MTSU’s Dance Program embodied its rigorous semester with creative and expressive dances at the 2025 Fall Dance Concert, with performances from Nov. 20-22 in Tucker Theatre. 

The concert was a presentation of all the hard work the team put in throughout the semester. This show was in dedication to the late Anne Holland Cole, founder of MTSU’s Performance Arts company and  MTSU’s Dance Minor Program, and Quinn Cunningham, a dance minor and member of the Dance Society and the Dance Theatre company.

The show opened with a large group of dancers adorned in hues of purple and blue, with lighting to match. Dancers moved with fluidity and intention, even when the moves weren’t uniform. Flowy skirts and dresses glided with each move. The contemporary piece titled “The Stories We Tell” was the perfect opening number to represent their creativity fostered through the collaboration they shaped over the semester.  

The concert featured choreography from faculty, students and a guest artist. Each piece was meticulously created from mid-August to late October. Choreographers and the dancers went through intensive training of 3 hours a week to ensure their piece was developed and to heighten their physical and artistic awareness. 

“The dancers bring the choreographic vision to life, and the choreographers guide the creative process in collaboration with the designers involved for costumes, lighting, sound and more,” Jade Treadwell, artistic director and choreographer, said, giving insight on the process leading up to the performance. 

Once the pieces concluded, dancers went through an in-studio show run called Design Watch. Choreographers, dancers and the creative design team came together to get the first sense of the show’s aesthetic and overall structure. This aided them in their transition from working in a studio to the robust environment of the theater. 

Senior dance major, Kenzie McCroskey, experienced this process with the guidance of faculty mentorship to create her piece, “Catharsis.” In contrast to the opening number, the dancers wore all black and were spotlighted with warm red and orange lighting. Initially, they danced vigorously to the pulsation of a heartbeat before transitioning to music paired with a soft indigo light. She uses Oxford languages to describe her piece as, “The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from strong repressed emotions.”

The next composition, “Wakings,” choreographed by Jade Treadwell, was centered around the abstract narrative behind morning rituals. The dancers were draped in differing garments, brought together to match the color grey. The different lights bounced off their clothes, illustrating a different tone with each color.

“It is a powerful experience as a choreographer to utilize the mood, emotion and expressivity of dance and choreography to connect with the shared, human experiences of the audience,” Treadwell said. 

Treadwell took the everyday experiences of waking up, preparing for the day and encounters with others to create a dynamic piece that the dancers could bring to life with their own experiences.

One section of the dance was performed in silence. The moment was an intentional choice to display the transition from the slow, sunny optimism of a new morning into the “matter of fact” routine and rigor one may experience at home or a possible workplace, Treadwell said. 

The modern style of dance used unconventional moves to paint pictures with movement and evoke a feeling of relatability from the audience. 

Another piece that evoked a sense of relatability was “Utility.” The dancers came out dressed in folk-like workwear reminiscent of the clothes from “Little House on the Prairie.” 

The movements, along with the music, showed eager workers losing their spark once their efforts were dismissed. 

Senior dance major Natalie McCutcheon said that “Utility” was her favorite piece. According to McCutcheon, the choreographer Alexandra Winer allowed students to put their own touch on the choreography. The piece went from a potential cult piece to a symbol of women’s empowerment. 

This piece exemplified the type of teamwork and collaboration the Dance Theatre company cultivates to make beautiful work.

“It’s a really fun process getting to work with all the different faculty and students — putting in hard work and having fun with it,” McCutcheon said. 

Among the faculty, dancers worked with guest artist Matt Del Rosario. 

He created a piece titled “In It Together,” where music was layered over uplifting words spoken by the dancers featured in the number. 

The dance spoke of letting go of outside struggle to listen to inside wisdom. 

The final piece, “Resurge,” tied their efforts all together in a beautiful number that transformed into a burst of celebration full of energy. 

The MTSU Dance Program will continue to showcase the versatility and talent of its team in future semesters. 

“I just hope that they get to see our love of dance, and us being able to share what we’ve been working hard on this semester,” McCutcheon said.

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