Spring 2025 Senior Showcase

2025

FEATURED SENIOR CHOREOGRAPHERS ALEXANDRIA DEMPS ALEX HUNT CULLEN KRISHNA MOLLY ROBINSON ELIANA RUNDUS NIKOLETTE TREADWELL

MAY 3 & 4, 2025

KU Theatre & Dance Land Acknowledgment Translation from Menominee to English The KU Department of Theatre & Dance acknowledges that our performances take place on the ancestral homelands of several Tribal Nations, including the Kansa/ Kaw, the Osage. Specifically, the University of Kansas occupies land forcefully ceded in an 1825 treaty with the Kansa/Kaw Nation and a later treaty removing the Delaware/Lenape people.

This traditional territory was not a single property with border lines but rather maintained by Tribal peoples as traditional stewards, and we recognize an enduring relationship exists tying Tribal peoples to the land.

Elements of the land remain embedded into their Tribal identities, culture, and language. The Department emphatically recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the four federally recognized Tribal Nations present in Kansas today: the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Sac and Fox, and Iowa.

As we gather in this community space, we ask that you all take a moment to give thanks for this day as we celebrate and honor the contribution of this production by the KU Department of Theatre & Dance. We ask that you feel the good energy, passion, and commitment of the students and help us to honor their gifts they will share today. We wish for you to be rejuvenated and take this good energy and find a way to share a little with your community and others. The world needs laughter, music, dance, and the arts–the language of universal love. The land is home to us all. In the name of humanity, we ask for a final moment of reflection as we recognize and honor the past, and most importantly the arts and culture of the original people of this land.

The Department looks forward to future partnerships and collaborations that honor this land acknowledgment.

Enjoy the production and safe travels to all.

Fall Senior Dance Showcase Sherbon Blackbox Theatre, Robinson Center

Livestreamed May 3, 7 p.m.

May 4, 2 p.m.

It is free to view the livestream at dance.ku.edu.

Senior Showcase is performed with a limited, in-person audience.

Student choreographers present this work in conjunction with KU’s DANC 550: Senior Project course.

Invest in our Future

Give to the Centennial Production Fund

Producing dance both in-person and online with no ticket fees to boot allows us share our art with a larger and more far-flung audience than ever before. While a lot has changed in the 100 years since our Department’s founding, our students have never stopped needing the applause and support of their community as they express themselves through the artform. In lieu of payment of tickets, supporters are encouraged to contribute to the Centennial Production Fund, through KU Endowment, to strengthen student opportunities in our main stage season–both in the form of learning from hands-on experiences and by working alongside guest artists.

theatredance.ku.edu/centennial-fund

Showcase Production Credits Faculty Producer & Choreographer Mentor. Maya Tillman-Rayton Faculty Design Mentor. Ann Sitzman Faculty Stage Management Mentor. Jenna Link Stage Manager. Katherine Leverenz Assistant Stage Manager. John Stecher, Jr. Lighting Designer. Sean Ingram Sound Op. Anthony Jennings Crew. Chase Ellis, Celine Mendoza Video/Streaming Technician. Lisa Coble, Alex Weston Graphic Design. Chris Millspaugh Photographer. Luke Jordan

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

The Self choreographer. Alex Hunt music.

Spirit Bear by Oran Loyfer, Riddles by FableForte, It Hurts by RIPPLES, Last Days of Summer by Mats Raynard

dancers.

Eliana Rundus, Penelope Brown, Penelope Guezuraga, Rylee Brown, Stephanie Wirth, Claire Yarborough

Exploring identity and how people change over time. Wanting to try new things and meet new people but leaving a trail behind to go back to who you were. Life shapes and molds each human through experiences. The truth is that you can never go back, only forwards. What do you do when you realize you can’t go back?

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

Twilight at the Solemn Hour choreographer.

Nikolette Treadwell

music.

Twilight by The Lakes

dancers.

Abby Boyd, Esther McBride, Lilian McLaughlin, Maisie Cowdin, Natalie Remack, Rylee Brown, Sarah Perez

“... sometimes falling into a hole within a hole, or many holes within holes, getting out of them one after the other, then falling again, saying “this is not your grave, get out of the hole”; sometimes being pushed, saying “you can not push me into this hole, it is not my grave,” and getting out defiantly, then falling into a hole again without any pushing; sometimes falling into a set of holes whose structures are predictable, ideological, and long dug, often falling into this set of structural and impersonal holes; sometimes falling into holes with other people, with other people, saying “this is not our mass grave, get out of this hole,” all together getting out of the hole together, hands and legs and arms and human ladders of each other to get out of the hole that is not the mass grave but that will only be gotten out of together; sometimes the willful-falling into a hole which is not the grave because it is easier than not falling into a hole really, but then once in it, realizing it is not the grave, getting out of the hole eventually...”

