The Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre at Cal Poly Humboldt presents Dance Visions—an annual spring dance concert featuring 36 dancers and ten different pieces in the diverse styles of ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and tap. The concert runs April 11–13 at 7:00pm and Sunday April 14th at 2pm. Concert tickets are $10 General, $10 Children, and FREE for Cal Poly Humboldt students with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at centerarts.humboldt.edu

Dance Visions presents new works by faculty members Linda Maxwell, Kyleigh Brine, and Carrie Walpole and student choreographers Miriam Allen, Xennia Avendaño, Alli Bush, Autumn Cry-Mark, Bella Virgen, and Elaina Wargala. The concert is directed by Kyleigh Brine and Carrie Walpole.

Evocative Pigment, choreographed by student Miriam Allen, is a piece that encapsulates an exploration of the three primary colors. By leveraging their foundational principles, the choreography seeks to transcend conventional boundaries, and connect into the multifaceted realm of human emotion.

The Gurlz, choreographed by student Xennia Avendaño, is a piece about the different ways music can be interpreted, set in 3 parts. The first part showcases the fun and gritty side of Hip-Hop, the second being more bold and sexy, and the third part is a fusion of both of those styles all inspired by one’s self-empowerment.

8te, choreographed by student Alli Bush, is about the feeling you get when you are with your friends, having fun, listening to your favorite songs, and just dancing. Get ready to get out of your seat and bust a move!

RISE, choreographed by student Autumn Cry-Mark, is building upon themes introduced in her piece Insurgency, showcased in fall of 2023. This piece is inspired by grassroots activism and collective community change. Dancers are pulling inspiration from their personal values and experiences to represent a driving force of resistance.

Florescence, choreographed by student Bella Virgen, is a piece that takes on empowering themes of relationship with self. Like flowers, humans bloom and flourish with resiliency and new experiences. Bella wanted to create a sassy piece that encapsulates confidence and empowerment through movement.

Discovery Through Grief Pt. 2, choreographed by Elaina Wargala, is the conclusion to the Pt.1 that was presented in Fall 2023. Elaina shares, “The piece is inspired by my own grieving journey of a caregiver who passed June 2021 and I wanted to create something to help myself and others heal through artistic expression. I hope that the audience will take away a sense of introspection and find a way to connect with the piece through their own life experiences.”

Faculty member Kyleigh Brine choreographed two numbers for this year’s Dance Visions, on the Backs of Hardworking Women and LOVE.

Kyleigh shares, “on the backs of hardworking women is inspired by a personal experience where a man received credit for plagiarizing my work and I didn’t feel like I had a say in the repercussions of that circumstance. I utilize jackets and blazers as a costume and prop in this piece to represent the invisible burden that most women carry, and I hope that through the duration of this piece the jackets continue to transform in different ways. I believe that sharing stories through art can heal and this piece has allowed me to finally share my side of the story in the best way I know how.”

LOVE is a tap trio inspired by the music of Nat King Cole and celebrates dance as entertainment. Kyleigh hopes the audience feels the love these dancers have for performing, dancing itself and each other.
Faculty member Carrie Walpole choreographed Reconnect. Carrie shares, “Reconnect represents a short segment within a larger framework of a comprehensive thesis performance. Thank you to the performers for putting their love and personal connections into this work.”

Faculty member Linda Maxwell choreographed a ballet piece, Broken Boundaries. This piece is an exploration of our real or imagined boundaries and ways we can break out of them. The dance was choreographed by Faculty member Linda Maxwell.