UNLV Dept. of Dance Turns 50 With a Celebration Oct. 2-3
Anniversary Season Opens With an Evening of Contemporary Choreography
By Debbie Hall
For 50 years, UNLV Dance has helped shape the artistic landscape of Las Vegas through movement, creativity, and collaboration. The milestone will be celebrated not by looking backward, but by embracing new possibilities as Golden Glow opens the anniversary season October 2-3 at the Judy Bayley Theatre, bringing together an acclaimed group of choreographers whose work connects the program’s rich history with its evolving future.
The performance looks beyond a traditional anniversary retrospective. Instead, Golden Glow brings together an extraordinary community of choreographic voices to celebrate the history of UNLV Dance, examine its place in the contemporary arts landscape and imagine the possibilities ahead.
The program features guest choreographers whose careers encompass some of the most distinctive voices and companies in contemporary dance.
Emily Schoen Branch, named one of Dance Magazine's "Top 25 to Watch," is a former member of KEIGWIN + COMPANY. Her performance and collaborative credits include Kyle Abraham/AIM and the Metropolitan Opera, where she worked in productions featuring choreography by Doug Varone, Mark Morris and Carolyn Choa. She also performed with the Rolling Stones during their 50th Anniversary reunion tour.
Robert Kleinendorst brings 21 years of experience with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. During his tenure with the internationally renowned company, he danced 98 roles in 77 of Taylor's dances and originated 28 roles with Taylor. His career has also included work with Larry Keigwin, Doug Varone, Lial York, Doug Elkins, Bryan Arias, Pam Tanawitz, Margie Gillis and Kyle Abraham.
Las Vegas choreographer Kedric Bateman adds a strong local connection to the program. An award-winning choreographer and former Contemporary West Dance Theatre artist, Bateman toured nationally in works by Donald Byrd, Vernard J. Gilmore, Don Bellamy, Ulysses Dove and Alvin Ailey.
David Mayorga brings a multidisciplinary career spanning concert dance, commercial performance, film, television and interdisciplinary movement practices. His current work includes teaching at Millennium Dance Complex Las Vegas, performing as a movement artist with Dani Maloney Dance Collective and dancing at On the Record, a hip-hop speakeasy.
The concert will also premiere a new collaborative work by UNLV Dance faculty choreographers Hayley Meier and Jason Hortin. Their inventive partnership explores contemporary choreography through thoughtful design, dynamic movement and shared artistic inquiry.
Together, the works in Golden Glow reflect the breadth of contemporary dance while connecting UNLV's history with its evolving artistic future. For its 50th anniversary, UNLV Dance is choosing creation over simply reflection, bringing artists together to mark the milestone through movement.
Golden Glow takes the stage October 2-3, 2026, at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV, opening the university's 50th anniversary season with an evening celebrating five decades of creativity, collaboration and innovation in dance. For more info on the Department of Dance, visit unlv.edu/dance and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For more info on the college, visit unlv.edu/finearts and follow on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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