The Lothridge Festival of Dance will once again take place in the Nott Memorial during the Steinmetz Symposium on Friday, May 8. This year’s performance will feature 70 Union dancers in an hour-long showcase beginning at 4 p.m. Doors open at 3:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served.
The annual performance brings together dancers and choreographers from across campus in a vibrant showing of movement, creativity and shared expression. This year’s concert includes 13 works spanning a range of dance styles and traditions, all shaped through weeks of rehearsal, embodied research and collaborative process.
Choreography includes original works by dance minors Elizabeth Cardenas ‘28, Melanie De La Cruz ‘26, Ava DuBoff ’26, Anthony Montás ‘26, Paisley Parmenter ’27 and Jennifer Vil ’26, alongside faculty choreography by Laurie Zabele Cawley.
Club choreographers are Ashlesha Bhagat ‘26, Maggie Buckley ‘26, Paige Fox ‘27, Alldyn Gotora ‘28, Hannah Kimball ‘26, Audrey Langlois ‘28, Hades Panilio ‘26, Nathan Ramachandran ‘26, Alicia Rose‘ 27, Sienna Chambial ‘27, Merari Rios-Tovar ‘26, Armaan Uppal ’26, Narayani ‘28, Anna Zusi ’26 and special guest Melokuhle Zuma.
“The Lotheridge Dance Festival is a celebration of student artistry and expression,” said Zabele Cawley, Gustave L. Davis ‘59 & Susan S. Davis Director of Dance. “What emerges is not just a dance performance, but a lived experience of community, where individuality and collective expression coexist and give shape to something larger than any one voice.”
A longtime highlight of the Steinmetz Symposium, the festival transforms the Nott into a space of artistic exchange and communal celebration, drawing performers and audience members together through dance.
For student performers, the event offers a chance not only to perform, but to share identity, culture and lived experience with the campus community.
Six campus dance clubs and teams will be represented in this year’s performance: Bhangra, Dance Team, JAIVE Afrovibes, Hip Hop, K-pop, and Latin Dance.
“For JAIVE, performing in Steinmetz at Union means being able to bring songs and movement from cultures across the Black diaspora and share it with others,” said Alicia Rose. “To share something as special as culture through formations, music, and conscious body movement — because words aren't always enough — is such a beautiful feeling that never gets old.”
The festival also serves as a culminating moment within the broader spirit of Steinmetz Symposium, where students across disciplines present the work they have developed throughout the academic year.
“The Lothridge Dance Festival/Steinmetz to me means coming together as a community to celebrate the culmination of research at Union,” said DuBoff. “Steinmetz means supporting students, staff and faculty in their hard work and dedication carried out throughout the academic year.”
Through these groups, students contribute a wide range of movement languages and cultural traditions to the stage. Others who have worked on the program include Claire Knecht ’26 and Isabella Rossi ‘29, stage managers and sound engineers; Andrew Bodd, technical director; Brittney Belz, costume coordinator; Kevin Miller, shop manager and support from work studies and departments across campus.
The performance is supported by a gift from Charles Lothridge in memory of his parents, William (Class of 1879) and Anna. Additional sponsors include Joan and David Henle ’75; Sue and Dr. Gus Davis ’59; and the Gail and Carl George Annual Fund.