Fall 2023 Events
Audition Announcement
Auditions for Dancing Uphill 2024 will be held on September 8 at 6:30PM in Cohen Hall (room 110).
Dancing Uphill is an annual event that explores the play, rigor, and collaboration that goes into dancing, dance-making, design, and creative research at the UVM Dance Program.
The Migrant Body – Screendance
Director: Paula Higa
Co-director: Cal Hopwood
Where: UVM Recital Hall
When 09/15/2023 @ 7:30 pm
FREE
Q&A following the screening of the film will be moderated by Tina Escaja, University Distinguished Professor of Spanish in the School of World Languages and Cultures.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/814715249?share=copy
Director’s note: In my personal experience as a dual citizen of Brazil and the United States, I've come to realize that the term "migrant" is often used to describe those who are perceived as "foreign" or "other." However, upon reflection, it's become clear to me that we are all migrants in one way or another. Whether we're moving to a new city or country, changing jobs, or simply trying to navigate the complexities of life, we're all on a journey that involves leaving one place and entering another. The Migrant Body invites the audience to take a journey into this vast, and diverse world. It proposes that we can learn from other people and other cultures and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
TouchStone
Creating and performing in the Fleming Museum’s Marble court, UVM dance students and dance Lecturer Julie Peoples-Clark, will explore feelings of isolation, the sensation of touch and human connection. Creative research will explore kinesthetic responses as we leave isolation and welcome touch and connection back into our lives post pandemic.
The explorations will culminate in a site performance that uses the Fleming’s Marble Court as a dance partner, weaving the unique space into the finished work.
Local artist and music producer RicoJames will provide the musical score. The live score will premiere on opening night for the audience and for the dancers.
Friday, October 27, 2023 - 7 pm
Saturday, October 28, 2023 - 2pm
Fleming Museum of Art Marble Court
NOTE: Limited availability. Please email RTTTickets@uvm.edu to make a reservation
Spring 2023 Presentations
Chiaroscuro: Bodies in Flux
2023 Senior Capstone Concert
Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that originated during the Renaissance and literally translates to “light-dark”. In visual art, chiaroscuro refers to the use of contrasting tones within the composition of a painting–some figures or areas will be obscured and shadowed, while others will be bright and clear.
This concert is an exploration of the dualities we experience in ourselves and the natural world around us, and an attempt to draw conclusions from these antagonizing forces. This program features 24 dancers performing original works by each of the graduating dance majors (Ella Myregaard, Lucie Novelline, Isabelle Sellers & Erin Sullivan). We developed these works over the course of this semester, working intensively with our casts, faculty advisor, and fellow majors. The works are both a culmination of the knowledge and training we’ve received within the UVM dance program, and a representation of our individual embodied histories.
The choreographers would like to thank the UVM Office of Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research for their support.
Master Class with Tracy Broyles
What the heck is energy anyway?
We are living within a vibrational world. Our thoughts, feelings, and desires have energy… as do our blood, organs, and bones. These unseen vibrations affect our physical reality at all times.
How do the currents, blockages, leaks, and flows of the energy body mold, shape, inform and change your dancing?
Part information sharing, part embodied meditation, and part movement class, we will explore the anatomy of energy and the way it informs your body and movement. Leaning into learning through experience and play, this class is creative and informative, inviting you to question what you thought to be true.
Master Class in Symbology of Orixas
Time: 6pm-7:30pm (doors open at 5:30pm
Where: 110 Cohen Hall
Allow yourself to discover how sacred symbolism inspires the body to express its own memory, the activation of symbols and Codes of Movements as traditional foundation in artistic expression and interpretation.
Dancing Uphill 2023
Dancing Uphill 2023 explores the play, rigor, and collaboration that goes into dancing, dance-making, design, and creative research at the UVM Dance Program. Highlighting UVM dance student performers, Dancing Uphill 2023 includes choreography by guest choreographers Jennifer Nugent and Maree ReMalia, UVM dance faculty Julian Barnett, Paul Besaw, Millie Heckler, and Lois Trombley, as well as featured UVM student work. The concert is directed by Julian Barnett, with technical direction and design coordination by Bert Crosby.
Dancing Uphill 2023 will be presented February 1 thru February 4 at 7:30PM. The event will take place at the Cohen Center for the Integrated Creative Arts. See Map. Seating is general admission and we recommend you arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the performance.
Spring 2022 Presentations
Illuminate - Senior Capstone Showcase
"Illuminate" is the culmination of this year's senior dance majors' experience within the major. Featuring a cast of over twenty different dancers in seven works, "Illuminate" has works from the seniors (Emma Askew, Katie Corkum, Emma DiBacco, Katie Henry, Mary Kate Kennedy, and Jordan Officer; Josh Huffman will be staging a site-specific work outside of "Illuminate") as well as Visiting Artist Millie Heckler. This scope of the concert is in part due to funding given by UVM FOUR, which made it possible for the guest choreographer piece, videography, printing, and costumes to happen.
"Illuminate" will be presented April 29 and April 30 at 7:30PM. The event will take place at the Cohen Center for the Integrated Creative Arts. See Map.
Tickets for the event are $10 and seating is general admission. Tickets can be purchased online 24/7 by following this link. Tickets can also be purchased at the box office in the Cohen Center beginning 90 minutes prior to the start of the event. Tickets purchased in person at the box office are Cash or Check ONLY.
