DanceMakers returns Nov. 13-15

Nov. 6, 2025 - DENTON - The 2025 Fall edition of DanceMakers will feature more than 40 dancers in 10 works with inspiration ranging from northern Mexico and Ballet Folklórico to the ten plagues of Egypt.

DanceMakers will take the stage of the Margo Jones Performance Hall Nov. 13-15. Show times are 4 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 14-15. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission and are available online.

"I'm excited that we are presenting a physically vigorous concert featuring diverse aesthetic and cultural styles characteristic of TWU Dance," said TWU Dance professor Sarah Gamblin.

TWU's Ballet Folklórico International Dance Company will perform in two works directed by professor Elisa De La Rosa, and for the first time will feature a company of professional and semi-professional folklórico dancers.

The show will also present three collaborative works from TWU Dance MFA students and UNT composition students: "Red Thread" by TWU's Caroline Slayton and UNT's Jacob Lord; "X" by TWU's Adrienne Sherice and an original composition by UNT's Yimin Pang, and "Evergreen" by TWU's Briana Chapa with original music by UNT's JD Fuller.

The lineup for the Fall 2025 DanceMakers:

De Bota Y Sombrero
Choreographer: Luis Canales
Performers: TWU Ballet Folklórico International Dance Company; Emily Anaya, Reyna Castillo, Mariana Flores, Isabel Mata, Jaileen Mercardo, Sophia Muchnick, Emerald Ochoa, Adriana Reyes, Alma Rocha, Carla Rodriguez Oliva, Edith Rosas, Haziel Ruiz, Yudeli Sanchez.
Music: Mi Baja California by Polka Cero, Arreando Vacas
Originating in northern Mexico, particularly in the states of Sonora and Baja California, Calabaceado is a vibrant regional dance that embodies the spirit of the borderlands. Emerging in the late 1950s, it arose from a collective desire for popular artistic and cultural expression. This high-energy form blends norteño music, cowboy footwork and lively partner exchanges with playful imitations of ranch life-jumps, spins and kicks that evoke the movements of livestock and the rugged beauty of the north. Performed in continuous motion, Calabaceado showcases the dancers' stamina, precision and grace, celebrating both strength and style in every step.

Beneath the Equilibrium
Choreographer: Martha Limones (in collaboration with performers)
Performers: JJ Martinez, Shanya Morris
Music: Cheuk Shing (Sampson) Li
Two bodies circle the edge of routine, where silence fractures into whispers and repetition unravels into something restless and unknown.

Hue.mn
Choreographer: Gabrielle Bracewell
Performers: Kylie Elam, Madi Lewis, Kai Martin, Sofia Morales, Demetrius Peebles, Ashley Petersen, Elida Saucedo
Music: original composition by Michael Wall
The choreographer delves into the concept of humanology, highlighting how each dancer brings their own individuality to the movement while still contributing to a greater whole.

Evergreen
Choreographer: Briana Chapa
Performers: Ellie Alfonso, Olivia Giron
Music: JD Fuller
Evergreen draws from the memories of its collaborators, from places and times, new experiences and feelings. Our memories are channeled and reinvigorated as we remember, but after time they can begin to fade.

X
Choreographer: Adrienne Sherice
Performers: Ellie Alfonso, Megan DeHaan, Norma Gaytan, Valeria Jurado, Codi Keng, Breanna Piggie, Audrey Spears
Music: Yimin Pang
Inspired by the Ten Plagues of Egypt, this piece embodies chaos and renewal-where movement reveals humanity's struggle, divine power and the transformation found through surrender.

Red Thread
Choreographer: Caroline Slayton
Performers: Trinity Jones, Caroline Slayton
Music: Jacob Lord
Through precise, threadlike gestures and shared momentum, this duet unravels how two bodies remain connected, even when distance and silence pull them apart.

The Adventures of a GNO
Choreographer: Khalil McNeil & Emily Figueroa
Performers: TWU International Dance Company; Cadence Banks, Mariangel Cerero, Janae Cyrus, Kennedy Glover, Tyreana Handley, Amanda Lange, Nayla Mireles, Grace Moore, Sara Ramirez, Elida Saucedo
Music: Tink, Destin Conrad, Molly Santana
This piece traces the rhythm of youthful ritual-the anticipation, camaraderie and release of collective euphoria. Moving through three stages-preparation, transition and immersion-the dancers embody the emotional pulse of a night out reimagined as a rite of passage. From playful gestures to shared momentum, the movement evolves into a unified pulse: fluid, directional and alive with purpose. The final section bursts with syncopated textures and vibrant chaos, capturing the individuality and freedom found within collective motion. Blending hip hop foundations with dynamic formations and groove-based storytelling, this work celebrates feminine presence, friendship and the power of movement.

Viva Jalisco
Choreographer: Karla Hardaway
Performers: TWU Dance Division Ballet Folklórico International Dance Company
Music: Cuando Sueña El Mariachi by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, El Carretero by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, El Tranchete by Mariachi Real de San Diego, La Charreada by Linda Ronstadt and live vocals by Brittany Padilla
Viva Jalisco is a cuadro that celebrates the rich traditions of the State of Jalisco, Mexico, blending classic folklórico steps with the vibrant sounds of contemporary mariachi music.

Meta
Choreographer: Anthony Wade
Performers: Nya Brazier, Mariangel Cerero, Briana Chapa, Marie Finley, Savanna Gleaves, Adrienne Sherice, Caroline Slayton
Music: Emptyset, Shifted and Acid Arab
A spark of code becomes a doorway. Meta traces the birth of an algorithm, line by line, beat by beat, until it opens a portal into a vivid, ever-shifting metaverse. Dancers toggle between human and avatar, glitch and glide, latency and lift, translating data streams into breath and velocity. What begins in sterile precision blooms into a playground of infinite worlds, where physics bend, identities remix, and joy renders in real time. Yet beneath the shimmer of pixels, a pulse remains: the human heartbeat that wrote the code and dares to step through it. Meta invites you to cross the threshold, to feel the choreography of creation, and to ask what we gain (and what we leave behind) when we dance inside the dream we've built.