Fall Dance Concert

Event Date: 

Thursday, December 7, 2017 - 8:00pm to Saturday, December 9, 2017 - 8:00pm
Saturday, December 9, 2017 - 2:00pm

Event Date Details: 

DEC 7-9 / 8 PM

DEC 9 / 2 PM

Thursday and Friday Performances Canceled

Event Location: 

  • Hatlen Theater

Event Price: 

Buy Tickets

For more info on tickets and seating, click here.

Cancellation Announcement:

Thank you to everyone for your flexibility and patience during this difficult time. Due to classes being canceled again, the Department of Theater and Dance has decided that performances of the Fall Dance Concert Human|Animaand the One Person Shows are also canceled for this evening Friday December 8, 2017. As of this time, both performances of the Fall Dance Concert on Saturday (2 pm and 8 pm) are going forward as scheduled, and we have added a performance of One Person Shows on Saturday night at 8 PM.  Once again we want to acknowledge how disappointed we are that the performances on Thursday and Friday had to be canceled, but we must put health and safety first.

Due to hazardous environmental conditions the Ticket Office is operating with limited hours and may not be able to process all exchanges in advance of the Saturday performances. Tickets to cancelled performances will be accepted at the door on a first come first served basis, though seating assignments will not be guaranteed. If you receive a confirmation regarding a requested exchange please be sure to bring your new ticket to guarantee entry.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday and again, we thank you for your patience. Please email ticketoffice@as.ucsb.edu for any ticketing related questions or una@ucsb.edu for questions regarding the Department of Theater and Dance and performance information.

  1. Concert Director
  2. Designer Directors
  3. Choreographers
  4. Designers
  5. Press
  6. Gallery

HUMAN|ANIMAL

under the direction of  Christina McCarthy

This year’s Fall Dance Concert Human|Animal features new and exciting works by senior BFA choreographers exploring themes of suspense and immersion into the unknown, radical definitions of femininity, and perceptions of freedom and incarceration. Fall Dance offers a collaborative space for choreographers and designers. These works showcase the creative interdisciplinary work that is emblematic of our program and our students. 

Concert Director

Christina McCarthy is Acting Vice Chair of Theater and Dance and Director of Dance at UC Santa Barbara. She teaches all levels of modern technique, choreographs for both Dance Program Productions and Theater Productions within the department. She has choreographed for local high school and professional theater companies over the last fifteen years. She preformed with Nina Wiener Dance Company in New York and was both a dancer and Assistant Artistic Director of Santa Barbara Dance Theater. Last spring three productions she collaborated on earned Independent Theater Awards, NAKED SHAKES' A Midsummer Nights Dream, UCSB Theater’s production of In the Red and Brown Water and La La La Strada presented by Proboscis Theater Company. La La La Strada also earned the 2015 Bitter Lemons Outrageous Award for Theater at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Her latest projects include a site-specific dance and music installation in collaboration with the UCSB Music Department for the Library Grand Opening Ceremony this past January 2016, choreographing the musical Pippin for Santa Barbara High School and choreographing for the LAUNCH PAD preview productions of We Want the Funk: a rust belt lullaby on one! and Bernhard.

Designer Directors

Ann Bruice 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 is a Lighting and Scenic Designer for Dance, Theatre, and Themed Entertainment, and is the Executive Producer for Dramatic Women, founded in 1993 to explore and promote the participation of women in all areas of theatre and to produce original scripts for the theater by Santa Barbara, California based writers. She is also the Resident Lighting Designer and Production Coordinator for the Ojai Playwright’s Conference in beautiful Ojai, California and the Director of the Design in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she teaches lighting design for theater and dance, designs lights and mentors students.  Recent work at UCSB includes the scenic and lighting design for A View From The Bridge.

Jeffrey Hampton (Associate Lighting Director, Lighting Designer and Scenic Coordinator - Shönhauser Allee 74, Lighting Designer - Forbes 6) is a second year Theatre major in the Design Concentration, emphasizing in lighting design.  This is his seventh show at UCSB, recently having worked on Lydia and the Spring Dance Concert FreeFall.  Previous experience includes a summer internship with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and a wonderful period as Resident Lighting Designer for the Repertory East Playhouse in Los Angeles.  Jeffrey has most recently worked on numerous dance concerts and other productions under UCSB design faculty member Andrew Schmedake.  He would like to thank his family, friends, and mentors for their constant support.

