Dancing to Help Children

For three weeks during spring 2022, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company visited Europe to perform, sightsee, and host devotionals and community outreach events in 10 cities across Belgium, France, and Germany. After arriving in Amsterdam on Sunday, April 24, the group put on three performances that week, including one for European Union ambassadors and dignitaries at the Wolubilis theatre in Belgium, dazzling their audiences with incredible costumes, choreography, and music. At the end of the first week, the group set off for Paris, where they held another performance and spent the rest of the weekend exploring the Palace of Versailles, enjoying the Eiffel Tower, and feeling the Spirit in the Paris France Temple. One dancer stated, “I felt a very real, very deep connection to Christ and came to the realization that He is everywhere and very aware of all of His children and all of His disciples.” The group then traveled to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to hold a youth workshop and host two performances, all on the same day. In the days following, the group experienced the culture of western Germany held another youth workshop, and gave two more unforgettable performances. Later in the week the company attended a lunch and activity with the Braunschweig Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that was organized for them by former BYU ballroom dancer Amanda Luschin. The evening was concluded in Berlin with a performance, workshop, and after-party arranged by a former member of the BYU Singers, Jennie Litster. The company celebrated their success and reminisced with Litster about their shared BYU experiences. The Ballroom Dance Company arrived in Halle, Germany, on Monday, May 9, and met with schoolchildren from Hallesche Jugendwerkstatt, a charitable organization in Halle, where they played games with the children and taught them how to dance. Later that evening the company presented a full-length concert hosted by the Halloren Chocolate Factory; donations and ticket sales generated a check in the amount of €40,142 euros, which was given to Hallesche Jugendwerkstatt. Director Curt Holman remarked, “If you ask any ballroom dancer, they will say [the benefit concert]is among their most cherished memories of the tour.” This sentiment was echoed by dancer Brynn Stapley, who recounted her experience being hugged by a particularly shy young girl after the show. The little girl’s mother was moved to tears because she had never seen her daughter be so outgoing. Stapley later stated, “I’m still in contact with their family. I felt that God wanted me and this little girl to be friends.”

Music and Ministering in Mexico

From performing in festivals, to interacting with and serving local communities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to celebrating their heritage through dance and song, BYU Living Legends truly had an unforgettable tour to Mexico this summer. One of the group’s first performances took place in La Guelaguetza, one of the most renowned theaters in Mexico. With an audience of over 1,000 people, they brought down the house with their show Storytellers, a celebration of the cultural heritage of North America, South America, and the Pacific Islands. Dancer Kalawai‘a Fano said that performing the haka, a traditional Māori dance, that night was particularly special because “even though it was something completely foreign to [the audience], they still clearly felt the Spirit being portrayed in the dance. It gave us a real sense that though our cultures were very different, something beneath the surface was connecting all of us.” The governor of the state of Oaxaca himself was in attendance and remarked that the next time Living Legends was in town, he would make sure to fill 12,000 seats for the group. Following a brief visit to Mexico City, where the group hosted a young adult activity and visited the Church’s Mexico City Mexico Temple, Living Legends arrived in Puebla on May 5 for the Día de la Batalla de Puebla celebration. The group teamed up with Danza Folklórica MAASO to perform dances from a variety of cultures for enthusiastic audiences. Living Legends closed its week with two more performances, one at the Auditorio Metropolitano in Puebla for an audience of nearly 1,000 people and the other in Mérida at a meetinghouse for local members of the Church. On their last day in  Mérida, the group visited the Mayan ruin complex at Chichén Itzá. The tour came to an end the following Saturday as the group participated in their last cultural exchange. They met with the young adults from a congregation of the Church in Cancún, where the BYU group taught them dances and songs. One Living Legends performer summed up the tour by stating, “Being able to meet and interact with the people brought me the greatest satisfaction. We got to share our experiences as dancers at BYU, and [in return] they were so loving and caring to each of us.”