Dancing Uphill 2022

When:
Wednesday, February 9 at 7:30PM
Thursday, February 10 at 7:30PM
Friday, February 11 at 7:30PM
Saturday, February 121 at 7:30PM
Dancing Uphill attempts to capture a glimpse into the rigor, play, and creative research that goes into dancing, dance-making, design, and production here at UVM. Dancing Uphill has been an annual UVM Dance Program tradition since 2008. Highlighting UVM dance student performers, Dancing Uphill 2022 includes choreography by UVM dance faculty and guest dance artists. The show will include work by dance faculty Julian Barnett, Paul Besaw & Selene Colburn , as well as featuring work by UVM students Emma Askew, Katie Corkum, Jordan Officer & Sarah Wasserman, and guest choreographers Bernard Brown & Hye-Won Hwang. The concert is directed by Paul Besaw with technical direction and design coordination by Bert Crosby.
UVM Students - $10
Tickets can be purchased online 24/7 HERE. Tickets can also be purchased the night of the performances beginning 90 minutes prior to the start of the performance. In-person ticket purchases are Cash or Check ONLY.
For more information go to uvm.edu/cas/theatreanddance or email RTTTickets@uvm.edu
Fall 2021 Production
Dancing Uphill - On Site
Directed by Paula Higa
Choreographed by the students
PLEASE NOTE: Due to an inclimate weather forecast for Oct. 16 & 17 the performances for Dancing Uphill - On Site have been RESCHEDULED forOctober 23 & 24 at 2PM each day.
Location: UVM Medical Center Hillside facing Colchester Avenue and the Trinity Campus
Inspired by Samuel Beckett's Theater of the Absurd, Dancing Uphill - On-site examines power-hungry and social hierarchy through competitiveness. The performance revisits past choreographies from the UVM Dance Program annual concert, Dancing Uphill while tackling non-sense logic. Like in Beckett's plays, what seems meaningless and absurd will come to a conscious end.
And if you think the performance is too “absurdist” for your mindset, we hope you enjoy the selected covers playlist!
The running time for the event is approximately 30 minutes. Parking at UVM Medical Center is not available.
Spring 2021 Production
Dancing Uphill 2021

Dancing Uphill 2021 will be presented on April 16 and 17 at 7:30PM in the Cohen Center for the Intergrated Arts. Due to our need to adhere to protocols around the Covid-19 pandemic we will not be able to perform in front of an in-person audience. However, we are thrilled to be able to present this years performances as a FREE Live-Streamed event. The link below will enable you to view the performances either evening - no password needed. We hope you can join us for an exciting evening of dance as we present Dancing Uphill 2021.
Fall 2020 Production
Annual Site Performance Project
Moving Through the Flood
Moving Through the Flood is a site-specific outdoor performance that brings together the power of dance, theatre, and live music to transcend beyond the current circumstances that are keeping us apart. The performance will take place in the heart of the campus, in front of the Fleming Museum, unfolding at an intersection where art (Fleming), medicine (UVM Medical Center), and science (Innovation Hall) converge. Directed by UVM Theatre and Dance faculty Julian Barnett, and including artistic work from fellow faculty and students, the performance explores the metaphorical possibility of water, as it floods, washes, wakes, and ripples, to create new possibilities and rituals of live performance in the era of social distancing.
HOW TO ATTEND THE EVENT
- Attendance is limited to UVM ID holders only. You must register in advance to attend.
- Register by emailing RTTTickets@uvm.edu. Indicate which date/time you would like to attend.
- As per UVM and State guidelines, when registering you must provide your name and a phone number where you can be reached.
- When registering please indicate any special requests and/or accommodations.
- You will receive an email confirming your request to attend within 24 hours. This time frame may be longer if you submit your request on a weekend.
GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDEES
- Everyone attending the event must present a valid UVM ID to gain admittance.
- Everyone attending the event must wear face covering and maintain a physical distance of 6 feet between attendees.
- Any necessary additional guidelines, including updates in the event of rain, will be included in the confirmation email.
2019-2020 PRODUCTIONS
Quantum Complications
Discovery Hall
Two shows each night: 5:30 & 7:00 PM
Tickets: $5, general admission (cash or check only at the door)
Dancing Uphill 2020
Wednesday-Saturday, January 22 - 25, 2020 - 7:30 PM
Mann Gymnasium (Trinity Campus)
Tickets: $10 for Students; $15 General Admission
Highlighting UVM dance student performers, the concert includes choreography by UVM dance faculty, UVM composition students, and professional guest dance artists. The show will include works by dance faculty Julian Barnett and Paul Besaw, and feature the work of guest artists Lauren Blue (UVM Class of 2012), Laurel Jenkins, and Lida Winfield. Directed by Besaw; technical direction and design coordination by Bert Crosby.
Tickets for Dancing Uphill 2020 are available for purchase at the door of the event. Dancing Uphill 2020 is being presented in Mann Gymnasium located at 208 Colchester Avenue on the trinity campus of UVM. Tickets for Dancing Uphill 2020 are $10 for UVM students and $15 for all others. Tickets can be purchased at Mann Gymnasium by cash or check only. If paying by check please make it out to the University of Vermont. Seating is General admission and the performance begins at 7:30PM.
Again, tickets for Dancing Uphill 2020 are no longer available for purchase online or at the Royall Tyler Theatre box office. They can only be purchased at Mann Gymnasium, beginning at 6:15pm Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24 and 25. Tickets are subject to availability.