Dancers from across the country will have a new opportunity to train, connect and create at the first-ever KCMOves Festival, taking place Sept. 4 to 7, presented by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory.
The four-day festival brings together current students, alumni, professional dancers, choreographers and teachers to learn, create and connect. With an impressive roster of guest artists, KCMOves invites dancers at all stages of their training to learn from established artists and expand their creative practice.
For Caroline Dahm, UMKC dance professor and alumna, the festival reflects the Conservatory’s longstanding connection to the Kansas City dance community.
“The UMKC Conservatory is a pillar of the Kansas City dance community,” Dahm said. “Many of our alums continue to expand on their artistry in Kansas City even years after graduation. Our city’s dance community is largely made up of UMKC graduates.”
KCMOves builds on that role while extending the Conservatory’s reach beyond Kansas City. The festival welcomes dancers from across the country, bringing together emerging artists, established professionals, alumni and educators in one place.
Kickoff Master Class
One of the festival’s highlights is a master class at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4 with Conservatory alumnus Kameron Saunders (BFA), an internationally recognized dancer and artist most known for being a backup dancer for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. Participants will have the opportunity to train with Saunders and other guest artists, like Guggenheim Fellow Gary Abbott, gaining exposure to new approaches to movement, choreography and performance.
Opening Performance
The festival will open with a free public KCMOves Festival performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center. Dahm will dance and restage one of her works, while Christian Denice, a world-renowned choreographer and teacher, will present his work, “Fragments.”
The event will bring together artists from across the Midwest for an evening of bold choreography, powerful storytelling and movement. A reception will follow, offering all attendees an opportunity to connect and celebrate the beginning of the festival.
Community Lectures with Art Therapy Experts and Guggenheim Fellows
KCMOves is about more than dance training. The festival also invites the public to attend two free lectures, including “Art As Therapy,” a community lecture panel at the UMKC Conservatory.
The panel will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, and will bring together artists from a variety of disciplines to discuss how creative practices can become powerful tools for healing, connection and personal growth.
Panelists include:
• Amy Robertson, director of music therapy at UMKC and researcher of music therapy for premature infants
• Karen Savage, professor of collaborative piano and coordinator of chamber music at UMKC
• Paul Rudy, Curators’ distinguished professor of music composition, known as “the High Priest of Sound”
• Jarrett McCourt, assistant professor of Tuba and Euphonium at UMKC
• Suzanne Ryanstrati, former UMKC dance professor and current faculty member of the Kansas City Ballet
• Sun Joo Lee, assistant professor in music therapy at UMKC, who does clinical research with individuals with neurological diseases. Lee is the music director of Tremble Clefs, a therapeutic singing group for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
Together, the panelists will explore how movement, music and interdisciplinary collaboration can support resilience, self-discovery and transformation.
Students, educators, artists and community members are all invited to explore the ways creative expression can support both individual and collective well-being. A Q and A with refreshments will follow the panel, giving attendees an opportunity to engage directly with the artists.
A second panel at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 features Guggenheim Fellows Gary Abbott and Paul Rudy in conversation about innovation, listening and the power of collaboration across disciplines.
An Invitation to All
While the festival is hosted by the UMKC Conservatory in Kansas City, its invitation extends far beyond the region. Dancers from across the country are encouraged to register and be part of the first KCMOves Festival. The festival’s public lectures and kickoff performance also invite the broader community to experience and engage with the art form.
Registration and festival information are available at KCMOves’s website.