Flower petals fall, shadows dance and live music fills the B. Iden Payne Theatre in Dance Repertory Theatre’s EQUINOX. This evening of dance performance weaves between light-hearted, playful works and contemplative, powerful pieces, with ballet and contemporary movements punctuated by vivid design elements. We spoke with the choreographers, along with some dancers, designers and musicians, to learn more about what to expect in this season’s EQUINOX.
How to Watch a Dance Repertory Theatre Concert
Gesel Mason (Choreographer): “The concert opens with How to Watch a Dance Repertory Theatre Concert…, a tongue-in-cheek primer performed by the full company. Whether it’s your first dance concert or your hundredth, this playful lecture-demonstration offers witty and surprising suggestions on how to watch dance.”
Riza Hernandez (Dancer): “As the Narrator for the comedic piece How to Watch a Dance Repertory Theatre Concert by Gesel Mason, my experience has been surreal as I have had the opportunity to educate the audience on the evolving process of a dance production. This production has been a unique process of combining artistic voices, dance history and dance vocabulary.
“My character is a representation of the Dance Area, and I have had the opportunity to discover and practice theatrical skills from UT Acting Assistant Professor, Corey Allen. Additionally, I have expanded my knowledge of what modern dance exemplifies. I am most excited for the audience to experience the same joy, thoughtfulness and attention we as a Dance Repertory Theater Company experience daily through dance.”
Shadow Puppets
London Lack (Choreographer): “Shadow Puppets is loosely inspired by Jungian archetypes, specifically dissecting the way that the many versions of the self collectively comprise the front-facing individual. This is visualized through life-size shadow puppetry, allowing the self to be visually dissected and analyzed within a deep state of self-reflection. The piece questions what we think we understand about ourselves, and it pushes us to uncover the various identities that make up who we are. Audiences should expect to be immersed in a world of lights and shadows, ideally allowing them to reflect on themselves and find peace in who they are.”
Rosie Adams (Dancer): “My experience working on Shadow Puppets has been truly eye-opening. London Lack’s concept of using a scrim to create the illusion of a dancer’s shadow is both innovative and visually stunning, and it has been exciting to watch this idea come to life. Rehearsing with the scrim has been a process of trial and error, filled with moments of discovery and growth. I still remember the first time we rehearsed with it, and how everyone was in awe of how striking the piece looked. The way it creates the illusion that one dancer is another’s shadow is incredibly powerful and unique. I am so excited to take the stage in EQUINOX and share London Lack’s Shadow Puppets with an audience.”
Dreams in the Mist
Joel Valentín-Martínez (Choreographer): “Dreams in the Mist is a dance piece for thirteen dancers that will be performed to live music, led by the Butler School of Music student group, Soha Quartet. With gestural and rigorous movement set to a vibrant and virtuosic score by Alberto Avaristo Ginastera and inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera (c.1482), the dancers dive into a dreamy world of imaginary fun, showoffs, rejection and angst, as they try to find a place underneath the sun. The choreography is amplified by the lighting of Patrick Schoen and colorful costumes by Lindsey Thurston.”
Soha Quartet (Musicians – Katsuaki Arakawa, Thomas Gougeon, Mei Liu, Chloe Yofan): “Despite strong historical connections between dance and classical music, it is not often that we are able to share the stage with dancers. Especially as conservatory-style training grows more prominent in the classical music sphere, opportunities to collaborate are few and far between. However, the University of Texas at Austin, being an institution with strong departments in various elements of the fine arts, offers a wonderful environment to explore connections between disciplines. We are so excited to perform with the dance students of UT, and thrilled to share the music of Alberto Ginastera with a new audience. With music that is a far cry from the commonly heard European classics and wonderful choreography by Associate Professor Valentín-Martínez created newly for this collaboration, this work is sure to be a unique experience for us all.”
I am here
Daniela Mendes Albert (Choreographer): “I Am Here explores my personal experience with feeling disconnected from the present, my physical body and the environment around me. I was inspired by our wider generational tendency toward limited human and environmental connection, both within and between individuals. Audiences should expect to follow the dancers through a journey of isolation, overcoming barriers and finding peace through connection. Through the piece, I hope that audiences are able to find moments that they can relate to, whether that be overcoming hardship, experiencing varying levels of dissociation or even deepening relationships through self-discovery and presence.”
Bryli Jameson (Dancer): “Working on I am here has been such a joy! This is my first student-choreographed process, and I feel so privileged to be learning from my dear friend, Daniela, in this way. She has made the rehearsal process so easy for all of us. She’s known her vision from the start, and deeper than this, she’s found ways to situate the individual stories and perspectives of her dancers within this vision. We work hard in rehearsal, but we also have fun, and that has been a highlight for me in working on this piece. Each and every rehearsal, I leave feeling lighter than when I first arrived.”
Spring, Sprang, Sprung
Gesel Mason (Choreographer): Spring, Sprang, Sprung is a playful reimagining of Vivaldi’s “Spring.” Full of surprises, the work tests the idea of “staying with it” as things unravel in unexpected and often humorous ways.
Joe Morales IV (Projection Designer): As a first-year integrated media student in the Live Design and Production area, I’ve been very lucky to have some gracious collaborators and peers on my first dance show. The breath of creating with my fellow first years and building relations with faculty and other students has been revolutionary for my work as an artist. I’ve discovered and learned so much already about the time I need to succeed in programing and designing here at UT. Through the work my team and I have put into our time this semester, I’m very excited for audience members to enjoy the beautiful moments just as much as the moments of laughter and chaos that we have cultivated. Through spring growth or cat memes the audience will grow with us as artists.
EQUINOX
April 1-4, 2026
B. Iden Payne Theatre
TICKETS
Written by Sydney Pattillo.
