CFAC Job Openings ~ As of April 8, 2021 ~ To apply, visit yjobs.byu.edu.
BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) OPEN POSITIONS FOR STUDENTS // Spring + Summer 2021 (training TBD)
Assistant PR Coordinator – Y Jobs ID: 95498
Supports managers and other employees by providing administrative and campaign support and ensuring efficient operation of the office. This position is ideal for students interested in boosting their portfolio and working in communications, public relations and marketing campaigns.
Admin Assistant – Y Jobs ID: : 95497
Supports managers and other employees by providing administrative and campaign support and ensuring efficient operation of the office. This position is ideal for students who are highly organized and have a great attention for detail.
Web Developers – Y Jobs ID: 95473
We are looking for two student web developers. This job involves working closely with others to build these sites as well as troubleshooting and debugging them. This position is ideal for technical majors such as Information Technology or Computer Science.
Writer – Y Jobs ID: 95820
The student writer will work on releases and features for BYU Arts and the six academic units within the college (Art, Communications, Dance, Design, Music, Theatre & Media Arts). Articles will focus on events and student and faculty experiences. These articles are posted on the college and BYU Arts websites. Recent examples can be found on cfac.byu.edu/news and arts.byu.edu/news. This position is ideal for journalism, PR or editing majors.
The Senior Writer will work on releases and features of BYU Arts and the six academic units within the college. In addition to these duties, the Senior Writer edits all articles that come through from the student writers, as well as provides general copy editing work for the whole office. The Senior writer is a leadership and mentoring position that is crucial to the office’s overall performance.
BONUS!
BYU Arts is also hiring! See the job posting from Bridget Benton below: Events Specialist: YJobs Code ID: 96154
The events specialist serves as an assistant to the producer of the BRAVO! Series in planning for and executing season performances. As an assistant, you will be interacting with, providing assistance to, and learning from world-famous performers!
BYU Photo, Feb. 2021, Kinnect Dance Photo Shoot. All students tested negative for COVID-19 before the shoot.
BYU Dance students from the ’20 – ’21 Kinnect troupe share their experiences from performing and creating this past year. The Artistic Director of Kinnect, and inspiring professor and mentor of these students, is Angela Rosales Challis, a renown dance videographer, choreographer, and international dancer.
In their own words:
Solana Armitage, courtesy of the artist
Solana Armitage: BYU Sophomore, Dance BA Major from Glendale, AZ
What is Kinnect to you? Even though a major part of Kinnect is teaching and inspiring elementary kids, our reach goes further to people and dancers of all ages, including ourselves. Everyone can find their own inspiration from Kinnect, but I have developed creativity, dance technique and leadership from this team.
What do you love best about it? My favorite part about Kinnect is that even though we are a performing team, our work is not solely performance based. We also focus on the creative process of choreographing, teaching, and working together as a team which benefits us as individuals and as a group. It is this blend of specialties that has given me the opportunity to grow not only as a dancer, but as a creator.
How did you hear about Kinnect? By being a dance major, being involved in the department, and connecting with others who are involved, it lead me to audition for Kinnect, and I am so grateful I did!
What would you tell other dancers about it? Starting the first day of practice, we have worked on creating an environment of trust, respect, and support that has not only made me feel welcomed as a team member, but also as a friend. Some of the best relationships I have made at BYU have been through dance!
How has it changed you? I feel more confident in my decision to study dance and in my areas of interest. Diving into the creative process with Kinnect has pushed me in realizing my love for dance and its development. Kinnect has also given me new experiences such as being on real film sets and discovering my interest with that.
Camille Winn, photos courtesy of the artist
Camille Winn: BYU Sophomore, Dance BA Major from Chandler, AZ
Kinnect to me is a collaborative and creative place to enhance my problem-solving skills and learn from other talented dancers and students who all bring unique abilities and insights to the company.
I love the environment of excitement and energy that is created by so many dancers who all see dance differently and have been introduced to dance in a variety of settings and chapters of life.
