UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) presents Berkeley Dance Project 2024: Pop-Up Dance Exchange from Thursday, February 22 through Sunday, February 25 at Zellerbach Playhouse.
This annual dance concert features a company of more than 50 students performing new pieces by faculty members Iu-Hui Chua and Lisa Wymore, guest artist Sila “Poe” Charukesnant, and emerging student choreographers. Ranging from large group pieces to solo acts, the Pop-Up Dance Exchange brings together explorations across styles, cultures, and genres in an embracing space where dynamic movers can share their unique expressions.
Chua’s Carving Water is a collaborative ensemble piece—drawing inspiration from the dancers’ life experiences—that probes the continuously evolving journey of our dancing identities by discovering the ties that bind and move us.
Wymore’s Otherworld is a quartet inspired by Slavic folklore involving the ambiguous and enigmatic figure of Baba Yaga—a fearsome old woman who is depicted as both gruesome and benevolent. The piece explores visiting the virtual realm as a way of experiencing something both familiar and unfamiliar, tantalizing and repulsive, evil and good.
Charukesnant’s Crooked Smile is a commercial-style piece inspired by the music of J. Cole. It centers on the idea of embracing one's flaws while keeping one's head up. Charukesnant aims to bring hope and positivity to audiences.
The concert also features three smaller-scale pieces choreographed by TDPS students. Freddie Segura Glavey’s Fragments II is a duet about finding stability within its own created chaos. Teo Lin-Bianco’s To the Soulmates I Once Called Strangers is a duet that considers the surprising emotional intimacy to be found in the arms of a stranger. Erin Yoon’s Don’t Give Up, Just Keep Going is a solo that explores themes of resilience, perseverance, and hope.
The concert is rounded out with three pieces created by student dance clubs: Ballet Folklórico Reflejos del Sol will perform a series of Mexican folk dances. Danceworx will perform Fishbowl, a large group piece that zooms into the experience of isolation and loneliness on campus, while also celebrating the warmth and comfort that finding community offers. Chinese dance team Fei Tian Dancers will perform Elements, an exploration of the interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world.
Tickets for Berkeley Dance Project 2024 start at $10 and are available for purchase online at tickets.berkeley.edu and at Zellerbach Playhouse starting one hour before each performance. Patrons may reserve assisted listening devices and request other access services by emailing tdps@berkeley.edu or calling (510) 642-8827.