HQ Review: MADCO’s Dare to Dance - Saturday
MADCO’s Artistic Director, Arianna Russ, gave a welcoming speech for the second show of the 2026 Dare to Dance weekend. She announced that this collaborative dance festival is “Becoming more realized as each season passes.” With over 37 choreographers and 80 artists represented during the festival, that realization has evolved into an event fostering creativity not only for local artists here in St. Louis but also for artists throughout the nation.
An astounding 17 pieces were presented during the Saturday, January 30th performance, totaling 3 Acts containing 2.5 hours of dance. It is fantastic to have the opportunity to be able to see so many artists in one sitting. With 17 unique voices, each with different tones and themes, the night remained fresh and intriguing. It made one feel like they were witnessing the process of a choreographer (in this case, choreographers) experimenting with what message they want to come across.
Some wanted to convey their message in a literal way, like the pre-show opener, Estimated Time of Departure, by Lia Smith-Redmann of Milwaukee, WI. She created a dance film, showcasing 4 artists dancing on roads, train tracks, and runways to urge the audience to support the current refugee crisis. Others desired a more subtle approach due to the complex nature of the topic. Kyra Laster of Chicago, IL, used seven of her fellow dancers from the Chicago-based company “Hot Crowd” to challenge the audience to take a moment to look inwards at their relationship, both with themselves and with others. Hence the title, Introspection.
Artists used this creative opportunity to experiment with the music and how it could be arranged to convey their message or set a general theme. Two pieces, This Version of You, by Kaley Pruitt, and If I Could Write a Love Poem I Would, by Alexandria Kinard, were both duets using poetry for their dancers to instill a leitmotif about love towards others and to oneself. Tess Losada-Tindall’s self-choreographed solo, Mareo, used an overlapping soundtrack of the same song in two languages to help relay a powerful message of what it is like to feel alone while feeling the pressure to represent your culture in a foreign state as an immigrant. Erin Morris and Elinor Harrison’s, I am Coming up for Air, Are You Around? completely ditched the traditional use of music and exclusively utilized the breaths, laughs, and groans vocalized by the performers to drive the movement of the piece.
Other pieces that stood out were: [I’ll be Logging my Journey Here], by Delainey Bailey, and PITS by Will Brighton and CJ Burroughs. [I’ll be logging my Journey Here] was a great choice for the opener. It was a large group piece performed by the MADCO dancers and really set the tone for the night. Bailey utilized her dancers and leaned in towards their strengths. The movements were energetic and intense. It was great to see the MADCO dancers show off their technical prowess, whether through their synchronized triple turns or daring slides across the stage. PITS, the opener for the third act, was incredibly inventive and technical in all the best ways. Brighton and Burroughs’ pas de deux was set to classical music and featured a mattress with a pile of pillows. Brighton and Burroughs would use this rather impressive number of props tastefully, never overplaying or overutilizing the gimmick. Burrough’s was expressive and graceful, while Brighton was powerful and dynamic. PITS left the audience in shock and awe, and it ended with overwhelming adoration, making it a highlight of the night.
MADCO’s Dare to Dance 2026 was a playground of experimentation, collaboration, and, most importantly, an opportunity for many artists. And with the vast array of talent both choreographically and technically showcased on stage, Arianna’s realization for Dare to Dance is truly evolving into something special for the St. Louis area.
Photos by Carly Vanderheyden