The ΒιΆΉΣ³»’s Fall Dance Festival 2024 brought a remarkable blend of artistry, talent and storytelling to the stage. Featuring eight pieces from the Department of Theater and Dance and one special feature from the Urban Dance Club, the festival celebrated the dedicated hard work and artistry of its dancers and choreographers. The Fall Dance Festival captured the beautiful essence of dance in so many ways and took the audience through themes of connection, mystery, joy and resilience.
This year, the Fall Dance Festival returned to the stage to showcase breathtaking pieces from student choreographers Alyssa von Eberstein, Brynna Wayland, Gian Gonzalez Lopez, Chelsea Anne Barlaan, Aurora Speciale and alumni Anthony McMenamy (2023 spring graduate) and Melody Hannah (2023 spring graduate). The festival also presented a special ballet piece choreographed by Teaching Associate Professor of Dance Eve Allen Garza featuring solo choreography and a performance by Katarina Hallerbach that will also be presented with the Reno Chamber Orchestra: American Dance Party on March 1 and 2, 2025 in the Nightingale Concert Hall.
One of the most unforgettable moments of this year’s Fall Dance Festival was the theatrical murder mystery piece, "WhoDunnit?" choreographed by Alyssa von Eberstein. Blending dance, theater and comedy, this murder mystery piece unfolded at a high school party keeping the audience on the edges of their seats. The cast brought such memorable characters to life, playing each role with humor and precision as their personalities shine. “There was a rehearsal where I told my dancers that we were going to run the dance, forget the choreography for a moment, and just do things they thought were fun,” von Eberstein, musical theater and dance major, said.
“It was absolute chaos, but it allowed me and my dancers to find the humor and fun that are at the core of my piece.” "WhoDunnit?" was a crowd favorite and has been selected to be presented at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional festival in Feb. 2025.
The annual Fall Dance Festival is an incredible opportunity for dancers, choreographers and audiences to come together to celebrate the artistry and creativity of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»'s Dance and Theater Department. For students, it’s a chance to really grow within the department while gaining such valuable experience in performance and production. “My piece was originally inspired by the idea of everyone being connected to everyone else in some way and it ended up being more about relationships and connection between individuals,” said Brynna Wayland, dance major and choreographer of "Interlinked."
The Fall Dance Festival not only serves as a platform for artistic expression but also pushes the boundaries of creativity for the choreographers behind each piece. Each choreographer had the challenge of bringing their ideas to life while working collaboratively with dancers. Student choreographers gained great experience as they navigated through learning complexities of staging, lighting and music.
Alumni student choreographer of "A sinkhole opens and wrought," Anthony McMenamy said, “I was inspired by the idea that the grass is always greener and once you get over there and have experienced it for a while, it's not as green as you thought. This year, I was able to incorporate my concept more effectively, which is that each person is searching for something that makes them happy and that it’s always in flux and never completely still. I incorporated a lot of improvisation to bring out the idea that each person can do their own thing in their own personal way.”
For many of the student choreographers, this was their first time producing and presenting their own choreography, making the experience both challenging and rewarding. “I really wanted to challenge myself through storytelling and be able to carry the story through movement. I wanted to showcase that throughout your life there are happy and dark moments, but at the end of the day there is always light at the end of the tunnel,” said Gian Gonzalez Lopez, dance major and choreographer of "How It Ends."
This opportunity not only helped the students grow as artists but also provided valuable insight into the dedication required to bring a vision to life on stage, resulting in a truly rewarding outcome.
The final dance piece of the evening, "Out of Pocket," choreographed by Associate Professor of Dance Cari Cunningham, left a lasting impression on the audience with its powerful excerpts from "What’s in President Obama’s Pockets?." This thought-provoking modern piece invited the audience to reflect on the symbolic weight of the responsibilities, hopes and dreams that are carried. Each movement showcased themes of hard work and determination, creating a powerful connection between the spoken words and the physical storytelling. Cunningham’s work has also been selected to be presented at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional festival, where it is sure to leave an equally lasting impression on a broader audience.
