Special Opportunities
At UNC Charlotte, you’ll receive an exemplary dance education in a culturally vibrant city. The UNC Charlotte Department of Dance provides integrated dance training and academic preparation in a diverse community that values lived experience, creative process, and performance. We invite you to join us as we build a community hub for inclusive, accessible, and antiracist dance practices and studies. Here, we highlight just a few of the special opportunities to expand your education and experience!
Off-campus performance opportunities
On April 22, 2023, UNC Charlotte dance students premiered a reimagined work by the iconic choreographer Martha Graham that had not been seen since 1977. And not only did they bring to life a dance piece that no contemporary audience had ever seen, they performed it on America’s most famous stage for modern dance, the Joyce Theater in New York City.
For the 10 students who performed in the Martha Graham Dance Company University Partners Showcase, it was a dream come true, funded by the Department of Dance and the College of Arts + Architecture. Hosted by the oldest dance company in the United States, the students enjoyed three days of classes, rehearsals, and performance – the culmination of months of preparation under the direction of Associate Professor of Dance Kim Jones. Learn more about their adventure here.
Masterclasses
De’Anthony Vaughan is a member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and a former member of Dallas Black Dance Theatre. A former student of Associate Professor of Dance Kim Jones, Vaughan taught a masterclass on February 20, 2025!
Lorenzo Pagano, former soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company, joined us in the studio again in residency with the Department of Music. Lorenzo taught our advanced Graham modern dance class in January 2025.
Darrion Gallegos is a dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles, CA. He has worked with many artists including Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Gwen Stefani and Taylor Swift. He visited our Hip Hop and Street Dance class in fall 2024, led an industry Q&A, and taught a commercial heels dance master class for our majors and minors.
Lorenzo Pagano is a soloist for the Martha Graham Dance Company, which he joined in 2012. He gave taught our Graham classes and also trained students for their performance in Graham Co’s University Partners Showcase.
In 1990, Lauren Anderson became the first African-American to be promoted to principal dancer at Houston Ballet. The Department of Dance hosted Anderson in residency with Charlotte Ballet in the Fall of 2022.
Hope Boykin joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 2000 and joined our Department of Dance for a masterclass while on tour in Charlotte for Ailey’s performance at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
drop in class series with Ashley L. Tate
Assistant Professor Ashley L. Tate hosts monthly drop-in classes every semester for any UNC Charlotte student (in any department!) for extra training in a variety of styles. All classes will be held in Robinson 118 from 5-6:30 p.m. Everyone must show a valid UNC Charlotte ID. Join us for our Fall 2025 Drop-In Dance Classes!
- August 22: Jazz Funk
- September 12: Hip Hop
- November 7: Jazz
- December 5: Contemporary
STUdents in the community
Barre Belle is a nonprofit organization designed to expose and provide universal access to the art of dance through local community centers and schools. Each semester, students in the Department of Dance volunteer as interns to teach community dance classes!
April 2025: Students join professor Tamara Wiliams for classes and performances as part of the annual Lavagem! festival, a multi-day celebration of indigenous and African Brazilian arts and culture.
community open classes
Calling all North Carolina high school dance programs and studios! UNC Charlotte Dance offers FREE master classes with our faculty in modern, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and African Brazilian dance followed by a short information session on our exciting programs. We would love to connect with you and your students! To schedule a master class at your school or studio please email Director of Undergraduate Studies Tamara Williams.
Summer Indian Dance Intensive 2026
Join the UNC Charlotte Department of Dance for the annual Odissi Odyssey Dance Intensive! This will entail a week of multiple Indian dance classes in Odissi, Kuchipudi, Shilpanatanam among other forms. There shall be informal artist labs, open rehearsals, and open practice sessions! Among our teachers, are Padmashree Dr. Ileana Citaristi and Guru Krishna Bharathi.
Registration will open Spring 2026 – Stay tuned for more details
Odissi Odyssey is UNC Charlotte Dance’s outreach to the diasporic dance community. Over the years, we have had stalwarts and emerging artists share their expertise and passion with the Charlotte community. Artists namely, Dr. Rohini Dandavate, Guru Sujata Mohapatra, Guru Aruna Mohanty, and Guru Meera Das have shared their time in the university premises. This year, brings a roster of teachers who teach from their research in expanding the movement as well as creative expression within the traditional repertoire. In addition, we plan on reaching out to the larger Indian dance community by focusing on workshops on Abhinaya or the phenomenological skill of enactment that will help bridge linguistic divides in the diaspora. We bring clusters of Shilpanatanam, a contemporary movement vocabulary founded by Dr. Maya Kulkarni. Finally, we will honor latest inductees of the Scouts and Guides Program of Dance and Community Research Institute.
Learn more about the program director, Kaustavi Sarkar!