A Passion for Music in Europe

The BYU Chamber Orchestra kicked off its three-week tour across Europe with a sold-out performance in Prague at the renowned Smetana Hall. The group then traveled to Vienna, where they visited the graves of Beethoven, Schubert, and Strauss and gave another successful concert. On Sunday, they performed in a last-minute concert titled A Musical Prayer for Ukraine, organized by BYU alumna Kim Magee. More than 100 Ukrainian refugees were in attendance, along with many of their supporters. Orchestra member Sarah Francis said, “Following the concert, we were able to greet the audience members. So many tender hugs, conversations, and silences were shared. . . . This concert touched the lives of hundreds of people who were suffering, and we were able to help them find some peace.” During their second week, the orchestra performed at two stunning cathedrals in Italy, Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate in Milan and Chiesa di Ognissanti in Florence. These concerts were attended by community members, local government leaders, church members, university leaders, and fellow BYU study abroad students. In addition to performing, the orchestra visited some of the finest sights in Europe, including Neuschwanstein Castle, the Duomo di Milano, da Vinci’s The Last Supper, and Michelangelo’s David. The last stop on the tour was Rome, where the BYU Chamber Orchestra received an unforgettable invitation. Elder Alessandro Dini Ciacci, area seventy and representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Italy, arranged a concert featuring the orchestra to thank the local and humanitarian organizations with whom the Church collaborates. Notable guests in attendance included Lucio Malan, senator of Italy; Stefano Prili and Paola Contavalli, councilors of the Italian Red Cross of Rome; and Tim Hunter, director of private sector partnerships and fundraising for the United Nations World Food Programme. Recalling the performance, one member of the orchestra said, “When we finished playing the fourth movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, I could hear our sound traveling up to heaven, and I felt that our Heavenly Father was extremely proud [of us] and thankful for our service.”

Fall 2022 Encore Photo Highlights

Sharing the Magic

Shortly after their arrival in Wichita, Kansas, Vocal Point kicked off the Magic tour with a show at Wichita’s 100-year-old Orpheum Theatre, adding their name to the list of great entertainers who have performed there, such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Houdini. The following night the group put on another sold-out performance, this time at the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre in Liberty, Missouri. Vocal Point began their second week of tour with a performance for an energetic audience in Des Moines, Iowa. After stopping in Milwaukee to present an inspirational fireside and a full concert on Thursday, the group arrived in Chicago. At their show in Chicago they met two fans from the Netherlands, who had been following them online since 2019. When Vocal Point announced their tour, the siblings decided to buy two tickets to Chicago so they could attend the concert. Speaking about the experience, Vocal Point director McKay Crockett said, “Music has such a unique and singularly powerful way of connecting hearts and minds. Barriers of language, distance, and disagreement can be minimized and removed by the power of music.” Vocal Point bid the Midwest farewell to begin the final leg of tour in Southern California. The singers’ week began with filming a music video inspired by Disney’s Tangled in several stunning beachfront locations. Vocal Point was joined by the renowned All-American Boys Chorus and Broadway star Laura Osnes. The group’s final performance took place at San Clemente High School, which culminated in a standing ovation from the audience. To celebrate a successful tour and three weeks of nonstop hard work, Vocal Point spent a day in Disneyland—a fitting conclusion because the group spent the year before their tour studying the history of Disney music.

Breaking Language Barriers in the Baltics

The BYU Singers started their tour through the Baltics in Tallinn, Estonia, where they gave their first concert at the meetinghouse for a local branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Afterward the group enjoyed an Estonian feast prepared by branch members, ending their night with good food and even better conversation. Proceeds from this concert were donated to a nearby orphanage. Later in the week the group visited the orphanage to paint and do yardwork. A highlight of the Singers’ second week was their collaboration with the local Estonian choirs HUIK! and the Veronika Portsmuth Academy Chamber Choir. They performed together at St. John’s Church in Tallinn’s Freedom Square. After their performance, a local merchant who had met the Singers the day before gave them heart-shaped pins and affectionately called them her “American grandchildren.” The Singers’ second week ended in Latvia, where they impressed audiences with a version of “I Am a Child of God” that included a verse in Latvian. One member of the group said, “Singing for the people there was my favorite part. . . . It was really special to sing songs in the languages of Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. It’s something I’ll never forget.” On the third week of their tour, the BYU Singers made their way from Riga, Latvia, to Klaipėda, Lithuania, to compete in the 22nd International Stasys Šimkus Choir Competition. The competition took place over the course of four days and hosted choirs from Latvia and the United States as well as Angola, Estonia, Ghana, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. The Singers took first place in the mixed choir, sacred music, and folk choir sections. After receiving special prizes for Best Performance of the Compulsory Piece and for Best Performance of a Contemporary Composition, the group was awarded the Grand Amber Prize for the best choir overall and named the winners of the Grand Prix finals, sweeping every category. Several Singers remarked that performing Ernesto Herrera’s arrangement of “Agnus Dei” was by far the most spiritual moment of their tour. One member said, “In the performance, I could feel a distinct and spiritual connection to the text of the song. . . . As we sang, I felt united with each member of the choir, with the conductor, and with God.”

