UNC Charlotte Dance

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UNC Charlotte Dance

The UNC Charlotte Department of Dance offers students a diverse and eclectic dance experience, in st

Dance study is enhanced by the interdisciplinary nature of our College of the Arts + Architecture, study abroad opportunities, and the activities of a vibrant campus and the bustling, arts-minded city of Charlotte. Our mission is to contribute innovation and leadership to the field through creative/scholarly research, teaching, service, and community engagement. Through comprehensive, innovative c

ourses we provide our diverse student body with an exemplary liberal arts education grounded in dance as a cultural practice, art form, and interdisciplinary subject. We embrace and celebrate dance as a way of learning about ourselves and the world around us. Committed to access, equity, and inclusion, our program develops artists, educators, scholars, and arts-literate citizens who can thrive in an increasingly complex global environment and make sustained contributions to their communities.

09/04/2026

The Department of Dance presents a one-night-only Faculty Dance Concert on Saturday, Sept. 12 in the Anne R. Belk Theater! 🌟

The festival-style program features seven diverse pieces, with choreography and performances by dance faculty and special guest artists.

The program includes:

"Not Foreign to the Moon," choreographed and performed by E.E. Balcos, Kim Jones and Tamara Williams with Claudio Olivera on piano.

"Janus (excerpt)," choreographed by Eric Mullis with Joy Davis and Madeline Badgett, performed by Madeline Badgett.

"Narcissus and Echo," choreographed by Maya Kulkarni
and performed by Kaustavi Sarkar and alumna Cecilia Whalen '21.

"Z.O.I.D.S.," choreographed and performed by Joshua Carr and Ashley L. Tate.

"silent scream," choreographed and performed by alumna Anna Edwards '18.

"Terra Nova," choreographed and performed by Tadej Brdnik and Kim Jones.

"Sisters of the Sword," choreographed by Maria Caruso, staged by Lauren Skrabalak, and performed by Sydney Gondringer and Marie-Amelle Thenoz.

09/03/2026

SEVEN WORKS. ONE NIGHT.

The Department of Dance presents a one-night-only Faculty Dance Concert: a festival-style program featuring seven diverse pieces, with choreography and performances by dance faculty and special guest artists.

Participating full-time and adjunct faculty: E.E. Balcos, Joshua Carr, Anna Edwards, Kim Jones, Eric Mullis, Kaustavi Sarkar, Lauren Skrabalak, Ashley L. Tate, and Tamara Williams.

Saturday, September 12th at 7:30 p.m.
Belk Theater, Robinson Hall

Ticket Link is in our bio!!! 😊

09/02/2026

🎉 Please join us in congratulating Kim Jones on her promotion to Full Professor in the Department of Dance!

A choreographer, dancer, scholar, and educator, Jones is a régisseur for the Martha Graham Resource Center and the founder and artistic director of Movement Migration. A former member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, her creative and scholarly work spans performance, historical reconstruction, international research, and dance education.

Jones has reconstructed significant works by Martha Graham and Paul Taylor, bringing important masterworks to both professional stages and UNC Charlotte students. Through Movement Migration, she continues to create and present work centered on access, inclusion, community, and the rich traditions of ballet and modern dance.

Her current research explores the life and choreography of Korean modern dance pioneer Choi Seung-Hee. Most recently, Jones received a 2026 Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts & Science Council to continue this research. This fall, she will study traditional dance at Seoul’s National Gugak Center before returning to London’s National Maritime Museum to curate and choreograph a new project.

Congratulations, Professor Jones, on this well-deserved achievement! 👏🏾

📷: Jeff Cravotta

09/01/2026

It was amazing to welcome alumnus Davian “DJ” Robinson ’20 back to the Department of Dance last week for the 2026 College of Arts + Architecture Distinguished Alumni Awards! 🌟

Current dance student Josie Perdue introduced DJ and presented him with the award at Friday's ceremony. DJ will return to the department later in the fall semester to teach a masterclass to dance students. Stay tuned for details.

Congratulations, again, to DJ!

08/26/2026

// “The most meaningful part of the internship was getting to connect with the [dance] students. For a lot of them, it was their first time in the city, so we got to take them to some of the fun tourist spots and see a lot of Broadway shows. It was so fun to connect with them and make it a positive experience."

This summer, Aliyah March (who is earning a B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Performance, Choreography and Theory and B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management), completed an internship as Resident Community Advisor Lead with Joffrey Ballet School in New York City!

Aliyah learned about the Joffrey Ballet School internship from fellow dance majors Amaree Ratliff and Christian Bryant, who had worked with the Joffrey in the past.

Founded in 1953, the school offers renowned summer intensive programs in the United States and abroad.

After a rigorous application process that included three interviews, Aliyah was offered the lead resident community advisor position in New York City. Over 12 weeks, she oversaw daily residence hall operations, led staff meetings, coordinated student programming and worked tirelessly to foster a positive living experience for students at the summer ballet school.

"It was amazing to meet all of the other interns who go to school all over the world and talk to them about what their pathway has been leading up to the internship," she shared. "I made some lifelong connections.”

Follow our series all year for more internship spotlights!

08/25/2026

UNC Charlotte Dance faculty, staff, and students are moving, connecting and building community together.

The Fall 2026 semester is underway!! 💚

08/23/2026

This summer, dance alumna Marideth [Batchelor] Telenko ‘18, and her husband and dance partner Austin Telenko, were featured on the cover of Dance Magazine AND named to TIME100 Creators!! 🌟

Marideth graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2018 with a B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Performance, Choreography and Theory.

Shortly after graduation, so moved to New York City to start auditioning, and met Austin through a gig at Six Flags in New Jersey. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two moved to North Carolina to stay with Marideth's parents and started posting TikTok videos (under the name Cost N' Mayor) which started their journey to the incredible dance careers they have today.

Dance Magazine wrote that Austin and Marideth are natural storytellers, describing their "idiosyncratic mix of street styles and musical theater dance" as "eloquent as it is magnetic."

Their cover story features how the two found their path in the industry, their TikTok evolution, and their recent off-Broadway work, "11 to Midnight," which co-stars Glee’s Heather Morris, Dance Moms’ Nia Sioux and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Conner Leavitt.

“TikTok is awesome, and we share choreography on there that we work hard on and are proud of,” Marideth shared with Dance Magazine. “We can drop the stigma around being a dancer on the internet.”

A month after their cover story, the pair was named to TIME's 2026 TIME100 Creators, a list recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices.

Time100 features creators across entertainment, gaming, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, comedy, sports, educators, travel and more. Cost N' Mayor were featured in the "Entertainers" Category.

"We didn’t know it then, but the little brave step to post our choreography online would change the trajectory of our lives," Marideth wrote in their announcement post on Instagram. "It’s been the adventure of a lifetime and we’re still just getting started."

We are SO proud of Marideth and so thankful to have her as part of our COAA family 💚 Her positivity, excitement and dedication to dance have always been inspiring.

08/14/2026

We are excited to welcome two new full-time dance faculty this academic year!

07/27/2026

Congrats to our students who particpated in the 10th Anniversary Showcase of CoA+A's Summer Circus Arts class!

07/21/2026

Congratulations to Davian Robinson for being named our 2026 Distinguished Dance Alumni! 💚

Address

Robinson Hall-9201 University City Boulevard
Charlotte, NC
28223

Telephone

+17046870225

Website

https://dance.charlotte.edu/

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