Thank you for joining us! Every year, Freshmen, Juniors, Sophomores and Seniors in our Dance Program participate in the Dance Up Close concert as choreographers, dancers, stage crew, and stage managers. Dance majors are required to submit a choreographic project for this show as part of their capstone creative research in both their junior and senior years. For the 2020 Dance Up Close production, auditions were held in January. Choreographers selected dancers and began rehearsals immediately. They met with dancers through mid-March. Most of these choreographers were a significant way through the first rough draft of their work when the University of Montana was required to close for the Coronavirus pandemic. As the weeks progressed, we realized that this show was not going to happen in late April as planned. Choreographers and dancers were left in the void that all of us have been dropped into over the last six weeks. These choreographers had a vision. They had worked to make that vision come to life with the hard work, creative input, and inspiration of their dancers. And then, it was over. There is no chance to complete this work as it was originally intended. There is no chance to find that full-circle sense of accomplishment and completion that performing the choreography in front of an audience allows. There will be no opening night, no chance to celebrate with family and friends. For our seniors, the devastation of this is magnified. They will have no chance to dance one last time with friends on this stage that has been a significant part of their college experience. They will have no chance to savor the thrill of accomplishment in achieving the penultimate creative endeavor of their college career.

This website is our way of saying thank you to our choreographers and dancers. We celebrate you. We celebrate your work, your talent, your creativity, and your spirit. We hold you in our hearts.

-Michele Antonioli and Karen Kaufmann