Spring Dance Concert

Event Date: 

Thursday, April 13, 2017 - 8:00pm to Saturday, April 15, 2017 - 8:00pm
Saturday, April 15, 2017 - 2:00pm

Event Location: 

  • Hatlen Theater

Event Price: 

$17 General Admission

$13 UCSB Student/Faculty/Staff/Alumni, Non UCSB Student/Senior/Child

Buy Tickets

  1. Concert Director
  2. Designer Directors
  3. Choreographers
  4. Designers
  5. UCSB Dance Company
  6. Press
  7. Gallery

FREE | FALL

2017 Spring Dance Concert

under the direction of  Brandon Whited

2017’s Spring Dance Concert Free|Fall features new, original works by graduating BFA students Rachel Epling, Kelli Forman, Savannah Green and Olivia Maggi. Their dances—performed entirely by students from the department—mark the culmination of the choreographic arc of the BFA curriculum, showcase their immense talents, and markedly diverse creative voices.

Alongside our current students’ work, the concert marks the return of 2015 BFA Alumna, Gianna Burright with her work, Anywhere I Can See the Moon—created on members of the UCSB Dance Company.  This dance was developed as part of Burright’s Masters thesis project at The Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance in London, England.  The company dancers will perform in London this spring as part of their European tour.

Opening the concert, members of the UCSB Dance Company will perform Buffalo, a powerful work by Stephanie Gilliland.  It is a is a high intensity athletic work that brings the dancers face to face with their own inner strength and fragility.  Gilliland, a seasoned choreographer based in Los Angeles, describes Buffalo as “a rite of passage, a love note to young dreamers, outsiders and artists on the cusp of adulthood.”

Closing the evening, the UCSB Dance Company will again take the stage in a heritage work by a scion of Modern Dance, José Limón, restaged by UCSB’s beloved Professor Emerita, Alice Condodina.  They will perform “the Running Dance,” an excerpt of Limón’s full-length work, Psalm (1967).

Concert Director

Brandon Whited is new to UCSB, having begun his post, this Autumn, as an Assistant Professor of Dance with a focus in creative/choreographic research.  Mr. Whited comes to the department following the completion of his MFA at the Ohio State University. Brandon enjoyed an intense seven year performing career in New York City as a core member of Shen Wei Dance Arts from 2008-2014, as well as a freelance artist performing with STEELEDANCE, Randy James Dance Works, danscores by Ofelia Loret de Mola, and Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company.  Mr. Whited’s choreographic research focuses on the intersection of masculinities studies and dance, as well as a broad consideration of feminist/queer/gender studies alongside historical dance frameworks.  Since arriving at UCSB, he is thrilled to have been given the honor of directing the Fall and Spring Dance concerts. Most recently, he contributed choreography to the LAUNCH PAD production of the new play, Bernhard—written by Lynn Rosen and directed by Anne Torsiglieri. In January, 2017, he will choreograph and perform in a new duet as a guest artist for Santa Barbara Dance Theater, and create a new work with students for the spring concert. 

Design Directors

Ann Bruice (Costume Director) is continuing Lecturer at the UCSB Department of Theater/Dance. Ms. Bruice is a recipient of the 2012 Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award. UCSB design credits include: Bernhard, The Death of Kings, Venus (Santa Barbara Independent Theater Award), Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth, Eurydice, Anowa, Tartuffe, Cloud Nine, Hamlet, She Stoops To Conquer (Santa Barbara Independent Theater Award), Iphigenia 2.0, Kingdom City, Seagull, Plumfield, Iraq, Woyzeck, Idiot’s Delight, and Pentecost. UCSB dance designs include: Christopher Pilafian’s Oracle, Circuits, Between Thoughts; Christina McCarthy’s Love, Petrushka, Occupation, Requiem for Bubbles; Nancy Colahan’s Deep Currents, No Freedom Like a Dance, Elastic Flip and the re-staging of Lar Lubovitch’s Marimba. Nationally and internationally Ann has designed 17 productions for South Coast Repertory, including: Philadelphia Story and You Can’t Take It With You (Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Awards each), Hay Fever, Blithe Spirit, and New England (Drama-Logue Awards for each). Ms. Bruice has also designed for the Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, Los Angeles Theater Center, Manitoba Theater Center, San Jose Repertory, New Mexico Repertory, Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Grove Shakespeare Festival, and PCPA. Ms. Bruice spent five seasons (110 episodes) designing the series Babylon 5, garnering an International Cult Television Award. Local design credits include: The Fantasticks, Take Me Out for Ensemble Theatre Company; All My Sons, Night of the Iguana, Driving Miss Daisy (Ovation Nomination) for the Rubicon Theatre; A Christmas Carol for the Granada; The Beard of Avon (Indy Award) for SBCCTheater Group and Dancing Here Now for Santa Barbara Dance Theater. She holds an M.A. in Drama from UCSB, an M.F.A. in Costume Design from Cal Arts. Ms. Bruice is a member of USA 829, and CDG 892. Ann is most inspired by her son, Michael.

