The University of Iowa

Dance

Dance Gala 2021

Dance Gala celebrates 40 years of captivating audiences with groundbreaking choreography created by University of Iowa Department of Dance faculty and prominent guest artists from around the world. This year, we are privileged to stage The Moor’s Pavane by José Limón, a 20th century modern dance masterwork. In addition, the dance faculty will premiere four exciting works, expressions of our resilience, commitment to, and enthusiasm for this art form. Dance Gala 2021 promises to engage audiences of all ages and we invite you to take a leap and join us in this celebration.

Dance Gala 2021 Livestream

Dance Gala celebrates 40 years of captivating audiences with groundbreaking choreography created by University of Iowa Department of Dance faculty and prominent guest artists from around the world. This year, we are privileged to stage The Moor’s Pavane by José Limón, a 20th century modern dance masterwork. In addition, the dance faculty will premiere four exciting works, expressions of our resilience, commitment to, and enthusiasm for this art form. Dance Gala 2021 promises to engage audiences of all ages and we invite you to take a leap and join us in this celebration.

WorldCanvass - Wellspring: The Power of Partnerships

This live WorldCanvass event will feature a short performance by Step Afrika! as well as an interview with company founder C. Brian Williams among other festivities.

Hancher will host WorldCanvass on September 10 for an outdoor celebration of community. Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague will join Chuck Swanson of Hancher, Russell Ganim of International Programs, and a host of performers and artists including Brian Williams of Step Afrika! and sculptor Colette Hosmer in an exploration of the power of partnerships to enrich and enliven community life. 

Mark Morris Dance Group

Mark Morris meets The Beatles! Pepperland is replete with Mark Morris’s blend of wit, musicality, and ingenuity. The evening-length work features original music by Ethan Iverson (formerly of The Bad Plus) as well as arrangements of songs from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band performed by a live ensemble, with Ethan Iverson on keyboards and a live theramin.

Free Demonstration Event

Dancers from American Ballet Theatre will teach some ballet movement for everyone and will also share some of the choreography that will be part of the evening’s performance.

Right: Jacob Clerico in Indestructible Light (Photo: Todd Rosenberg Photography)

Step Afrika!

Step Afrika! returns with a tale of resistance, resilience, and reclamation. Grounded in the Stono Rebellion of 1739, which led to the banning of drums among enslaved Africans, Drumfolk celebrates the beat entering the very bodies of persecuted people.

American Ballet Theatre

The wonderful dancers of American Ballet Theatre are hopping on a bus and touring America—and they’ll stop at Hancher on the Fourth of July! Gather up your friends and family (and lawn chairs!) for a performance by one of the world’s greatest ballet companies.

Lift Every Voice: Athletes, Artists, and the Movement for Social Justice

Join members of the DC-based dance company Step Afrika!, the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, for a discussion on Zoom about the Stono Rebellion, the Negro Act of 1740, and the shared lessons dancers and athletes can learn from the Drumfolk* who used their bodies to fight for justice so many years ago. Presented by Hancher Auditorium, in partnership with UI Athletics. This event is free and open to all. Please follow the link to register for the conversation beforehand.