HWS News
16 April 2025 HWS Faculty Dance 2025
An evening of original choreography and performance by HWS faculty, students and guest artists will be held April 25 and 26.
The Hobart and William Smith Faculty Dance Concert will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, featuring choreography by three faculty members from the Dance and Movement Studies Department. Performances will include HWS Dance Ensemble students, Professors Donna Davenport and Kelly Johnson, and guest artists Hannah Bixby ’23 and Rochester-based artist Caitlin Mahon.
Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Deming Dance Theatre and are free and open to the public.
Opening the evening is Somethin’ Light, choreographed by Johnson. Set to the soulful, energetic sounds of Jungle and CARRTOONS, the piece features 12 dancers and serves as a joyful call for collective breath and physical release. Johnson shares, “Somethin’ Light reminds us all to take a deep breath together.”
Next is Lives Lived, a solo by Davenport. First premiered at the Moving Landscapes choreographers’ showcase at CRS Barn in Ithaca last summer, this elegiac work was originally accompanied by an improvised piano score by John White. In its current form, it is set to a Mozart adagio.
Williams presents Lemniscate, an evocative piece inspired by the symbolism of Tarot cards. Mysterious, full of intricate gestures, the 10 women move through rituals that are not explained as they join together, form different partnerships and coalesce as a group.
After a brief intermission, the concert continues with These Days, a new two-part work by Davenport, performed by 11 HWS students. The piece explores the joys and challenges of human experience: “Keep on Keepin’ On” and “Gone Awry” present both kookiness and empowerment of the individual to persevere.
The evening concludes with Johnson’s Price of Eggs, a dramatic work that features Johnson, HWS Dance alumna Hannah Bixby ’23 and Rochester-based artist Caitlin Mahon. Due to its mature content and references to violence, this piece is not recommended for young audiences.
An artist-audience talk-back will follow each performance.
Tickets for the concert are free of charge and are available at the Gearan Center Box Office at 7 p.m. on the night of each performance, or may be reserved through our on-line app. Donations to benefit the Dance and Movement Studies Department and the Cadence Joy Whittier Fund are welcome.
Please contact Department Chair Cynthia Williams, williams@hws.edu with any questions.
