual Media category of the 2025 CFAC Creative Works Contest. Colette created a video documenting her experience cataloging dancers from the Joffrey Ballet for the “Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S.” exhibition at Lincoln Center in New York City. Her goal was to find the names of every dancer who has been a part of the Joffrey Ballet. The names, all 710 that she found, were projected in a revolving list on the wall of the exhibition. Colette scoured books, documents, and programs to find the names and used the coding language R to organize her findings.
“The biggest lesson I learned was about having the courage to ask,” she said about her experience. “I knew I was being nudged by the Spirit, and once I acted, everything unfolded in ways far better than I could have planned. God showed me that His plan does not end at BYU. Rather, BYU is a platform that launches me into the next step of learning and service.”
To read Colette’s winning entry, click here. To learn more about the contest and how to enter next year, click here.
Dance in the News:
- YouTube | Young Ambassadors “For Good x See You Again (Medley)”
- Y Magazine | Ambassadors in Asia, BYU Ballroom
- @byucfac on Instagram | Check out four reels on CFAC students’ experience in Shanghai
- CFAC News | BYU Performing Groups Inspire in Shanghai Arts Festival
- CFAC News | Check Out CFAC Holiday Events, Performances, Releases
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events
- Dance Talent Award Auditions | Visit this SlideRoom link for applications for Ballet (Due Dec. 1), Ballroom (Due Dec. 1), Contemporary (Due Dec. 10), and Cultural (Due Dec. 8) areas. More information and instructions can be found at https://dance.byu.edu/grants-and-scholarships
- Faith + Works Lecture: Alexandra Mackenzie Johns | “Conversations with Our Lively Dead: Theatre, Belonging, and Home” | Dec. 4 at 11:00 a.m. in WCCB Mainstage Theatre | CFAC faculty, students, and staff invited
- Senior Capstone Concert: Threads | Dec. 4-5 at 7:30 p.m. in the RB Dance Performance Theatre | Free Admission
- Christmas Around the World | Dec. 5-6 in the Marriott Center | Purchase tickets here
- Christmas Around the World Folk Dance Alumni Reception | Dec. 6 at 4:00 p.m. in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center
- Theatre Ballet Studio Company Winter 2026 Auditions | Dec. 6 at 9:00-10:30 a.m. in 283 RB | Register here https://form.jotform.com/240044571494051
- American College Dance Association 2026 Conference | Application Due Dec. 17, 2025 | Apply here
Now Hiring | CFAC Job Openings as of 11/26/25 | To Apply, Visit https://hrs.byu.edu/job-seekers
- [Non-Student Position] Technical Director | Department of Dance | Part-time | JR-6901
- The Technical Director provides technical and logistical support for the Department of Dance performance and touring program locally, nationally, and internationally. This position assists with student learning through mentored training on campus performances and touring experiences.
- [Non-Student Position] Contemporary Dance Adjunct Faculty | Department of Dance | Part-time | JR-6808
- Responsibilities include instructing beginning, intermediate, or advanced Jazz technique and theory classes and/or instructing contemporary modern dance, specifically beginning to advanced levels of technique, and/or creative process courses.
Uplifting Thought of the Week | BYU Dancers Give Thanks
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