Our dance students are enjoying the final weeks of summer term, with performing groups still touring nationally and internationally. On campus, BYU Summer Dance Camps are coming to a close.
Kinnect Teaches and Performs at daCi in Maryland
In June, Kinnect performed at and participated in the 2026 Dance and the Child International Conference (daCi) in Maryland. The conference is specifically focused on intergenerational dancing with classes and workshops made up of all ages. While the workshops were led by professionals, the creative sessions were collaborative; everyone worked together to create an intergenerational dance to perform on the last night of the conference.
“I had so many people comment on how wonderful the BYU students were in helping facilitate the sessions and collaborate with children and adults,” said Karen Jensen, director of Kinnect and creative session leader at the conference. “It was great to see their skillset, their choreography, their leadership all coming into play. Kinnect’s mission is to create a thematic show that we tour to elementary schools where we then teach, so the students are creators, performers, and teachers. I met two directors from programs similar to ours at the conference, but not many universities have a dance program like Kinnect.”
Jensen said that seeing five-year-olds sharing the stage with 80-year-olds was magical. “Dancing is for everyone,” she said. “It’s rare to see a dance program that isn’t concerned with age or ability level, rather the focus is on everyone coming together and celebrating through dance.”
“The intergenerational aspect of daCi was spiritually uplifting to me because I felt like it was a celebration of creation and the gift that our bodies are,” said Kinnect student Miriam Lamb.
One way the Kinnect students connected with other conference participants was by passing our BYU dance stickers. Each had the challenge of finding a friend and giving them a sticker.
This year, Kinnect’s show, “Flight,” was inspired by the Wright Brothers, and focused on history, geography, and invention. The piece was choreographed by Jocelyn Smith, BYU dance visiting faculty, who also attended the conference.
“We were one of two college programs that performed and it was so cool to see how the audience responded to the piece,” said Jensen. “People appreciated that we were showcasing a truly creative dance centered around imagination, and how we tied history and dance together.”
Kinnect student Emma Brenay said she felt the Holy Spirit while performing. “When we were dancing on stage, I just felt the Spirit so strong even though it wasn’t necessarily a spiritual piece,” she said. “I could feel God’s love as I danced with my company, and I felt a sense of gratitude to get to share my love of dance and God in those short four minutes. Many of the members in the audience might not have been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I know they felt that Spirit, too, without even knowing it.”
Summer Dance Camps: Contemporary Dance, Living Legends, YASE
BYU Dance Camps continued throughout July as students fill the RB halls with the sounds of music, laughter, and rhythmic steps. The Contemporary Dance Intensive was split into two sessions where students had the opportunity to learn a variety of contemporary dance styles, including hip hop, from BYU faculty and guest artists. One highlight for many of the students was getting to learn from and dance with Cosmo the Cougar.
Students in the Living Legends Dance Camp spent three days immersed in cultural dance from North and South America and Polynesia. They had the chance to learn first hand from current Living Legends students, participate in a talent show, and perform for their family and friends in a final showcase.
For two one-week sessions of the Young Ambassadors Singing Entertainers workshop, high school students studied music and dance under Young Ambassadors director Nathan Balser and other experienced entertainers. They had the opportunity to participate in an Entertainers’ Showcase and a Final Performance for family and friends. They had group dance classes and small-group instruction to develop technique in dance, voice, and stage presence.
Uplifting Thought of the Week by dance student Mac Moore as told to Ellie Lallatin, CFAC External Relations
Student Mac Moore choreographed a piece for DancEnsemble, titled “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” which was then accepted to be adjudicated at the Red Rocks Dance Festival in St. George. She choreographed a second piece, “Ask Me How I know,” which was a tribute to her aunt who passed away from breast cancer in 2025. She submitted her choreography to the Minerva Teichert Creative Works Contest and won.
“Dancing through the heartbreak and loss [of losing my aunt] is what kept me going,” Moore said. “‘Keep on dancing!’ were the last words [my aunt] said to me, and every time I keep on dancing, I receive insurmountable blessings. Throughout the rehearsal process for ‘Ask Me How I Know,’ I could feel her presence in the room with me. Every time I came into the studio, I felt God creating this piece alongside me. Receiving the Minerva Teichert Prize feels like confirmation that I am on the right path.”
Read more about Moore and her choreography in an article written by Ellie Lallatin for CFAC External Relations, here.