Choreographers

Sammy Gerraty (When Rivers Run Dry) is a fourth year double major in Zoology (B.S.) and Dance (B.F.A.). She has performed in many student choreographic works, and is excited and honored to be presenting her fifth work in December. Growing up, she trained predominantly in ballet, and since coming to UCSB has had a chance to expand her movement vocabulary to include modern and post-modern styles. She is currently working on an honors project which, combining the knowledge of both her majors, tackles the conundrum of disappearing ecosystems and the general degradation of well-being on our planet.

Briana Markovich (Shönhauser Allee 74) is a fourth year BFA Dance major and Art History minor at UC Santa Barbara. Other than attending university and working with Nebula Dance Lab, she considers herself to be a multi-disciplined trained artist. Briana has taught dance technique, style, and improvisation classes for 9 years at studios and with non-profit organizations within the Southern California region. In their 2016-2017 season, Briana was selected to be an apprentice for Santa Barbara Dance Theater and was given the opportunity to work with artists such as Andi Schermole (NDT), David Maurice (Ate9), and Rebecca Lemme (Acts of Matter/Cal State Long Beach professor), under the guidance of artistic director Christopher Pilafian. Briana has performed in multiple UCSB Department of Theater and Dance productions and has choreographed work showcased in UCSB's Junior's Dance Concert 2017 and Crit 2017 - a local Santa Barbara event curated by UCSB alum Weslie Ching. She danced and competed with the UCSB dance team for two years and has attended international dance/movement intensives such as Ohad Naharin's 'Gaga Intensive' based in Tel Aviv, Israel and 'Impulstanz' based in Vienna, Austria. Briana is currently choreographing for UCSB's Fall Dance Concert under the direction of Christina McCarthy and will later be touring America and Europe with he UCSB Dance Company directed by Delila Moseley this upcoming school year.

Danielle Martin (Give Me Strength) is a fourth year Dance major in the BFA program at UCSB. She is originally from Galt, California. She began dancing at the age of 4 and studied ballet at The School of the Sacramento Ballet under Ron Cunningham. She is currently an apprentice with The Santa Barbara Dance Theater under direction of Christopher Pilafian. She is thankful for the opportunities she has had and is excited for what the future brings post graduation.

Tara McAninch (imprisoned animals • incarcerated humans) began ballet at the age of three in her hometown of Benicia, California. She has participated in various summer intensives including the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, Royal Academy of Dance, Long Beach Ballet Ambassador to China, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Tara was an Apprentice with Santa Barbara Dance Theater during the 2016-‘17 season and is now a Senior finishing her B.F.A dance major at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Nikki Nistal (Voyeur) is currently a fourth year dance major at the University of California, Santa Barbara studying to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Previously an apprentice with Santa Barbara Dance Theater, she performed works by director Christopher Pilafian. Nicole has also performed works by Jacquelyn Buglisi, Simone Forti, and Anna Halprin. She has studied Gaga and improvisation in Tel Aviv for 2 years with Batsheva Dance Company and Ohad Naharin. She is currently in the UCSB Student Dance Company.

Amanda Tran (Forbes 6) emerged as a dancer and artist at the tender age of three. A free-spirited Southern California native, she sought out her dance training at Orange County Dance Center in Huntington Beach, CA. As her love for the arts grew, she continued to pursue her passion as a dance major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, she performed in numerous UCSB dance concerts, was an apprentice for Santa Barbara Dance Theater last season, and is currently in the UCSB Dance Company. Amanda is ecstatic to choreograph for Fall Dance and is extremely grateful for her family and friends for being out of this world. 

