UW-Stevens Point to feature new works in ‘Danstage 2026’

Featuring new dance works by faculty and guest artists, "Danstage 2026" will celebrate dance and conclude the spring University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Department of Theatre and Dance season with performances from April 10-12.

"Danstage 2026" will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 10-11, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 11-12, in the Studio Theatre in the Noel Fine Arts Center. This year's concerts features choreography by new UWSP Dance Program faculty Kate Gomez Moore and Chris Kaiser, and Professor of Dance Michael Estanich. This year's guest artist is New York based tap artist Kaleena Miller.

Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors and UW-Stevens Point faculty and staff and $16 for youth. Tickets will be available for purchase at tickets.uwsp.edu, by calling 715-346-4100 or by visiting the Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center in Stevens Point.

Miller created "| stop time |" for twelve UWSP dancers during a two-week residency at the beginning of this spring semester. "| stop time |" is a sounding dance work in two parts. Part one, inspired by James Turrell's "Skyspace" works and Gordon Matta-Clark's intervention installation works like "Day's End", seeks to create frames for sound using sound. Part two continues the idea of frames, but this time visually, contrasting and complementing the previous sonic character to melt the sharp atmosphere into a lush and tender percussive playground.

Named one of DANCE Magazine's 25 to Watch, Miller is a sound-focused dance artist. She has performed in work by Roxane Butterfly, Joe Chvala, Heather Cornell, Michelle Dorrance, Derick Grant, Lisa La Touche, Michael J. Love, Sandy Silva, Jumaane Taylor and Laurie Van Wieren. She was also a founding member and performer with the internationally touring Rhythmic Circus, including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New Victory Theater and on America's Got Talent.

She co-founded Twin Cities Tap, which produced the acclaimed Twin Cities Tap Festival from 2015-2021 and an additional project in partnership with the McKnight International Choreographer Fellowship. Miller also directs Kaleena Miller Dance, a project-based entity built to support expansive tap dance work. She has received a McKnight Fellowship for Dance, a Sage Award for People's Choice and her work has been presented in Minneapolis, New York and Chicago.

Miller has a bachelor of fine art in Dance from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, a Deep Listening certification from the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an master of fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Moore premieres "Casas Collided", a dance full of groove, bounce and, with dancers transforming the space into a vibrant block party. Brought to life by a cast of 10 dancers, Moore fuses house and salsa/Latin jazz, two forms deeply rooted in community, liberation, resilience, rhythm and sweat to create a dance of endurance and celebration of connection, difference and togetherness and asks what we need to keep joy going.

In "polyself", Kaiser's contemporary dance work explores the many roles we assume in society and our personal life and how those roles coalesce to make the self.

Estanich presents "we soften our landing and keep on going". The work gently unfolds through a collage of movement, song and text. A magical forest scenic drop is designed by BFA Theatre Design & Technology student Bastien Howard. Imagined in an environment set apart from the toils of contemporary life, this work is a deep personal examination of perseverance, purpose and love.