Webster University Dance Ensemble 2025

Webster University Dance Ensemble (WUDE), under the artistic direction of Xi Zhao, will present their 2025 Concert April 18-20. The Dance Ensemble performs on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on Webster University’s campus. This year’s concert showcases an array of dance styles, including contemporary, ballet, jazz and hip-hop. 

The Department of Dance is honored to partner with Pilobolus to restage the heartwarming masterpiece, Branches. Tayler Kinner, BFA ’15, returns to Webster Dance as this year’s alumni guest artist, joining faculty members Maggi Dueker, MJ Imani, Eve Mason and Michael Uthoff in choreographing original works for this year’s performance.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online. Admission is free for Webster students, faculty and staff with a valid Webster ID number. For more information about the event, contact the Fine Arts Hotline at 314-968-7128, or email or dance@webster.edu with questions. 

Branches premiered at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Inside/Out Performance Series on June 21, 2017. This piece was commissioned by Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art. A whimsical and profound dance, Branches sweeps the viewer into a Darwinian spectacle of flora and fauna filled with humorous absurdities, beauty and poignant transitions. Featuring a vibrant score that dances between the playful sounds of Ren and Stimpy and Messiaen's soul-stirring compositions, while incorporating authentic field recordings, Branches invites audiences to immerse themselves in a transcendent journey and feast for the senses celebrating our interconnected world.

Tayler Kinner, WUDE alumni Guest Artist, commented on her work to be featured as part of WUDE. “In this piece, we’re exploring rituals and how they can bring us together as well as ground us within ourselves. How do we connect with others in a communal ritual? What energy and experience do we build together? And what do we take away as an individual? The dancers and I have been playing with these questions and concepts as we build our work together.” 

Maggi Dueker, chair of Webster Dance, explained the backstory behind her work for WUDE. “For this piece, we began with the questions, ‘How do we see, and how are we seen? How do we hide, and how are we hidden?’ These ideas served as the foundation of our exploration, guiding the creation of movement and development of relationships while providing a thematic direction for the work.”

MJ Imani, Webster faculty, spoke of the concept of her hip-hop WUDE piece. “My piece is inspired by the music the students are dancing to. I wanted to give them a chance to explore various commercial dance styles such as hip hop, dancehall, house and jazzfunk because they do not get the chance to do so during their normal class schedules. There are elements of these commercial styles throughout my piece.”

Eve Mason, Webster faculty and director of Velocity Dance Convention, explained her intention in the creation of her work. “This piece celebrates the pure joy of movement for its own sake. With choreography and captivating energy, the dancers encourage the audience to immerse themselves in the simple pleasure of dance, reminding us that the act of moving can be the most exhilarating experience of all.”

Michael Uthoff, lecturer at Webster Dance and artistic director of Dance St. Louis, shared insight to his work. “My piece is a simple work about having to relate with one another while never losing awareness of lines and self. Choreographed to romantic Boleros, dancers convey their respect for each other.”   

About PILOBOLUS                                     

Pilobolus is a rebellious dance company. Since 1971, it has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies, creating awe-inspiring and accessible performances. In the five decades since its founding, Pilobolus has continued to propel the seeds of expression through collaborations with some of the greatest influencers, thinkers and creators in the world and its unique educational programming. The company offers classes serving all ages and movement abilities. Pilobolus classes use movement to teach dancers and non-dancers alike to harness the creative potential of groups. Bespoke leadership workshops for corporate executives, employees and business schools teach teams how to maximize creativity, solve problems, create surprise and generate joy through the power of nonverbal communication. Pilobolus continues to bring the beauty of movement to the world, growing and changing each year while reaching new audiences and exploring new visual and physical planes. Learn more at pilobolus.org.