Colorado State University’s Spring Dance Concert returned to the University Center for the Arts this spring, presenting eight distinct works choreographed by students and faculty alike. The concert ran from April 17-18 across three shows: a 7:30 p.m. performance on Friday night, along with a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. evening performance on Saturday.

The concert, directed by Senior Dance Instructor Judy Bejarano, operates on a compressed timeline. Bejarano said student choreographers submit proposals on the first day of classes, where selections are then finalized within two days. Auditions take place the following week, and performers have roughly eight weeks to bring everything to the stage.

“It all happens very fast,” Bejarano said.

The most structurally ambitious piece of the evening was “From There to Here,” choreographed by faculty member Lisa Morgan in collaboration with Matt Ross of CSU’s Radical Open Science Syndicate. Morgan said they drew on scientific data visualization as both conceptual inspiration and raw material, finding parallels between the way researchers map physical terrain and how the human body moves through space.

Large paper birds operated by dancers, projected nature imagery and shifting graphics, like clouds, landscapes and an Etch A Sketch effect, gave the piece an evolving quality that moved through natural and urban landscapes.

“There’s a lot of similar processes,” Morgan said. “Whether it’s depth or temperature or rhythm.”

Bejarano used the beginning intermission to speak about Morgan and acknowledge a shift in her role within the department, presenting flowers and sharing awards she has received, with all of the dancers flooding on stage behind her to celebrate.

The program moved through a range of tonal registers. “Capture the Flag,” choreographed by Jenna Smith, opened with a game-like energy. Dancers in red and blue moved with competitive urgency before darkening in tone to something that felt more like entrapment than sport.

“There’s a variety of personalities in any group and any show. But I just feel like these guys did a really good job of supporting the teacher and just taking care of each other. … What’s really nice is when you get to the show, and you can step back and relax and actually watch.” -Judy Bejarano, Spring Dance Concert director

Performer and fellow choreographer Kaitlyn Tayntor described it as a piece about humanity and connection.

“Sometimes we’re on different teams,” Tayntor said. “But we really just need to focus on the humans.”

Nicole Genalo’s “Your Silence Is Deafening,” set to Sigur Rós, used black lace tops, blue skirts and the presence of a television with an old-radio static quality to create what appeared to be a sense of confinement and stillness. The dancers formed deliberate shapes in the light emitting from the television.

Allison Davies’ “Where Light Escapes” wove together shadow and voiceover narration — text by Kayla Davies and voiced by Trinity England — reflecting that when stripped of distinguishing features, we are all fundamentally alike.

“Realms,” choreographed by Jess Loveall, used an overhead video projection of dancers alongside their live performances. The piece opened entirely on the floor before building in intensity through sharp, synchronized movement.

Tayntor, who performed in “Capture the Flag” and choreographed “Choices in Connection,” described the program’s structure as one of genuine student ownership. Choreographers audition their casts during the second week of school and spend the rest of the semester shaping their work through rehearsal.

“We get to pick our cast members,” Tayntor said. “Then throughout the semester, we just have our rehearsals and start collaborating with our dancers and bringing our pieces and visions to life.”

Bejarano said she tries to shift her perspective once the show begins, moving focus from the technical details of production to experiencing the work as an audience member would. But she said what made this year’s concert stand out went beyond the choreography itself.

“There’s a variety of personalities in any group and any show,” Bejarano said. “But I just feel like these guys did a really good job of supporting the teacher and just taking care of each other. … What’s really nice is when you get to the show, and you can step back and relax and actually watch.”

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