Short excerpt from Anne Boyer’s What Resembles a Grave But Isn’t

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

Shimmer No Waves choreographer.

Molly Robinson

music.

Shimmer No Waves

by Giants and Pilgrims

dancers.

Greta Green and Molly Robinson

Shimmer No Waves is about finding quiet and stillness in a chaotic and noisy world. The friendship between the two dancers portrays how they can support and encourage one another to find peace in this world because of their friendship built around their strong faith.

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

It Takes a Village choreographer.

Alexandria Demps

music.

The Moment I Said It Composed, produced and performed by Imogen Heap

dancers.

Aubrey Lopeman, Anna Shelton, Madi Seelye, Sarah Perez, Abby Boyd, Nicole Fronek, Joslyn Vetock, Morgan Blanton, Molly Richardson, Mackenzie Wichman, Breck Luedke, Alexandria Lefler

It Takes a Village touches on the subject of how people in the dance world deal with their mental well-being. In today’s society, us dancers have it programmed in our heads that we need to push through all the hardships and continue in life without showing any vulnerability. It’s almost as if we are to be like machines. The vast majority of a dancer’s life is spent in front of the mirror, but no one ever mentions the individual, silent battles that this brings. This piece serves the purpose of making people realize that there is beauty in being vulnerable not just with yourself, but with others. What people don’t understand is that relying on someone is not a weakness. When you start to believe that you can lean on those who care about you, it brings new life to the saying, “it takes a village.”

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

all good, no problems choreographer. Eliana Rundus music.

Nostalgic Game Ringtone by Avix The Musician, ChildrensDream01 by Supvervanz, Cicada chirping noise by Namvo, Cinematic-music-sketches-11 by Efecto de sonido

dancers.

Penelope Brown, Keaja Hodge, Esther McBride, Molly Stover-Brown, Stephanie Wirth

Through the four inescapable phases of life (drawing, summer, moving, and dinner), all good, no problems considers the difference between experience and memory, between the moment and the story. The jester presents this work for your entertainment.

Department of Theatre & Dance Senior Capstone Project

Purgatorio choreographer. Cullen Krishna music.

A Dante Symphony, S.109: 2. Purgatorio composed by Franz Liszt, performed by Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, and conducted by Jesús López-Cobos, DECCA

dancers.

Abby Boyd, Anna Shelton, Joslyn Vetock, Kaylee Lempke, Madi Seelye, Mia Godinez, Morgan Blanton, Nicole Fronek, Rylee Brown, Sarah Perez, Sofia Dunkelberger, Sophia Harrison

To strive for perfection is a pursuit in which the striver never obtains their goal. We are fallible by nature; a parent will undoubtedly fail their child in some way, we as dancers will never achieve the highest relevé or longest legs before time takes its toll on our bodies, and the human soul has been tainted by sin since the fateful day in Eden. And yet, this doesn’t stop us from trying to be better.

Heavy inspiration was taken from the second book of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio, as well as early Church teachings. Purgatory is a realm in-between Heaven (perfection) and Hell (abject failure) where the dead go to serve penance until they earn the right to be with God. Purgatory itself is an in-between concept in Christianity, rejected by Orthodoxy and Protestants while believed by some Catholic branches. I felt moved by the denizens of Purgatory in their humble acceptance of their past shortcomings and their desire to repent in any way they can.

While my focus for this dance has mainly been my personal struggle with sin and penance, I hope everyone watching can relate to a point in which they failed to be the best they could be. What’s important to remember is that while we are constantly surrounded with pressure to achieve “Heaven,” none of us will ever truly be perfect, and we can find solace that we may all be struggling, but at least we don’t have to do it alone.

Titus 3:3-7

Presenting Senior Capstone Choreographers Molly Robinson

Molly is graduating this May with a double major in Dance and Digital Marketing Communications. Having grown up dancing competitively, she carried her passion into college to continue exploring her creativity and building lasting friendships. She’s deeply grateful to her family for their constant support and encouragement throughout her dance journey, and to Greta for being such a sweet and close friend—and for sharing in the experience of performing together. Molly also thanks the KU Theatre & Dance Department for pushing her to grow and expand her understanding of movement in new and inspiring ways.