Singing in South Korea

For the BYU Young Ambassadors, COVID complications early on in their tour brought unexpected blessings. Pandemic restrictions hindered the group’s original plan to present a live devotional; instead, the devotional was broadcast throughout South Korea. The performance reached an estimated audience of 6,500 people via the broadcast, with an additional 4,500 views on YouTube afterward, exceeding the number of people who would have been able to attend in-person. One performer remarked, “I loved our first devotional. We sang a song called ‘My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee.’ There were many times on tour that I needed reminding of that message. I’m grateful we were able to share it with the members in Korea.” The following day, the Young Ambassadors held several workshops at Humphreys High School, where they shared their love of song and dance with the students in attendance. Afterward the group put on a lively performance for the community at Camp Humphreys Four Chaplains Memorial Chapel in Pyeongtaek. Their performance was the first major event held in the area since the start of the pandemic. The Young Ambassadors kicked off their second week by taking in the sights of South Korea, including the Korean Folk Village, which is used as a set for Korean television dramas. The Young Ambassadors saw restored government offices and the homes of nobles, farmers, and villagers. The group then attended church at the Suji Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and afterward had a delicious lunch prepared by local members. Two days later the group went to the Seoul Korea Temple and then held their final performance that evening at the Incheon Global Campus. To celebrate the end of a successful tour despite numerous obstacles, the Young Ambassadors spent their final day in South Korea at Everland, one of the top theme parks in the world. A firework display set to the music of K-pop band BTS closed a full day of fun and a truly spectacular two weeks in South Korea.

Fostering Worldwide Relationships

BYU Contemporary Dance Theatre (CDT) spent time in Spain, France, and Belgium this summer connecting with people through music, dance, and song. Although delays in both Salt Lake City and Amsterdam prevented CDT from meeting their original arrival times, they reached Barcelona, Spain, in time to experience the city nightlife and a lively performance at Teatro Flamenco Barcelona City Hall. On Monday the dancers and technicians established a rigorous routine in preparation for the upcoming Deltebre Dansa 2022 festival. Not even their six-hour daily practices in the scorching Spanish summer could detract from the joy they received through dancing and making new friends from around the world. Speaking of the friends he made at the festival, BYU dancer Johnathan Tanner said, “They each bring their emotions, experience, and knowledge of dance—and they express and share it, a lot of times without even speaking the same language.” Tuesday evening provided a much-needed break from the sweltering heat of the festival as CDT joined the missionaries and local community for an informal performance and workshop at Biblioteca Marcel·lí Domingo in Tortosa, Spain. CDT danced on a glass floor above exposed ancient Roman ruins, with more than 80 audience members packed in between stacks of books. The second week of the group’s tour began with a memorable performance at Les Pyramides Congrès near Paris for an enthusiastic crowd of local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU humanities students, and refugee children from Groupe Résidis, an organization that works with asylum-seeking refugees. Dancer Jake Hendershot recalled, “After the show, I was swarmed with the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. We ended up onstage, hugging and dancing in a beautiful moment of human connection. I didn’t speak their language, they didn’t speak mine, yet we communicated on a level of love.” After spending a day visiting monuments, museums, and cathedrals in Paris, the dancers departed for Brussels. On Friday evening in the Wolubilis theatre, they brought their tour to a rousing conclusion by performing for more than 100 delegates, ambassadors, and guests with connections to the European Union. CDT artistic director Keely Song Glenn summed up the tour by stating, “Traveling with the students and seeing them perform in front of a live, international audience seemed surreal after these years of travel restrictions. It was an honor to witness their generosity both on and off the stage as they interacted and bonded with members of the communities.”

2023-2024 Tours and Map Back Cover