Evolution is a collaborative design laboratory facilitating interdisciplinary experimentation in dance performance. Concert and event lighting designers from the School of Design and Creative Technologies join with choreographers from the Department of Theatre and Dance and composers from the Butler School of Music and throughout the University to create short dance works for the concert stage. This public showcase is presented in the B. Iden Payne Theatre.
Semester-long courses titled Concert and Event Lighting (AET), Choreography II (Theatre & Dance) and Experimental Transmedia (Butler School of Music) are offered each spring to collaborate on Evolution. The classes kick off with students openly discussing creative ideas amongst peers from different fields. As the students are pitching their visions and promoting their skills, they are also actively looking for like-minded partners to form a collaborative group. It’s this open market of creative talent that sets the stage for the rest of the semester.
Each group spends countless hours together brainstorming and adding to each other’s expertise to bring a unified vision to life. In just three short months, the students develop the choreography, dance, costumes, music, sound, and lighting — then practice, practice, practice. The denouement is one showstopping evening in front of a live audience.
Lighting Designers
Faculty: Chris Muenchow, School of Design and Creative Technologies
Jonathan Amezcua and Katherine Beardsley
Matthew Hineman and Jasper Murphy
Jayden Chavez and Michael Colucci
Resse Herndon
Emily Dryer
Kyle Kosanovich
Nikolay Korygin
Juan Lopez
Choreographers
Faculty: Erica "EG" Gionfriddo, Department Theatre & Dance
Samantha Anderson and Joshua Martinez
Evan Beek and Anna Valdman
Sabrina Blackwelder and Kayla Senter
Karina Enriquez and Emma Valdez
Alejandro Frederickson and Isabella Mao
Ellie Newton and Ashleigh Taylor
Maya Parker and Heaven Wilburn
Jenna Weatherbie and Camille Wiltz
Composers
Faculty: Januibe Tejera, Butler School of Music
Samuel Lipman, School of Design and Creative Technologies
Daniel Better
Angel Jaimes
Andrew Dana
Matthew Dominguez
Sophie Mathieu
Dillon James and Hernan Rovner
Tzu-Chin Hsu
Maxwell Franko