Eliana Rundus

Eliana (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer based in Lawrence, KS. She creates contemporary dance works that explore the un-beautiful, relationships and interconnectivity, and information influencing emotion. Eliana has acted as a choreographer for the University of Kansas Opera and performed flamenco, tap, and contemporary works with the University Dance Company. In the spring of 2025, she will receive her BFA in Dance and minor in Creative Writing from KU. In her free time, Eliana enjoys experimenting with screendance and discovering how medium and framing can create new meaning.

Nikolette Treadwell

Nikolette (she/her) is from Wichita, Kansas, where she started training in dance at a young age. Her movement in this piece hones on contemporary explorations ranging from qualities of fluidity to staccato. She has had the opportunity to be a part of the University of Kansas Dance Company’s last three concerts from the Fall of 2023 to the Fall of 2024. In February 2025, she was a part of KU Opera’s Die Fledermaus directed by Stella Markou. Nikolette dedicates this piece to her late father as she reflects on the past years’ experience.

Presenting Senior Capstone Choreographers Alexandria (Allie) Demps

Alexandria (she/her) is a dancer/choreographer from Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently pursuing her BFA in Dance at the University of Kansas, where she is also a member of the University of Kansas Dance Company.

Alexandria performs in the genres of ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theatre. She has been recognized for her powerful artistic expression, passion, and fluidity in dance and earned countless awards, titles, special judges’ awards, and scholarships. Alexandria is also a member of several dance companies, which she holds dear to her heart, such as KinFigure Kollective and iPush. In addition to her dance major, Alexandria also finds joy in fostering the love of dance in performers of all ages through teaching, mentoring, choreographing and private coaching.

Alex Hunt

Alex is a senior B.F.A Dance Performance major. She will also be graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering this spring. She hopes to continue dancing post graduation with a professional modern contemporary dance company. Alex also is looking forward to continuing working in dog training, growing her crochet business, and traveling.

Cullen Krishna

Cullen is a Nebraska native who started his dance training at the age of 7 in the competitive dance world. Being in a military family, he moved throughout his childhood gaining experience from both the Midwest and the coasts. He came to Lawrence in 2021 to pursue his BFA in Dance Performance, falling in love with the concert dance world while performing with the University Dance Company and serving as president of the Jayhawk Tap Company.

He has performed with local productions such as Störling Dance Theater, Modern Night, and with Lawrence Arts Center’s Nutcracker and Don Quixote.

KU Department of Theatre & Dance Henry Bial, Department Chair Markus Potter, Artistic Director Jenna Link, Production Manager Maya Tillman-Rayton, Director of Dance Jim Dick, Managing Director Erin Barnett • Jane Barnette • Ashley Brittingham • Claire Buss Dennis Christilles • Rana Esfandiary • Justin Harbaugh Matthew Harris • Michelle Heffner Hayes • Alex Haynes Laura Kirk • Mechele Leon • Michelle Miller Logan Pachciarz • Marisa Plasencia • Rebecca L. Rovit Ann Sitzman • Shannon Stewart • Kelly Vogel • Tom Zhang PROFESSIONAL STAFF Technical Director Alex Weston • Scene Shop Manager Dave Wanner Costume Shop Manager Gail Trottier • Marketing Communications Coordinator Lisa Coble-Krings • Administrative Associates Lowen Millspaugh & Jack Rischer • Accounting Specialist Christina Fowles HR Specialist Hannah Casto • Budget Analyst Karla Williams STUDENT PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Lead House Manager Madeleine Morris House Managers & Event Staff Clara Childs • Paige Hinca Aiden Howell • Gus Ketchell • Kinzie Wilmes Administrative & Box Office Assistants Clara Childs • Paige Hinca Connor L. Maloney • Madeleine Morris • Anna Shelton Kinzie Wilmes • Elizabeth Wellman Marketing Assistant Maren Meneley Costume Assistants Joey Albano • Elliot Bowman • Zoe English Reese Gilmore • Lacey Marr Lighting/Projections Assistants Sean Ingram • Katie Missel Nicholas Sibert • Kennedy Tolar Scenic Assistants Emma Steenhard • John Stecher Jr. • Sam White Sound Assistants Cole Dickey • Cliff Hoitt-Lange • Hana Rose North Emma Torchia

1301 Sunnyside Ave., Room 251 | Lawrence, KS 66045 | theatredance.ku.edu