Colorado State University’s Fall Dance Concert sold out all three of its repertory-style performances at the University Center for the Arts, presenting a dynamic, engaging and graceful program in just under two hours across all performances Nov. 14-15.

The concert featured eight distinct works, each the product of a rehearsal process that began almost as soon as the semester did. Students and faculty held auditions in the second week of classes, meaning rehearsals were already underway by the third week.

Student choreographers submitted their pieces at the very beginning of the semester, and selections were finalized by the end of the first week. From there, faculty rehearsed two days a week for up to three hours at a time, while student groups met for an hour and a half weekly to bring their pieces to life.

Of the eight total works, five were choreographed by students and had been in development since the beginning of the semester. Each student choreographer was paired with a faculty mentor, a relationship Concert Director Judy Bejarano described as essential to the program’s mission.

“What we’re trying to do is provide a sounding board for them,” Bejarano said. “Not telling them what to do, but asking what they’re going for, what their intention is.”

The meetings typically happened at least twice throughout the process, providing students with continuous opportunities to refine their ideas as their choreography evolved.

Bejarano said that watching the progression from a student’s first assignment in a choreography class to a fully realized piece onstage, and eventually a capstone concert later in the semester, is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.

“The development of that is amazing, their growth as choreographers,” Bejarano said.

Choreographer Madeline Harvey said she created “The Wild Little Horse” for the repertory dance ensemble. Harvey said she thinks mentorship is only one facet of what makes the concert’s creative process so rich.

“Everyone moves, therefore, everyone is a dancer in a sense. … Just bringing that awareness and giving people yet another outlet to express themselves is really important, especially in these times.” -Madeline Harvey, 2025 Fall Dance Concert choreographer

“It’s really unique and wonderful,” Harvey said, noting that students not only work with an award-winning director in Bejarano but also collaborate across disciplines. “Beyond the dancers, beyond the choreographers, we’re also in collaboration with design students doing the lighting, backstage crew pulling things up (and) stage managers, who are all students, all learning.”

Harvey also said interdisciplinary teamwork is central to the Fall Dance Concert.

“This sort of simultaneous interdisciplinary collaboration is just so important and so magical,” Harvey said. “The culmination of this moment in time, of all the artistic exploration, technical practice and learning how to speak different languages as we collaborate with one another, is really amazing.”

Building on this collaborative and mentorship-driven nature, the Fall Dance Concert also emphasized community engagement. “The Wild Little Horse,” choreographed by Harvey and scored by CSU faculty member Bryce M. O’Tierney, was inspired by a children’s book written by Rita Gray and illustrated by Ashley Wolff.

“It’s kind of the tale of going on an adventure, meeting someone from a different landscape,” Harvey said. “What we can learn from each other? (It shows) how we can be ourselves and find community.”

The performance featured storybook visuals projected from Wolff’s illustrations, fiddles in the music and playful audience interaction, including raised signs that read, “Want to dance? Raise your wing,” followed by a comedic correction of “wing” to “hoof” and finally to “hand.” Dancers then went into the audience to help participants learn the movement, turning the piece into an interactive experience that extended the creative process beyond the stage.

From behind the curtain, between every performance, you could hear the other dancers cheering for their friends onstage, making the sense of community and support clear.

The piece not only displayed the efforts of CSU students, but Harvey said the piece also served as a springboard for CSU’s community engagement initiatives, with plans to develop a curriculum around the dance and bring workshops on storytelling and movement into the wider community.

Harvey emphasized that skill isn’t necessary to enjoy dance or participate; it’s about connection and community along with the joy and feelings shared between performers and the audience alike.

“Everyone moves; therefore, everyone is a dancer in a sense,” Harvey said. “Just bringing that awareness and giving people yet another outlet to express themselves is really important, especially in these times.”

The concert featured a diverse lineup of works, each with its own distinctive style and energy. “Sonorous,” choreographed by Irie Green to an original score by Brennan Green, impressed with its dynamic movement and striking coordination of lighting and sound.

Max Fields’ “The Webs We Weave” opened with an Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quote about the ties that bind humans: “When the body sinks into death, the essence of man is revealed. Man is a knot, a web, a mesh into which relationships are tied. Only those relationships matter.”

Jesús Muñoz’s “Caminos” blended Afro-Cuban contemporary movement with music by Ibeyi and Kerkstra, giving dancers a chance to explore new cultural and stylistic choices.

“(Muñoz is) a genius,” said Delaney Jones, one of the performers. “I’ve been learning about Africanist aesthetics (and) Afro-Cuban contemporary. … It’s been really cool to work with him … over the past two and a half months.”

CSU’s Fall Dance Concert celebrated not only the artistry and skill of its performers but also the sense of community, mentorship and connection that defines the program.

Through collaboration, interdisciplinary creativity and engagement with the audience, the concert served as a reminder that dance is as much about shared experiences as it is about movement.

Reach Maci Lesh at entertainment@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.