I was asked to audition at the callbacks for Kinnect at the end of 2019 for the 2020 Winter/Spring semester. Before I was asked to attend callbacks, I had not known what Kinnect was because I was only finishing my first semester at BYU. I wish I had known what Kinnect was before that audition. My hope is that Kinnect can become more known and appreciated for its commendable mission and goal to create, perform, and teach not only the children we visit in the schools, but also our fellow company members and peers!
I would share with other students that Kinnect offers opportunities to create inspiring movement and pieces of art, perform technically and artistically centered choreography, and teach eager children the joy of creative dance!
Kinnect has enlightened my understanding of learning and exploration. Although I have learned much from our director, Angela Rosales-Challis, and my fellow company members, no one has taught me more than the children I was privileged to teach once in early 2020. Before the pandemic sent BYU students home, I was able to teach one class at an elementary school and the beaming little faces of those children as they confidently learned and explored through their individual movement was so inspiring and touching that I could not wait to visit them more. We are praying we will have that opportunity again this coming Spring term because Kinnect would not be Kinnect without the children we teach.
Spencer Waddell with Savannah Brown, duet, Feb. 2021, BYU Photo
Spencer Waddell: BYU Sophomore, Dance BFA Major from Oregon City, OR
What is Kinnect to you? Kinnect is a place for me to come together with other dancers and connect with them as well as others through dance.
What do you love best about it? I love the wonderful friendships I have made because of Kinnect and that I am able to be a part of the creative process of several different dances.
How did you hear about Kinnect? I heard about it on the BYU Dance Department website, but Angela (Rosales Challis) came to my modern class last semester and told us dancers about Kinnect.
What would you tell other dancers about it? Kinnect is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the process that makes a dance team function. For example, this year we are creating dance films, so we dancers are part of the creative process, the location scouting, the performing, the filming, the directing, and the editing. It is a well-rounded experience, and totally worth it.
How has it changed you? Kinnect has helped me to gain more confidence in my ability as a dancer because the people are very supportive and loving.
Morgan Wadsworth, courtesy of the artist
Morgan Wadsworth: BYU Freshman, Elementary Education Major from Snoqualmie (Seattle), WA
Kinnect 2021 is doing things differently than any other year! They are preparing 6 pieces to film and send to Elementary Schools in Utah. One piece is a collaborative piece with BYU’s Living Legends, three of them are student choreographed, and the remaining two were choreographed by astounding choreographers Adam Dyer and Marc Cameron.
Two weeks ago Kinnect finished filming their first piece. The title is “Stronger Together” which will be printed — frame by frame — and sent out to thousands of elementary school students to color and create a dance animation with!
Kinnect is also preparing teaching resources to send to teachers at elementary schools all around Utah. These resources are an exciting way for the Kinnect dancers to connect with the students and teachers. Stay tuned for the BYU Dance Live Stream on May 7th, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. when Kinnect will showcase some of their work! Follow them on Instagram at @Byu_kinnect to see what they’re up to next!
BYU Dance Teachers-in-Training Reach Out to North Utah County Middle & High Schools
(L-R) Emmalynn Pace, Lyric Ikeomu and Sofia Kimball at Lehi High School in Lehi, Utah, on Mon. Feb. 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of Ikeomu.
Even teachers in training are heroes this year! BYU Dance Education majors didn’t let the pandemic stop them this week. Eighteen BYU dancers brought sashays, smiles and swag to eager middle schoolers who learned to use dance to cope with school stress.
In past years, the BYU Department of Dance has hosted hundreds of young students from the greater Salt Lake Metro area for a Junior High Day of Dance. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event this year was transformed into a day of outreach for several trios of BYU dance students who will be soon be dance teachers with full credentials upon graduation.
These teachers-to-be traveled on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, through icy roads from Provo to North Utah County and were welcomed into six schools: Lehi Junior High, Vista Heights Middle School in Saratoga Springs, Lake Mountain Middle School in Saratoga Springs, Timberline Middle School in Alpine, Lehi High School, and the Dance Conservatory in Pleasant Grove. Some classes contained students who were on the schools’ respective dance companies. Other classes were Men’s Dance, Intro to Dance and several advanced level classes.
