Celebrate with us! Latinx Heritage Celebration Concert
Join the U School of Dance for its opening concert of the 2025-2026 season, Latinx Heritage Celebration. This exciting concert features works all by Chicanx, Latinx/e, and Latin American choreographers: Michelle Manzanales, Stephanie García, Roxanne Gray, and Vinicius Lima. This concert also coincides with Half a Century in Motion: Honoring Chicanx Dance, Art, and Activism, a research exhibition in the Marriott Center for Dance lobby.
“This performance and its accompanying exhibition are our way of continuing the legacy of student, faculty, staff, and community activism,” writes the curatorial collective for Half a Century in Motion.
“In the spirit of belonging and authentic engagement with the multivarious tapestry of our community, we honor both Chicano history in Utah and the dynamic, creative force of these contemporary Latinx artists,” says concert director Daniel Clifton. All concert-goers are invited and encouraged to view the free exhibition, Half a Century in Motion: Honoring Chicanx Dance, Art, and Activism, before or after the concert.
The concert will open with a new work by Roxanne Gray titled “Rasquache.” Gray’s previous choreographic work, “Nepantla,” was performed at the ACDA National Conference earlier this year.
Next is “Niteotl,” a new piece by 2025 Guggenheim Fellow Stephanie García which is inspired by the Deer Dance of the Yacqui and Mayo people from Sonora. “This work is an embodied prayer created to acknowledge and celebrate the resiliency of people of color,” says García.
Following the intermission is “Paloma Querida,” a 2010 piece by Michelle Manzanales which was originally created on the Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago, IL. This piece is inspired by Frida Kahlo’s life and artwork, specifically Kahlo’s self-portraits.
The final piece of the program is “Mamonas,” choreographed by Ballet West Soloist Vinicius Lima.
Following the opening night of the concert on September 25th, there will be a post-performance platíca onstage with the choreographers, moderated by the curatorial collective behind the Half a Century in Motion exhibition, and a small reception in the lobby.
Latinx Heritage Celebration runs September 25th through October 4th at the Marriott Center for Dance. Tickets can be purchased in advance at HERE or at the door. University of Utah students get free access with their student ID thanks to the Arts Pass program, which makes hundreds of arts experiences accessible to U students each year.
Performance Dates:
Sept. 25 | 5:30pm*
Sept. 26 | 7:30pm*
Sept. 27 | 2:00pm* & 7:30pm*
Oct. 2 | 5:30pm
Oct. 3 | 7:30pm
Oct. 4 | 2:00pm & 7:30pm
*these performances will be live-streamed