Senior dance student Megan Holzhauer visited Washington, DC, to present her original choreographic work, “BEHIND THAT GLEAM,” at the 2025 National College Dance Festival hosted by the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Held every two years, the festival showcases the nation’s top college-level choreography and is considered the highest recognition for undergraduate dancers in the United States.
Attending ACDA
“BEHIND THAT GLEAM” was first presented in November at “New Dancemakers: Emanation,” a showcase of senior capstone projects. After “Emanation,” Holzhauer’s piece was chosen by Dance faculty to be performed at the regional ACDA conference in Stevens Point.
Following adjudication by three nationally acclaimed dance artists, “BEHIND THAT GLEAM” was selected for the national conference, marking the first time a UWM piece had been selected in more than two decades, according to Holzhauer.
“It was such an extreme honor,” said Holzhauer. “It never really felt attainable, like that could even happen. So, I am just so grateful that I had that experience.”
Holzhauer’s piece was one of only 30 dances from across the country.
“It was super special to be a small little pool of undergraduate students and to be able to represent UW-Milwaukee in that way,” said Holzhauer.
Part of the excitement was the culmination of a long-term project, with Holzhauer starting her research for the piece in the summer of 2024. Throughout the process, she felt supported and driven by her cast and collaborators.
“It was definitely a collaborative process,” said Holzhauer. “I owe a lot of it to my cast… They’re such beautiful dancers, and I’m so happy that I could have this process and opportunity to work with them.”
Elsewhere at the festival, a student performance choreographed by alum Miguel Peña (MFA 2016, Dance), who is the faculty director of Ballet Folklórico at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, took home the prize for “Best Student Performance.”
Major takeaways
Showcasing work for ACDA on the regional and national level is something PSOA dance students strive for throughout their education. The same is true for Holzhauer, who reflected on having the “experience of a lifetime” at ACDA.
“Since my freshman year, I was thinking about what I would create as a senior,” said Holzhauer. “Every step and every opportunity I had has just been such an accumulation of my time here at UW-Milwaukee.”
Attending ACDA served as a symbolic conclusion to her education at PSOA, with Holzhauer saying that being a dance major at UWM was a goal and ambition of hers since seventh grade.
Among those helping to make her dream a reality are the faculty.
“The support of the faculty alone was amazing,” said Holzhauer. “They have been the perfect support system for all of the seniors… They put their heart into these pieces.”
With post-grad life right around the corner, Holzhauer is taking her strong experiences from ACDA and the process of creating “BEHIND THAT GLEAM” into the professional world.
“I never knew I wanted to do choreography until I had this beautiful experience, and it opened my eyes,” said Holzhauer. “I really want to keep choreographing and presenting my work.”
Story by Jason McCullum ’25 & Payton Murphy ’27