For recent UF alumna Megan Kendzior, dancing is more than just a means of self-expression.
This year, Kendzior’s choreographed dance, “Witness,” was selected to be performed at the National College Dance Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., May 27 and 29.
“Witness” is a collaborative dance among Kendzior and four other women and is set to the live musical accompaniment of Broadway accordion player Frank Ferraro.
To receive this opportunity, Kendzior’s dance was selected for the Gala Concert at the Central Regional Conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kendzior’s creation was directly related to her research as part of the UF University Scholars Program.
The dance was inspired by her scholarship-funded visit to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
“I use my dancing as a way to teach and carry on the story of the Holocaust,” she said.
After her trip to Auschwitz, Kendzior felt a responsibility to show what she learned and continue the story of Holocaust victims.
Kendzior’s work also won first place at the Spring 2010 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Celebration of Creativity in Arts and Sciences.
Kendzior graduated from the UF College of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s in dance on April 30. During her tenure at UF, she was also a Student Government senator and founder of Dance for My Suitcase, a student organization for dance majors.
She is currently in New York performing her works.
