UNC Charlotte Students Join Professional Artists for NYC Dance Production
Last month, seven current students and two alumni had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to New York City to perform on a program with professional dancers at the Theatre at St. Jean’s. Dance majors and recent graduates shared the stage with members of Movement Migration, a company founded by Associate Professor of Dance Kim Jones that includes former principals of such renowned companies as the Martha Graham Dance Company and the José Limón Dance Company.
Presented on Saturday, October 25, the program “Movements in Resilience” was a benefit concert for the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights (WCCHR) in celebration of its 15th anniversary. The WCCHR is a medical student-run human rights clinic dedicated to providing forensic medical evaluations to survivors of torture seeking asylum in the United States. Founded in 2010 through a partnership with Physicians for Human Rights, WCCHR is the first student-run asylum clinic at a U.S. medical school.
Jones was invited to produce “Movements in Resilience” to conclude the center’s anniversary gala, which was dedicated to Thomas Kalman, director emeritus of the WCCHR. The performance was sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Kalman and the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association.
“This was a unique and meaningful opportunity for UNC Charlotte dance majors and alumni to work with seasoned and emerging professional dancers in a performance dedicated to human rights in New York City…”
“This was a unique and meaningful opportunity for UNC Charlotte dance majors and alumni to work with seasoned and emerging professional dancers in a performance dedicated to human rights in New York City,” Jones said. “I was thrilled to invite both current and former students to perform, stage manage and work on the production crew.”
Seven works comprised the program, which included a duet featuring Professor of Dance E.E. Balcos and a group work by alumna Cecilia Whalen ’21. Professor of Lighting Design David Fillmore designed the lighting for the production, and dance student Janise Rodriguez stage managed. Dance alumni Riley McGowen ’25 and Shelby Murphy ’25, who currently live in New York City and are part of the Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway professional semester programs, respectively, and Kailey Kammerdiener ’24 served as back stage crew for the performance.
UNC Charlotte dance majors Keegan Martin, Amaree Ratliff, Kari Sescourka, Melody Shanahan, Jasmine Forner, Ava Guest and Kayla Guillot and alumni Amara Kranz ’25 and Katie Foster ’25 performed the seventh and final piece, “Vitruvian Wo(Man).” See a day in their life as they take you behind the scenes of show day!
“Vitruvian Wo(Man) celebrates life, resilience, and the often unrecognized achievements of women throughout history,” Jones wrote for the program. “This work honors the power, strength, and beauty of those who embody and redefine womanhood across generations, embracing both resilience and grace.”
“This work honors the power, strength, and beauty of those who embody and redefine womanhood across generations, embracing both resilience and grace.”
In addition to rehearsals and the performance, the UNC Charlotte dancers had the opportunity to take class with Movement Migration artist Lorenzo Pagano, an award-winning performer whose career highlights include productions at the Metropolitan Opera, the musical “Gatsby: An American Myth” at American Repertory Theater, and more than a decade with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
“Our students represented UNC Charlotte with exceptional artistry, professionalism and commitment, making valuable connections with medical students, faculty and members of New York’s professional dance community,” Jones said.
“It was incredibly moving to see this beautiful community of artists, designers and students come together for such a meaningful cause. This performance was more than a show. It was a statement of compassion, resilience and hope.”
Performance photos by Hanna Wondmagegn, others courtesy of Movement Migration.