Vickie J. Scott  (Lighting Director) is the Head of the Design Program, as well as the Faculty Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Theater and Dance where she teaches design for theater and dance, designs productions, and mentors students. Vickie is also the Chairperson of the Board for The California Arts Project and is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, the International Association of Lighting Designers, the United States Institute for Theater Technology, and United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Choreographers

Gianna Burright (Guest Choreographer - Anywhere I Can See the Moon), a native Californian, is a choreographer, performer and teacher who began her dance career when she was fifteen years old. In 2015, Gianna completed her BFA with Honors in Dance from UCSB. Gianna was a soloist member of the UCSB dance company in the 2014-2015 season where she performed and taught nationally through California and internationally in Prague, Czech Republic and various locations in Italy. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Tonia Shimin Award for Excellence and Promise in the Field of Dance and The Corwin Award for Choreography. Gianna moved to London, England in 2015 where she is currently in her second year of pursuing her MFA in Choreography, at Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance. She is a proud recipient of the Trinity Laban Postgraduate Dance Award for 2015-2017, a 2016-2017 Leverhulme Scholar, and the 2016 recipient of the Lesley-Anne Sayers Research Award. She has also choreographed and performed for different festivals nationally and internationally. Gianna is a part of the 2017 Resolutions Dance Festival at the Place—the biggest emerging choreographer festival in the U.K. Gianna has performed professionally for Selah Dance Collective, A Truefitt Collective, UCSB Dance Company, and has been creating and performing her own work.

Rachel Epling (Choreographer - etched in us) is completing both her BFA in Dance, and BA in Biological Anthropology—discovering an enriching interplay between the two. At UCSB, she has performed works by Anna Halprin, Yvonne Rainer, José Limón, Andrea Miller, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Stephanie Gilliland, Nancy Colahan, Valerie Huston and Lilian Manansala. Rachel is a member of UCSB’s touring company, and hopes to continue traveling, studying the human body, and pursuing a professional dance career following graduation.

Kelli Forman (Choreographer - towards the yin) is a dance and yoga instructor, choreographer, organizer for the SB County Alliance for Arts Education, and National Program Director for Everybody Dance Now! She attended the University of Kansas, and danced professionally in NYC and LA before moving to Santa Barbara. Kelli teaches underserved youth, choreographs locally, works to grow the street dance community in SB, and advocates for equity and access in arts education.

Stephanie Gilliland (Guest Choreographer - Buffalo) is a seasoned artist and arts educator with a 30- year history as a choreographer, composer, multimedia dance artist, performer and teacher. Since 1977 she has co-founded two dance collectives and created three of her own dance companies, most notably, TONGUE/contemporary dance, based in Los Angeles from 1997 to 2006. Committed to innovation and experimentation, Gilliland has developed her own movement system and technique which continues to evolve and grow in collaboration with her dancers and students. She has  horeographed and produced numerous concerts and evening length works and has been presented throughout the United States and abroad including Scotland, Mexico, the Soviet Union and  anada. Gilliland is the recipient of a Creativity Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Dance Maker grant from the James Irvine Foundation, and three Lester Horton awards for  horeography and performance. Her work has been supported by numerous granting organizations including Dance USA, the Durfee Foundation, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, and the California Arts Council. In 2007 Gilliland was awarded a residency at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA. Gilliland began her teaching career in 1980 and has served on the dance faculties of UC Riverside, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, Mt San Jacinto College, Riverside Community College and the Idyllwild Arts Academy where she is currently in her twentieth year. Stephanie Gilliland is the artistic Director of Tongue Dance Project based in Southern California and Portland, OR. In addition to her work in dance Gilliland is also a practitioner and teacher of yoga.

