Though the pandemic has forced students everywhere to reimagine the start of the fall semester, the Theatre and Dance Undergraduate Advisory Council (UAC), with the help of our brilliant faculty, facilitated a warm welcome for incoming and returning Longhorns. To accommodate today’s virtual world, the UAC planned a week of digital events to introduce incoming students to the department, culminating in this year’s Convocation. In a video circulated to all undergraduate and graduate students, the UAC compiled introductions and words of encouragement from faculty in all areas of the department. Along with providing descriptions of their areas of study, the faculty communicated their belief in the resilience and adaptability of the strong community of artists that populate the F. Loren Winship Drama Building.

Continue Reading Faculty and Students Started the Semester with a Virtual Welcome Week

Thousands of incoming freshmen and transfer students are preparing for their first days as Longhorns, a time filled with excitement and anxiety even without the backdrop of a global pandemic. In a typical year, they’d be counting down the days to UT Orientation, when stepping on campus signifies the beginning of their college journey. This year is different. This year, the first step on their college journey is through a computer screen. Luckily, thanks to a collaboration with Theatre and Dance students Andrea L. Hart, Anna Skidis Vargs and Zoey Crow, these incoming Longhorns get to experience the energy of The University of Texas at Austin, despite being unable to attend orientation on the 40 Acres.

Continue Reading Theatre Students Have Instrumental Role in Welcoming Incoming Longhorns

Graduation is now behind us, but this year’s commencement and the final semester of many students’ college careers will be remembered for years to come. The resilience and diligence of our students when faced with unprecedented challenges has been nothing short of inspirational. Without the ability to honor these graduates in a usual commencement ceremony, programs within the Department of Theatre and Dance utilized new and creative ways to celebrate their seniors, including everything from car parades to socially distant yard processionals and Zoom celebrations.

Continue Reading Celebrating the Class of 2020

Tackling choreography in the style of contact improvisation seems nearly impossible in a time when physical contact is limited. In Dr. Rebecca Rossen’s Dance History II class, undergraduate students Ashley Stone and Lindsay Ball were tasked with exploring this style for a group presentation. As their class transferred to an online setting, the two had to find a way to incorporate aspects of contact improvisation, a form rooted in physical collaboration, while maintaining social distancing restrictions. Luckily, they had a special advantage—they’re roommates!

Continue Reading Moments of Contact: How One Dance Class Transitioned to Online Presentations

The closure of dance studios for the remainder of the semester poses an obvious question for many students: where, and how, can we continue learning through movement? Faculty member Leah Cox’s dance composition class has reimagined this challenge as an opportunity. As they study postmodern movement, the students have let new dance spaces inspire their work, and the resulting video assignments have opened new conversations about searching for creative places in confinement.

Continue Reading Finding a Creative Space When the Studios Close