Hobart and William Smith Colleges

16 April 2026 • Faculty Faculty Dance Concert Showcases Collaboration, Creativity and Campus Culture

The Faculty Dance Concert takes place on April 24-25.

This year’s Faculty Dance Concert celebrates the dynamic choreography of three faculty-led ensembles, featuring the work of Michelle Iklé, Kelly Johnson, and Cynthia Williams, along with a solo performance by Donna Davenport. The concert also features live drumming by the Department’s Percussion Ensemble, guided by Dance Department Music Director Ryan Russell, highlighting a semester-long exploration of African and Caribbean rhythms.

Each ensemble performance reflects the artistic scholarship of department faculty and is the culmination of a semester-long collaborative journey in which students and faculty choreographers work closely to create original choreographic works. Following auditions held in October, the spring semester Dance Ensemble course serves as an incubator for artistic exploration, ultimately shared with both the campus and the broader Geneva community. Together, these faculty artists have mentored 43 HWS students through distinct creative processes, each offering a unique approach and resulting in diverse artistic outcomes.

The Dance Ensemble course brings together a wide range of students – from senior dance majors and minors to first-time performers – fostering a cooperative and inclusive environment. Concert Director and Department Chair Kelly Johnson says, “The range of movement and music in the concert this year is dynamic and reflects the richness of our department. Having students with varied lived experiences and different relationships to dance and drumming makes this semester’s concert a celebration of our campus culture at large.”

Student performers describe the experience as both transformative and community-building.

First-time Ensemble performer Jabril Belle-Walker ’26, a double major in media and society and theater, says, “I have formed a community through an art form that is deserving of much more appreciation. It has given me a place to call home.”

Kyari Sidney ’29 also reflects on the experience. “Being in Dance Ensemble this semester has helped me grow not only as a performer, but also in my confidence and ability to connect more deeply with movement and others," Sidney says. 

Lead student drummer RJ Roseboro ’28, a double major in business management and media and society, began as a dancer in the Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora course and now accompanies classes as a department employee. He underscores the importance of artistic growth and collaboration.

“Drumming has made me pay more attention to detail in everything I do, knowing I have to be precise. Realizing it’s not about me but the ensemble as a whole continues to strengthen my relationships with others,” Roseboro says.

Lorelei Lynott ’28, a double major in psychological science and sociology, highlights the course’s learning outcomes.

“Dance Ensemble is a space for experiential learning where we are active collaborators in creating a work, giving us insight into faculty artistic processes. Being part of the process allows us to develop our own approach to artistry,” Lynott says.

The Faculty Dance Concert will be performed on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m., with brief choreographer talkbacks following each performance.

Performances will take place at the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets are free and available online here. A limited supply will also be able at the box office one hour prior to each performance. Suggested donations at the door will support the department’s decade-long tradition of attending the American College Dance Association, a nationally recognized conference for dance education and performance.

For more information, please contact: Laura Schmidtgall SCHMIDTGALL@hws.edu