Savannah Green (Choreographer - Life in Cages) grew up in New York City & focused her training in ballet, modern, and contemporary dance, later attending LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. She is honored to be a part of the UCSB Dance Company and is looking forward to touring internationally this spring. Upon completion of her BFA in Dance, she plans to pursue a professional career in dance.

Olivia Maggi (Choreographer - The Breeders) is completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, as well as a Minor in Theater with an emphasis in Production and Design. Growing up in Palo Alto, California, she began dancing at age three, training in a variety of styles. After graduating, Olivia hopes to dance professionally in both Los Angeles and New York. Savannah Green (choreographer - Life in Cages) grew up in New York City & focused her training in ballet, modern, and contemporary dance, later attending LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. She is honored to be a part of the UCSB Dance Company and is looking forward to touring internationally this spring. Upon completion of her BFA in Dance, she plans to pursue a professional career in dance.

Designers

Madeline Berger (Costume Designer - The Breeders) has undertaken her third endeavor designing costumes for a main stage dance concert. Prior, she designed Ba[r]ed for Double Exposure: revealing | relating | responding in 2016, Extinct Animals for Meraki: soul, creativity, love in 2015 and has worked on many of the main stage productions. Most recently she was the Assistant Costume Designer on Mr. Burns, a post-electric play. She is a senior Art Major emphasizing in Costume Design at UCSB. She is thrilled to see her work come to life on the stage, and would like to thank Ann Bruice for her constant guidance and to her family for their constant love and support.

Jonathan Burman (Scenic Designer - The Breedersis a fourth-year Theater Design major with a focus on scenic design. This is his 6th show here at UCSB having previously worked as an assistant scenic designer for Venus; as an assistant stage manager for The Death of King Part One: I Come But For Mine Own, the Spring dance concert Aspire; as the scenic designer for Too Much Water and the dance piece Nevermore by Christina McCarthy.

Jia Gu (Co-costume Designer - towards the yinis a fourth year Theater Design and Film and Media Studies major, endlessly exploring costume, scenic, lighting, film, photography, and other art forms. She has served as Assistant Costume Designer for both dance and theater production, Assistant Scenic Designer for We Want the Funk, scenic artist, and production assistant in prior shows during the past three years. She is currently working on her senior honors project, which involves costume design, construction, and film. She is also the Associate Costume Designer for The Caucasian Chalk Circle. She is grateful for being one of the theater design students at UCSB, which she considers another home.
 
Joshua Guicherit (Lighting Designer - Anywhere I Can See the Moonis a third year theatre design major at UCSB. This is his first lighting design for a dance concert. He would like to thank the Theatre and Dance faculty and staff for their support and guidance.
 
Melissa Hartman (Lighting Designer - etched in us & towards the yinis a third year Theatre Design major with an emphasis in scenic and lighting design. This is her eighth show at UCSB, and her third time being a lighting designer for a UCSB Dance Concert. She is incredibly grateful to be able to design for dance again. Previously she has done lighting for dance and properties design here at UCSB, and scenic design work for high school shows. She would like to especially thank her friends and family for all of their love and support throughout this crazy adventure.
 
Ryan Howard (Costume Designer - etched in us) is a fourth year Theater major with an emphasis in Design. Past productions he has worked on at UCSB include Assistant Set Designing The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, being a Props Artisan on Equivocation, Assistant Scenic Designing Middletown, Costume designing a piece in the 2015 Fall Dance Concert Meraki: soul, creativity, love and Costume Designing a piece in the 2016 Fall Dance concert Double Exposure: revealing | relating | responding. Ryan works in the scene shop on campus as a student employee and would like to thank the UCSB Theater Staff and Faculty for their guidance, as well as his family for their love and support.
 