Designers

Melissa Hartman (Lighting and Scenic Designer - imprisoned animals • incarcerated humans, Lighting Designer - When Rivers Run Dry) is a fourth year Theatre Design major with an emphasis in scenic and lighting design. This is her tenth show at UCSB, and her fourth 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.  Most recently, she has worked as the scenic and lighting assistant on a show at Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska with Design Professor Greg Mitchell.  She would like to especially thank her friends and family for all of their love and support throughout this crazy adventure. 

Dylan Wills (Lighting and Scenic Designer, Give Me Strength and Voyeur) is a senior Theatre major in the Design Concentration with a focus in lighting design, who also works locally as a lighting and sound technician.  Previously, he has designed lights Fall Dance 2016 and the inaugural season of our New Works Lab, and has worked as the assistant lighting designer for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play.

Cierra Costello (Costume Designer - Forbes 6) is a 4th year theater major with an emphasis in Costume Design. She transferred to UCSB in 2016 and now works as a stitcher in the department. She has been an assistant costume designer for the Spring Dance Concert and New Works Lab since arriving. She thanks her family and her partner Jules for supporting her as well as Ann Bruice for her knowledge and guidance.

Jeffrey Hampton (Associate Lighting Director, Lighting Designer & Scenic Coordinator - Schönhauser Allee 74 and Forbes 6) is a second year Theater major in the Design concentration, emphasizing in Lighting Design. This is his eighth show at UCSB, recently having worked on A View From the Bridge, and the Spring Dance Concert Free Fall. Previous experience includes a summer internship with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and a wonderful period as Resident Lighting Designer for the Repertory East Playhouse in Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and a wonderful period as Resident Lighting Designer for the Repertory East Playhouse in Los Angeles. Jeffrey recently worked on numerous dance concerts and other productions under UCSB design faculty member Andrew Shmedake. He would like to thank his family, friends, and mentors for their constant support.

Melissa Hartman (Lighting & Scenic Designer - imprisoned animals • incarcerated humans and When Rivers Run Dry) is a fourth year Theater Design major with an emphasis in scenic and lighting design. This is her tenth show at UCSB, and her fourth 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. Most recently, she has worked as the scenic and lighting assistant on a show at Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska with Design Professor Greg Mitchell. She would like to especially thank her friends and family for all of their love and support throughout this crazy adventure.

Luis Cornejo (Costume Designer - imprisoned animals • incarcerated humans) is a fourth year Theater major with an emphasis in Costume Design. Having transferred to UC Santa Barbara in 2016, he has been involved in productions throughout the department working as a stitcher, wardrobe crew member, Assistant Designer: Spring Dance Concert, Set Designer: New Works Lab. He thanks his family and Ann Bruice for their constant guidance and support.

Cynthia Marin (Costume Designer - Voyeur) is a fourth year Theater major with an emphasis in design. This is her first time designing after previously assistant designing shows such as Lydia and Caucasian Chalk Circle. She would like to dedicate her work on this performance to her amazing parents who have sacrificed so much for her to be here and to Nikki and Dylan for making the piece possible. 

Keren Rosenthal (Costume Designer - Schönhauser Allee 74) is a fourth year Theater major focusing in Costume Design. She has worked as an Assistant Costume Designer, Wardrobe Supervisor, and Stitcher for many departmental productions. For the Spring Dance Concert 2016, she served as Costume Designer for Towards the Yin, choreographed by Kelli Forman. During summers she works at various local theaters in the Orange County Area. Currently, she is applying to graduate schools for an MFA in Costume Design. She thanks her family and Ann Bruice for their constant support.

Zixin Ye (Costume Designer - When Rivers Run Dry) has a Bachelor's degree from UCSB in Economics and Comparative Literature. Zixin is studying Costume Design under Ann Bruice at the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance and is having deep affection toward Costume Design.

Press

Their creative work, melded with the vision and skill of lighting, scenic and costume design collaborators is sure to reflect the vibrant and creative culture of the greate UCSB community. 

THE BROADWAYWORLD ARTICLE

Gallery

Colson Lynn and Erick Martinez, photo: Phil Channing

Bianca Salazar, Colson Lynn and Guillermo Castro, photo: Phil Channing

Anabel Costa, photo: Phil Channing

Guillermo Castro and Colson Lynn, photo: Phil Channing

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