The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Dance Program’s 2025 Student Dance Project will feature 24 choreographers who have set their work on 50 dancers.
This year’s concert will be broken up into two programs due to the large number of pieces. Program One will be Thursday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Program Two will be Friday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place in Howell Theatre, on the first floor of the Temple Building at 12th and R streets on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln city campus.
The two Saturday performances at 2 p.m. (Program Two) and 7:30 p.m. (Program One) will be live webcast. Visit https://go.unl.edu/gksomwebcasts the day of the performance for the links.
The choreographers are all students in the dance composition course, which is taught annually by dance faculty Hye-Won Hwang and Susan Ourada, who alternate teaching the course each year. This year, the course was taught by Ourada.
“I am delighted with the depth, breadth and innovation of the work this year,” said Ourada, who is associate professor of dance. “This year 21 of the choreographers are dance majors taking the course for the first, second or third time. In addition, there are two dance minors who received special permission to take the course. The 24th choreographer is a faculty member from the English Department, Katie Marya, who has been taking courses for many years with us.”
Meg Brady, a senior dance and environmental and sustainability studies major from Overland Park, Kansas, will have her piece titled “Impressionism” in Program Two.
“My work features 12 dancers and draws parallels between my time in the dance program and the impressionist artistic movement,” she said. “I focus on using movement to convey how this time of my life looks from the outside compared to how it felt. The piece includes audio clips of videos from different memories that I associate with the dance program to try and bring the audience into the joy I’ve felt being involved in his program for the last four years.”
The Student Dance Project gives dance students a space to showcase their style and ideas.
“I see so much creativity and passion coming from my classmates in their work this season,” Brady said. “This show will feature innovative stories, shapes and movements—you won’t want to miss it. There really is something for everyone.”
Brady said the Student Dance Project is a valuable experiential learning opportunity.
“We are given artistic freedom to explore evolving curiosities through choreographing on other bodies, while also being provided with incredible institutional support and feedback,” she said. “Dancing and choreographing for this show will always be one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career.”
Brady appreciates the social connections she has made as a dance major.
“I cannot put into words how impactful the dancers and faculty at UNL have been to my personal development, and I will carry those relationships with me long after I’ve left UNL,” she said.
Vanessa Uriostegui, a senior dance and Spanish-Indigenous studies major from Schuyler, Nebraska, has choreographed a piece titled “CON-struxt,” which will be included in Program One.
“I touch on topics of gender and the performance of gender,” she said. “I think that gender has to be thought of as something bigger like a performance instead of a set of rules or expectations we have to follow.”
Uriostegui said participating in the Student Dance Project has been transformational for her.
“Student Dance Project, for me as a dancer, has helped me to grow my range of movement and helped me dig myself out of places I have felt out of control,” she said. “As a choreographer, I am able to work alongside my colleagues to help my dance style flourish into my research.”
The dancers appreciate everyone who attends their performances.
“I think that people coming and engaging with Student Dance Project means the world to us young artists,” Uriostegui said. “I believe there are a lot of potentially big choreographers and artists in this program that need to be heard and critiqued.”
Last year, Uriostegui’s piece, “Humanity is Not for Sale,” was taken to the American College Dance Association conference.
“That experience reassured me that my work is not going unnoticed,” she said. “Especially being in a small program in the middle of Nebraska, having my voice heard by many other artists and professors was such a surreal experience.”
Skylar Ostronic, a senior dance and fashion merchandising major from Omaha, Nebraska, has choreographed a piece titled “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” which will be included in Program Two.
“My work explores the importance of women having the freedom to choose, especially in their careers,” she said. “There has been an expectance for women to follow certain paths of life and career choices and with the rise of the glorification of housewives, it is important to let women remain in control of what they want their life to look like—whether that is as a housewife or any other field.”
For Ostronic, the Student Dance Project has provided an invaluable environment to grow as both a choreographer and performer.
“The Student Dance Project allows for me to have the space, ability and support to create concert work and higher art,” she said. “My knowledge of choreography, intentionality, movement quality and how to teach all of this to dancers has grown immensely in my two years of taking this course. I also am able to work with my peers in their pieces, adapting their movement styles and constantly learning from them as well.”
Shaylin Barth, a junior dance, business and pre-law major from Omaha, Nebraska, has choreographed a piece titled “Pull Back the Veil,” which will be included in Program One.
“My piece is centered around the complexity between the comfort of concealment and the desire to uncover what is being hidden,” she said. “It features three performers, all of whom dance with separate sheets of sheer fabric that serve as a physical barrier and distraction between them and the audience. However, once these sheets are dropped, and the performers are unveiled, it becomes clear there is no going back. The movements throughout showcase the performers’ strength, intensity and musicality.”
Barth said the Student Dance Project has been important to her development as both a dancer and choreographer.
“This will be my second time performing in the Student Dance project, and I have been in pieces by six different choreographers,” she said. “Having the opportunity to experience the unique process of each choreographer and embody their style has helped me grow into a more versatile and inspired dancer. This is my first time choreographing for it. While I have choreographed before, this project has given me the opportunity to challenge myself and work to expand the limits of my comfort zone with dancers who are just as driven as I am.”
The performances are also presented in collaboration with the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.
“Professor Michelle Harvey is working with her graduate and undergraduate lighting design students, who will each work with four choreographers on the lighting facet of their pieces,” Ourada said. “Brad Buffum has kindly provided us with a stage manager for this show for many years. This year, the student dance project stage manager will also call our spring faculty and guest artist show, Evenings of Dance. It’s a wonderful collaboration.”
Ostronic said a lot of effort goes into creating the Student Dance Project.
“Every student choreographer and dancer has put so much dedication into the works we are presenting that were created in only 15 weeks,” she said. “We also work with lighting students to create the stage lighting for our pieces, which is such a treat and adds so much to the mood and reception of our pieces.”
Barth said there are many reasons to attend the Student Dance Project.
“First and foremost, the performance showcases the creativity, skill and dedication of each and every choreographer and dancer who has worked diligently throughout the semester to bring their pieces to life on stage,” she said. “Attending the performance is also a great way to support these students and the UNL dance department. Everyone who attends will experience first-hand the authenticity of the artistry of the next generation of dancers as they express themselves through movement and innovation on stage.”
Tickets for the Student Dance Project are $10 general admission and $5 students, presale only. To purchase tickets, visit https://go.unl.edu/dancetix.