BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University's Department of Theatre and Dance is premiering eight original dance works during the Fall Appalachian Dance Ensemble (FADE) at 7 p.m. from November 19 through 22 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 23 in Valborg Theatre on the university campus. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for faculty/staff, and $17 for adults and are now available online through the T&D website, as well by phone or in person at the Schaefer Center for the Arts box office.
The Appalachian Dance Ensemble, now more than five decades old, is a creative laboratory that takes place each semester for faculty and students in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Faculty conceptualize the dances, and students audition to choreograph for their peers, who are also selected to perform via an audition process. The original choreography for the ensemble is primarily modern, with influences from ballet, jazz, and pop culture. Dances range from abstract, to expressionistic, to rhythmic works of sheer physical energy. The result is a concert for all ages that celebrates the creative expression of dance.
The 2025 FADE program includes faculty pieces by Laurie Atkins, Taryn Griggs, Sherone Price, and Sam Stone that focus on themes of inspiration and imagination through reflective lenses exploring certain time periods, pop culture, and personal journeys.
Understory by Laurie Atkins explores what might lie beneath the layers of the superhero persona, seeing what emerges when things fall apart, and unravel. Bunnies by Taryn Griggs is a collage of movement, sound and text, that explores the patterns, pathways, motivations and configurations that students experience throughout their day filtered through the lens of 1960's French pop culture, line dancing, and feminist writing from the 1950's and 1960's. Undecided by Sherone Price is a jazz piece blending African, Ballet, and Social Dance that draws inspiration from Soul Train. Sam Stone's Montage peaks into worlds where imagination replaces loneliness.
The ensemble also includes four works by student choreographers Anna Boswell, Thomas Dixon, Bri Martin, and Kayla Roberson. The students' works explore themes of individuality, isolation, reflection, and introspection.
For You, by Anna Boswell (senior Dance Studies major and Communication minor) explores pathways of individual growth while trusting the process. Grows Fonder, created by Brianna Martin (senior Elementary Education and Dance Studies major) is a letter of gratitude and love to the relationships who make us who we are from afar. Patience, Dissonance, Imminence, created by Kayla Roberson (senior Dance Studies major and Political Science minor) is about the difficult choices that come with being trapped in uncomfortable and unfavorable situations. Chaotic Conversation, a dance made by Thomas Dixon (senior Dance Studies major and Communication minor) brings out the inner thoughts and expressions of individuals who tend to keep to themselves, giving an outward view to show calm, excitement, rage and the quietness that can reside within someone.
The lighting design team for the concert includes junior theatre design/technology majors Hadley Brickman, Lauren Creighton, Maddy Dulin, and Robbie McDaniel, all who worked with Associate Professor John Marty to create original lighting designs for each piece. Assistant Professor Saloni Mahajan is the costume designer for the production.
Concert co-coordinators Laurie Atkins and Sherone Price enjoy the experience of supporting student dancers and choreographers in the collaborative process of dance making and performance. Atkins states "dance making and performing is a rigorous process. It is exciting to watch our students learn so much about the field of dance through their FADE experience."
The Valborg Theatre is located on campus at the north side of Chapell Wilson Hall on Howard Street in Boone. The theatre entrance faces the back of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on King Street. Parking is available after 5 p.m. on campus in faculty/staff lots and after 5:30 p.m. in the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.
A full listing of the Department of Theatre and Dance 2025-26 season is available at theatreanddance.appstate.edu. Directions and parking information may be found here.
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About the Department of Theatre and Dance
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Theatre and Dance’s mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative, and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community, and the region. www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu.
About the College of Fine and Applied Arts
Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences, and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://cfaa.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,795 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
FADE 2025 Thumbnail
FADE 2025 Thumbnail