Usually the Junior High Day of Dance is a chaotic, but exciting day on the Brigham Young University campus in Provo. School busses usually fill the college parking lots that day, while chatty 12-15 year-olds get a taste of college life, and chaperones are exhausted by 4:00. This year, however, the kids stayed in their schools’ dance studios, but got to enjoy a sampling of the BYU Dance life, customized for their own school and class level.
The middle school students were taught dance routines, given a chance to ask questions, and even treated to some new BYU Dance swag that the older students brought to them. The full-time junior high dance teachers were given information packets about the BYU Dance program and performing groups, to inspire their students to go to college and to continue to dance throughout their education.
BYU Dance Major Hali Boss was one of the teachers-in-training from BYU who got to experience this “Reverse Day of Dance” in two separate schools on Monday — Lehi Junior High and Lake Mountain Middle School. She had an excellent day and shares her observations in the paragraphs below.
In her own words ~ Hali Boss, BYU Dance Education Major
“It was such a great experience to have the opportunity to take what we are learning in class about teaching and apply it to a real junior high classroom. The schools were so gracious to have us and the students were polite and very kind. “
“It was fun to get to know the students through how they executed the movement we taught them. I was shocked at how large the class sizes were and how many students really want to be involved in dance. Although they had big classes, we were able to keep the students in their assigned spots due to COVID-19 restrictions and parameters.”
“I enjoyed watching the students have dance as an outlet during their day, and I believe it is so important for students to be able to express themselves everyday through movement. That is why it made me so happy to see how many students were allowing dance to be in their school schedule. ” ~ Hali Boss, BYU Dance Education Major, Feb. 24, 2021
In her own words ~ Lyric Ikeomu, BYU Dance Education Major
“Overall it was a really good experience to visit Lehi High’s dance company class and teach improv. I loved working with high school students. I think they’re such a fun group and have such good energy.”
“They’re also very talented and advanced technical dancers. This made it nice to push them in new ways of movement. I could tell that they hadn’t done a lot of modern technique or improvisation. And so initiation improv was a little out of their comfort zone, yet they were confident enough and skilled enough that they got it eventually.”
“I think that overall this teaching experience went really well. I think I connected with the students, and when I was teaching I felt good about it.” ~ Lyric Ikeomu, BYU Dance Education Major, Feb. 25, 2021.
Learn more about the BYU Dance Education major and teaching program here.
L-R Hali Boss, Alyssa McGuire, Cleo Ong at Lake Mountain Middle School in Saratoga Springs, Utah, on Mon. Feb. 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of Boss.L-R Emma Terry, Tera Taylor, Hali Boss at Lehi Junior High School in Lehi, Utah, on Mon. Feb. 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of Boss.
L – R: Abby Trinca, Rachel Barker, McCall McClellan, and Jared McClure. Photo courtesy of the artists.
BYU Assistant Professor of Dance Rachel Barker’s film Sedimented Here was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Dance Camera West festival — one of the top three dance film festivals in the US. Three BYU Dance majors starred in the film — senior students McCall McClellan, Abby Trinca, and now alumnus Jared McClure. The trailer from Dance Camera West and their announcement can be seen here.
There were 250 films submitted from 35 countries. Barker’s film was selected as one of 16 finalists, among the likes of choreographer Hofesh Schechter, as well as the director of the Australian Dance Theater, Garry Stewart, and Adi Halfin, renowned filmmaker for companies such as Batsheva Dance Theater in Israel.
This film, Sedimented Here, starring three talented BYU students, was competing with seasoned professional dancers and filmmakers! The BYU Department of Dance is so proud of these dancers, faculty and filmmakers.
Barker said, “I am so thankful for my amazing camerawoman and editor, Ellen Maynard, producer Scott Cook, and second cameraman and drone operator, Walter Mirkss.
These 16 award-winning films were shown this month at the “Best of Fest” event — at a social-distancing friendly drive-in theater in Los Angeles!
Congratulations to all involved!
A fun post from a viewer in LA who saw the festival live!
Aptly named BYU Dance Major, Kaeli Dance, describes her involvement in her Winter 2021 internship as a health coach at the BYU Y Be Fit program below.
