NKU dance students and alumni are hosting Dance ‘25: Homecoming at the Corbett Theatre for the first time since 2023.
A “world-premiere” of choreography by visiting dance professor Jeri Gatch, the concert will feature ballet, street dance, African dance and more. The event celebrates dance’s return home after a year-and-a-half tour to various regional locations while the theatre was under construction.
For some younger students, Dance ‘25: Homecoming is their first opportunity to perform in the Corbett Theatre.
“I’ve only ever danced in Greaves. They’ve been working on it since I came to this school and it’s so incredible to see it on a premium stage that is set for dance,” psychology major and dance minor Jay Smith said.
Gatch reflected on the importance of returning home for NKU students.
“For dancers, our medium is space and time. That’s all we have,” said Gatch, the artistic director for the event. “So, the space is very important to us and being back in our home space really means a lot.”
Corbett Theatre underwent renovations beginning in July of 2023. One of the main renovations the dance program is so excited about is new Marley flooring, a vinyl material which is highly versatile for different styles of dance.
The theatre’s updates are part of the motivation for these performances. Gatch teaches that versatility is necessary for work-readiness.
“In addition to preparing them for the outside world and being a really well-rounded dancer, we also want to support the passions they already have and what they’re already doing,” Gatch said.
The performances are a culmination of nine genres of dance.
“I think there’s a little bit of something for everyone. I feel like there’s some dances that if you’ve never seen dance before, you’ll still get it and enjoy it and be right there with us,” junior dance pedagogy major Brenna Bray said.
Bray said this is dance’s “time to shine.”
“It’s also a creative outlet for us. Where so many of the dancers are in a ton of pieces and they’re getting to do tap and then ballet and then jazz and hip hop,” Bray said.
Honoring NKU is another important theme for the night. The show features NKU alumni as choreographers for some of the dances as well as familial themes.
“I think it’s really important that everybody gathers around, and I still feel like every story that’s being shared tonight is a little bit of history about NKU,” Smith said.
Dance ‘25: Homecoming continues March 1 and 2. Tickets can be found at https://nku.vbotickets.com/events.
