Feature: UNLV DANCE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS WITH GOLDEN GLOW OCTOBER 2-3 at Judy Bayley Theatre

Celebrate 50 years of dance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as the UNLV Department of Dance opens its anniversary season with Golden Glow. This celebration of creativity, collaboration and the possibilities of contemporary choreography will be performed at the Judy Bayley Theatre Oct. 2-3.

Rather than simply looking back, Golden Glow marks the milestone by looking forward. The concert brings together an accomplished collection of choreographic voices whose work reflects UNLV Dance's history, celebrates its present and explores where the program may go next.

The anniversary performance features guest choreographers with careers spanning concert dance, Broadway and commercial performance, major dance companies, film, television and the Las Vegas arts community.

Among the featured artists is Emily Schoen Branch, named one of Dance Magazine's "Top 25 to Watch" artists. A former member of KEIGWIN + COMPANY, Branch has performed and collaborated with Kyle Abraham/AIM and the Metropolitan Opera in works by Doug Varone, Mark Morris and Carolyn Choa. Her performance credits also include the Rolling Stones' 50th Anniversary reunion tour.

Robert Kleinendorst brings more than two decades of experience with the internationally renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. During his 21 years with the company, he danced 98 roles in 77 of Taylor's dances and originated 28 roles. 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' dance community is represented by Kedric Bateman, 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 perspective to the concert. His career encompasses concert dance, commercial performance, film, television and interdisciplinary movement practices. In Las Vegas, Mayorga works as a dance educator at Millennium Dance Complex Las Vegas, a movement artist with Dani Maloney Dance Collective and a dancer at On the Record, the hip-hop speakeasy.

The concert will also premiere a new collaborative work by UNLV Dance faculty choreographers Hayley Meier and Jason Hortin. Their creative partnership continues to explore contemporary choreography through thoughtful design, dynamic movement and shared artistic inquiry.

With its mix of established choreographic voices, Las Vegas talent, and new work from UNLV faculty, Golden Glow offers a fitting launch to UNLV Dance's 50th anniversary season—honoring the program's artistic legacy while putting creation and collaboration at the center of its next chapter.

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