Mitchell Jakubka (Associate Lighting Director / Lighting Designer - Life in Cages & The Breedersis a third year Lighting Design major. This is his 13th show at UCSB, having previously designed for Fall Dance concerts, and co-designing Bernhard and Lydia with Vickie Scott. Recently, as a national finalist in USITT’s Dance Lighting Design Competition, he designed the piece And So, In Silence, We Continue and was mentored and critiqued by the lighting designers of the NYC Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
 
Keren Rosenthal (Co-costume Designer - towards the yinis a third year Theater major with an emphasis in Costume Design. She has served as Assistant Costume Designer on the main stage productions, Bernhard and Venus, at UCSB. The past two summers she worked as a costume intern at SRT in Santa Rosa and as an Assistant Costume Designer for Beauty and the Beast in Tustin with TACFA and the Chance Theater. She also serves as the Wardrobe Supervisor for the Department of Theater and Dance. She thanks Ann Bruice for being a magnificent mentor and her parents and Hannah for continually supporting her endeavors.
 
Stephanie Shih (Costume Designer - Life in Cages) is a fourth year Theater major, with an emphasis in design. This is her second time designing for a dance concert and she is excited to be a part of this production. She previously designed the costumes for Kaydee Black’s piece, Eddies, in this year’s fall dance concert. She thanks the costume director, Ann Bruice, for her guidance, and her friends for their support.

UCSB Dance Company

The UCSB Dance Company is a student dance company under the direction of  Delila Moseley. Now in its 27th year, the company offers graduating senior dance majors the opportunity to perform and travel as a pre-professional dance company. The company performs at the University, in downtown Santa Barbara, on tour in California and other western states, and has toured internationally, twice to China, five times to Italy, and twice to Prague, Czech Republic. The UCSB Dance Company presents lecture-demonstrations in elementary schools, high schools, and community colleges as well as repertory concerts in theatrical venues. Each year the company features works by guest choreographers, from reconstructions of classic works of modern dance, to cutting edge contemporary choreography.

Delila Moseley (Director of the UCSB Dance Company) is a versatile choreographer, teacher, and director. She holds a BA in Dance and a MA in Dramatic Art from UCSB where she is currently on the faculty in the Deparment of Theater and Dance. She has performed professionally in Los Angeles, New York, and throughout the United States on tour, working with Donald McKayle’s Inner City Repertory Dance Company, the American Heritage Dance Theatre, the Joyce Trisler Danscompany, and the Alvin Ailey American Repertory Ensemble. She performed for 10 years with Repertory- West Dance Company, traveling to Europe with the company three times. She has directed the UCSB Dance Company, the student company at UCSB, for over twenty-four years, touring six times to Italy and Prague, Czech Republic. This spring the company will tour to Europe for the seventh time, performing in London, Athens, Cyprus, and Italy.

Press

"As we continue to grow and develop as a country in conversation with a continually expanding global society, we might look to those who paved the way for our freedom of expression and creation, as well as the vital need to celebrate our diversity and the richness of disparate intercultural world views. We carry our histories with us, and though focused on living in the present and dreaming for the future, we must also honor and learn from the past."

BroadwayWorld

"Closing the evening, the Dance Company will perform a heritage work by a scion of modern dance, José Limón. In a flurry of quick, intricate crossings, entrances and exits, and complex division of the cast into small groups in precise unison, the dancers take on the Running Dance, an excerpt from Limón’s masterful work, Psalms."

Noozhawk

"With Whited taking the time to carefully describe the varying themes of this season’s production, it quickly became clear that his strength lies in his adept perception of dance within the warm, petri-dish confines of an academic setting and how that might intersect with the broader conversation of dance as social reflection. “The idea of how men and women are supposed to dance is a binary approach that begins right here, in education,” he emphasized. “I never want to undermine the fact that both men and women should be able to dance however they want to without justification — for the simple fact that we’re called to it.”

- The Santa Barbara Independent

Gallery

Photo credit: Stephen Sherrill

Photo credit: Stephen Sherrill

Photo credit: Lianna Nakashima

Photo credit: Lianna Nakashima

Photo credit: Lianna Nakashima

Photo credit: Lianna Nakashima

The department's productions are not targeted to children. | Please contact 805-893-3022 with special needs.
Season schedule subject to change.