In her own words…
The Y Be Fit program (see infographic below) can be a lifesaver for BYU Dance majors because being a dancer is filled with stress surrounding food, comparison, and appearance. Our health program is individually catered to each person’s unique concerns.
You (as a client) can make your own goals and we support you with solid facts and the data from your entry tests. We want to help you learn and keep you accountable, not judge or demean.
The whole program is usually $125, but only $75 for students or $25 for staff! We are open to BYU students, faculty, adjunct, and staff.
One of my favorite parts of the program is the bod pod test. I got to see how much muscle vs. fat mass I have. Scales are often deceiving/discouraging because if you gain muscle, your weight will increase.
I am currently a student and using this job as my internship! Eventually I want to be a certified personal trainer and this is helping me on my journey there!
Other BYU dancers can get in on this, too! At the end of every semester there are applications to be a health coach for the upcoming semester.
Fri., Mar. 5, 2021 – International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE)
Fri., Apr. 2, 2021 – Young Ambassadors
Watch Live Performances on Select Nights This Winter!
Due to pandemic restrictions, in-theatre ticketed performances are not possible again this Winter Semester 2021. However…BYU Dance LIVE! is back with new live streaming events most Friday nights for your viewing pleasure!
These energetic performances will allow each of the Department of Dance performing groups to share their light with the world! Groups will rotate week by week, according to the schedule above. Also, the usually ticketed full dance concerts by world-class BYU touring performing groups are being broadcast live for free over two time slots, allowing fans across the globe to watch and enjoy.
Be sure to tune in at the time, as performances will not be recorded or available to be viewed later, due to copyright contracts on choreography and music. We hope you enjoy this unprecedented opportunity to view BYU Dance performances wherever you are in the world!
Coming Soon to a Living Room Near You: BYU Dance LIVE! was such an astounding success that live streaming will continue during Winter Semester 2021!
BYU Dance received new funding for students to produce more live dance content each week! Watch for all the BYU dance teams in their costumes and masks, starting in January!
“Looking back on what BYU Dance LIVE! has become,” said Adam Dyer, “I don’t think any of us could have imagined the momentum, inspiration or reach that this NEW performance platform has gained.”
“I think it has been an amazing exercise in teamwork,” Dyer continued. “The students, faculty and our audience have all combined efforts to celebrate and do the best we can to enjoy art in the midst of global turmoil.”
A few stats from Fall Semester BYU Dance LIVE!
38 countries tuned in
9047 individual streams
27,141 estimated viewers
We’ll see you in January 2021 on dancelivestream.byu.edu!
A message from Jeanette Geslison, Artistic Director of the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble:
This year would have been 60 consecutive years of BYU’s Christmas Around the World concert! We are saddened by the empty room the absence of this concert leaves this week, but we are hopeful for a bright future of more concerts to come. We send you all the warmest wishes for a happy and joyful Christmas season this year from BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble.
~ Jeanette Geslison, December 3, 2020
Sixty years is a significant history! These celebrations represent 60 years of countries, cultures, costumes, and community! BYU folk dance teams have traveled the world performing and have brought the world back to campus through their performance artwork. Congratulations to all those who have been involved in these teams and performances over the years!
Check out the new (2020) collage YouTube video here!
Below: Enjoy some photos of recent Christmas Around the World concerts on the campus of Brigham Young University from the last decade!
Artists Elevated Event to Discuss Film in the Arts
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 ~ 2 – 3:30 p.m. on Zoom
BYU Professor of Dance Angela Rosales Challis to Discuss Dance in Film on Expert Panel
Register here to receive a link to the free, online event for Artists Elevated. If you enjoy Dance in Film, you will not want to miss this expert panel discussion involving many gifted artists in the Mountain West area. Find out more about Artists Elevated and the event here.
Theatre Ballet Company will perform Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, @5p.m. on #byudancelive, followed by the Ballet Showcase Company Concert at 6:30 p.m! Faculty Artist Directors and collaborators include: Shayla Bott, Ashley Parov, Hilary Wolfley, Shani Robison, Brooke Storheim and Erin Malan, among other talented ballet artists — students and faculty — in various roles.
atimetodance.news.blog 