😭😭😭 A senior Exec Team send-off.👏🎓👏 Hats off to Sophia Harrison, Madi Seelye, and Sloane Smith! Thanks for your leadership on UDC and in many other areas of KU. All scholarship students in the Department of Theatre & Dance, these exec team leaders made their mark forever in our studios and stages! 💯⭐️
Sophia is our outgoing president. She received her BFA in Dance Performance with a Business minor. She danced in all the UDC concerts and Showcases during her time here. Her favorite memories are, of course, with the University Dance Company, specifically the two weeks they spend in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre prior to opening and the relationships she’s formed.
Madi is our outgoing marketing chair. She received her BFA in Dance Performance. In addition to UDC concerts, she also made several appearances in University Theatre shows, including Milking Christmas (co-created by one of her mentors Ryan McCall, a former KU faculty member). In fact some of her favorite KU memories are being in rehearsal for musicals. “I’ve met some of my best friends in the Department.”
Sloane is our outgoing treasurer. She received a BA in Dance and a BS in Exercise Science. She lit up our stages and was involved in campus organizations including SUA and as an instructor at the Ambler Rec Center. Fun fact: Sloane’s brother is also in the Department of Theatre & Dance! Her favorite memory was her final UDC performance and hugging all of her castmates after their piece was over and before they went on stage to take their final bows.
Congratulations! We will see you at the alumni reunions.
Here’s Modern/Contemporary III (DANC 313) taught by prof. Shannon Stewart signing off for the semester! The final project took dancers out of the studio and into the beautiful KU landscape, and it was a strong showing by all.
Wishing you all a safe and happy KU Commencement weekend.
Photo courtesy @thesurrealshannonstewart
What more can we say ‘cept these seniors came up strong this year and really modeled the way for undergraduates! So proud! Enjoy their memories and parting words. #classof2026 #congratulations We wish you all the very best as you endeavor to new heights! #rcjh
Content contributed by @madi__see
Today’s the final performance of Senior Showcase! Starts at 2pm @ the Sherbon Theatre in Robinson Center or livestreamed on dance.ku.edu. Link in bio. 🤩 Beautiful pieces, seniors! Bravo to your strong, brave, and artistic dancers! 💯
1st pic: Choreographer Sloane Smith, Joy Intertwining
2nd: Choreographer Joslyn Vetock, No Blueprint
3rd: Choreographer Madi Seelye, Remnant
4th: Choreographer Elizabeth Wellman, That Which We Carry
5th: Choreographer Rizzy Rénzy Xiong, Yangtze River
Lighting design by M Taylor
Photos by Luke Jordan
5th pic by Rizzy Rénzy Xiong
Faculty News! Prof. Shannon Stewart, along with collaborators Tahni Holt and Oscar Trujillo, presented their piece “Choreography for a Forest” for the grand opening of the Rice Woodland Trail located within the Baldwin Woods portion of the KU Field Station.
Shannon has been working with choreographer Tahni Holt on a multi-year, multi-locale project: FOREST Collaborations. Their choreographic work resides in the study of interconnected systems–ecology, histories, performative bodies (including non-human), and expansive understandings of communication. Given the opportunity to be a part of the Rice Woodland trail opening, the choreographers invited dance artist Oscar Trujillo to join for two weekends of research and creation on site. A grant from Outdoors Unscripted, a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for people to encounter the outdoors in ways that foster belonging, curiosity, and care, supported their process!
Congratulations on a fantastic and thought-provoking piece, @thesurrealshannonstewart@tahniholt@osqui_tru !!
Costumes by Kelly Vogel
Welcome back Abby Boyd! Last week she highlighted what a day in her life as a dance student was like!
Abby includes a clip of her rehearsal for the Student Showcase being performed tonight at 7:30pm! Go watch her choreography and other dance students perform tonight!
