College of Arts and Humanities
Guest Artists
The Dance Program coordinates a variety of opportunities for students to network with internationally recognized artists. These experiences include lectures, demonstrations, master classes, assessment classes, and week-long residencies that culminate in an original work for the stage.
2025-2026 Guest Artists
Stay tuned for more artist announcements!
Olivia Emert
Olivia Emert (she/her) is a Kansas City based choreographer and artistic director. Emert graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Conservatory of University Missouri Kansas City. In Spring of 2024, Emert completed her third season with Geometry Dance Company, an Los Angeles based contemporary and movement research company directed by Mackenzie Martin. With the company, she was featured in works such as 鈥淣aeem鈥� and 鈥淪it Me Back Down.鈥� Emert鈥檚 choreographic work focuses on emotional awareness, tactile partnerwork, and building tangible environments. Emert鈥檚 choreography has been commissioned by Kansas City Ballet, Creative Intersections, Owen/Cox Dance Group, Art in the Loop, Modern Night at the GEM, KCPublic Theater, City in Motion, University of Missouri Kansas City, NoDivide, Charlotte Street Foundation and more. Notably, Emert was jury-selected as a featured artist with the Making Moves series, which funded and supported her evening length work, WOMB.DIRT.SKY. Emert founded FLOW, a professional movement class highlighting somatic awareness, release based floorwork, and contemporary phrase work, as a hub for the Kansas City dance community. After being awarded Emert’s two year residency with Charlotte Street Foundation, she is now the founder and director of CLOUDS Dance Company. In 2025, Emert took over the role as artistic director of Creative Intersections, an annual performance bringing together artists from Kansas City Ballet, Owen/Cox Dance Group, CLOUDS Dance Company, Kansas City freelance artists and award winning regional based choreographers.
Previous Artists
- Francesca Baron – Still Inspired(?) (2020)
- Diana Barrios – Leverage Dance Theater (2015)
- Summer Beasley – Karlovsky & Company Dance (2016)
- Nickolas and Zackary Betty Neagle – NSquared Dance (2019)
- Gabriella Billy – Modern American Dance Company (2023)
- Marcus Bugler – Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre (2006 and 2007)
- Allison Burke – Cirque du Soleil (2025)
- Denise Caston – Broadway Dance Center (2008)
- Jovan Dansberry – King Kong on Broadway (2019)
- Gina Daugherty – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2021)
- Paula David Young – The Big Muddy Dance Company (2009 and 2012)
- Joy Davis – Countertechnique (2016)
- Christian Denise – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal (2018)
- Ali Duffy – Flatlands Dance Theatre (2014)
- Alicia Gbaho – Beyond Measure Dance Theater (2019)
- Kate Harpootlian – Shaping Sound Dance Co. (2018)
- Trevor Harrison – Diavolo (2011)
- Keli Hermes – Leverage Dance Theater (2015)
- Anna Hicks – Cirque du Soleil (2024)
- Madison Hicks – Moving Forward Dallas (2021)
- Kile Hotchkiss – Keigwin & Co. (2013)
- Brandon Hudson – b90creative (2021 and 2023)
- Audrey Johnston – RACE Dance Collective, Oklahoma City Ballet (2022)
- Eileen Juric – Power Dance Technique (2021)
- Renee Kester – Playd艒 (2024)
- Seyong Kim – Registered Somatic Dance Educator (2024)
- Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson- Saint Louis Dance Theatre (2024)
- John Lehrer – Lehrer Dance (2008, 2009, and 2010)
- Devon Lloyd, Brittany Latta, and Company – Hot Crowd (2022 and 2024)
- Joshua Manculich – Sam Houston State University (2021)
- Rian Martin-Jones – Independent Artist (2022)
- Maria Majors – STL Rhythm Collaborative (2024)
- Samuel McReynolds – GREYaRea (2016, 2019, 2023)
- Ashley McQueen – Smashworks Dance (2018)
- Michael Mizeraney – Malashock Dance (2009, 2010, and 2012)
- Alicia Okouchi-Guy – Chapman University (2008 and 2013)
- Robert Poe – Ballet 314 (2025)
- Rafael Quintas – EDGE Performing Arts Center (2015 and 2019)
- Christina Robson – Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (2015)
- Madison Steitz – Modern American Dance Company (2021)
- Tanya Strautmann Horiuchi – St. Louis Ballet (2017)
- Ashley Tate – Ashleyliane Dance Company (2018)
- Erin Warner Prange – The Big Muddy Dance Company (2018)
- Keith Tyrone Williams – Innervision Dance Theatre (2019)
- Nejla Yatkin – NY2 Dance (2013)
Field Trips & Workshops
The Dance Program also coordinates regular on-campus workshops and field trips with professional dance companies and arts organizations.
Past Trips
- American College Dance Association
- Leverage Dance Theater
- Modern American Dance Company
- Saint Louis Dance Theatre
- STL Rhythm Collaborative
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- National Dance Week St. Louis
SYNERGY
The Dance Program also helps to maintain SYNERGY, the 51福利 University Student Dance Club
More Information
The club is an active organization that works to unify students in dance. Synergy creates an environment which inspires and enables dancers of all backgrounds to discover their potential, strive for excellence, and improve their technique. SYNERGY also coordinates additional opportunities for guests in dance.