Hartt Dances Fall 2022

The Hartt Dance Division is dedicated to preparing students for meaningful lifelong professional careers in the demanding and evolving field of dance. The fall program, Hartt Dances, is an opportunity to take what our students learn in the classroom and bring it to the stage. 

The UHart community is invited to join us Nov. 10 - Nov. 12, in Millard Auditorium, for riveting performances by our students. You can view the performance via Livestream, or in person by purchasing tickets through the box office.

Performances will feature the works of 4 choreographers including the legendary American Modern Dance pioneer, Martha Graham. “Primitive Mysteries”, an early work of Graham’s (1931) was inspired by ritual dances she experienced in the American Southwest. Critics hailed the work as a masterpiece in 1931 and it helped establish Graham as a leading figure in the arts of her time. Her impact has been compared to the influence of Stravinsky on music and Frank Lloyd Wright on architecture. 

Debra Collins Ryder, a former ballerina with the Hartford Ballet, has created a new ballet, “The Beautiful Ones,” to the music of Charles Avison (1709-1770) for four dancers “en pointe.”  

A second ballet piece will be presented to the music of contemporary composer, Caroline Shaw. The piece, “Of Air and Light” was choreographed by former Royal Danish Ballet dancer, Stephen Pier.  

Katie Stevinson-Nollet created her ballet, now titled “When the Timpani Roll, the Cymbals Crash, and Somebody Breaks a Glass…” to a selection of opera arias for her company, Full Force Dance Theater in 2007. The piece is a witty and physically demanding look at the excesses of operatic passion.  

Division Director, Stephen Pier, states, “This is a terrific program to show the artistic depth and stylistic breadth of our dancers. It also celebrates the joy we feel in the return to sharing our art with live audiences.”