Spotlight on our seniors Madi Seelye, Sloane Smith, Joslyn Vetock, Elizabeth Wellman, and Rizzy Rénzy Xiong, whose choreography is featured in this year’s Spring Showcase. The showcase runs May 2-3, in-person and virtually, so mark your calendars! Link in our bio for tickets and more info! We can’t wait!🥳
Audiences of our Spring Senior Showcase will have the opportunity to experience the following works:
⭐️“Remnant” by Madi Seelye (BFA in Dance)
⭐️“Joy Intertwining” by Sloan Smith (BA in Dance and BS in Exercise Science)
⭐️“No Blueprint” by Joslyn Vetock (BFA in Dance with a Business minor)
⭐️“That Which We Carry” by Elizabeth Wellman (BA in Dance with an Art History minor)
⭐️”Yangtze River/长江” by Rizzy Rénzy Xiong (BFA in Dance and BSE in Elementary Education)
UNITY Hip Hop and KU Karisma will also be featured in this semester’s showcase! @unityhiphop@ku_karisma
Eleven of our dancers performed alongside the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company at The Lied Center of Kansas, and we are so proud of them! Students had the chance to perform in the piece Continuous Replay, choreographed by Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane.
Performers from KU Dance are Abby Boyd, Sofia Dunkelberger, Mia Godinez, Penelope Guezuraga, Sophia Harrison, Thomas Jenson, Katie Noll, Mallory Price, Madison Seelye, Sloane Smith and Elizabeth Wellman.
Special thanks to the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company for this incredible opportunity for our dancers! Additionally, a big ROCK CHALK to KU alum Kyle Maude of New York Live Arts!💙❤️
📸: @marekate08
We are soooo proud of everyone involved with our University Dance Company Spring Concert!! We want to send a BIG thank you to all who attended as well (whether in-person or virtually)! 🤩💙
Next up: Senior Showcase!!
📸 1 & 2: “Liveness” by prof. Michelle Heffner Hayes. Costume Design by Kelly Vogel; Lighting Design by Nicholas Sibert. Photography by Ann Sitzman.
📸 3 & 4: “Love Is The Message” by prof. Maya Tillman-Rayton and KU Lecturer Claire Buss. Costume Design by Logan Fixsen; Scenic Design by Kelly Vogel; Lighting Design by Nicholas Sibert.
📸 5 & 6: “Ones: 1” by guest choreographer Sam McReynolds. Costume Design by Kelly Vogel; Lighting Design by Nicholas Sibert. Photography by Ann Sitzman.
Also, shoutout to Jayhawk Tap Co. for their amazing performance! @jayhawktapco
It’s alumni spotlight time! Ellie Goudie-Averill graduated from KU in 2004 with a BFA in Dance. As a student, she was a part of UDC every semester, participating in works by past KU Dance professors Jerel Hilding, Patrick Suzeau, Muriel Cohen, and more. After graduating, Ellie danced professionally in Philadelphia for many years and traveled for freelance projects. One of her favorite dance experiences outside of school is when she had the opportunity to dance for legendary choreographer Lucinda Childs in Philadelphia. Currently, Ellie is located in Western Massachusetts with her partner, where they have started an artist residency. In fact, KU Dance prof. Shannon Stewart was a resident artist with them in 2025!
When asked about her favorite KU memory, Ellie highlighted the time when she, along with several of her friends, started a small company named “The Bowery Dancers” just before graduation.
“It was such a joy to collaborate and make our own work. We felt so supported by the faculty!”
Her advice for incoming and current KU Theatre and Dance students is:
* Dance and train as much as you can in college. Classes can be costly in the real world.
* The dance world is small and supportive, even when it seems competitive and overwhelming.
* Make sure you talk to your fellow dancers when you’re taking classes or at auditions. We’re all in it together and there’s a place for us all!
In addition to her residency program, Ellie is a professor at Mount Holyoke College, where she teaches ballet, modern/contemporary, and creates choreography with her students. She performs in dance films and site-specific works with Tori Lawrence + Co. Rock Chalk, Ellie!💙
📸 #1,2,4: Tori Lawrence
