Santa Barbara Dance Theater Presents FORUM

Santa Barbara Dance Theater (SBDT) brought something very special to the stage recently called FORUM. This was not just any dance show — it was a piece made to explore how people connect, work together, and share ideas through the language of movement. The idea behind it was to make something alive, honest, and human, something that speaks to what we all feel and experience when we try to be close to one another in a world that feels complicated and divided.

At its heart, FORUM is about collaboration — that means people working together closely to make the art you see on stage. In fact, the whole work was built around this idea, not only in how the movements were choreographed but also in how the dancers, creators, designers, and musicians all contributed to bring it to life.

The performance took place at the Hatlen Theater on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, from October 23 to October 26, 2025. It was presented as part of the Theater and Dance season at UCSB.

What Does “FORUM” Mean?

The word “forum” goes back to ancient times. It was a place in a town where people would meet to talk, share ideas, and make decisions together. In ancient Rome, for example, the forum was the heart of public life — a kind of meeting place where people could speak, listen, and interact. Using that word for this dance piece was intentional.

Brandon Whited, the artistic director of Santa Barbara Dance Theater, said that this work is built around the idea of a forum — a place of discourse, conversation, and shared ideas. That means the performance is meant to feel like a place where people come together, not just to watch but to connect and reflect.

In the way the piece was made, the artists treated the rehearsal space like a forum: they talked, they tried things together, they took risks, and they responded to each other. These conversations and experiments became the foundation of the dance you see on stage.

Who Made the Work?

One of the things that makes FORUM special is how many people contributed to it. This wasn’t done by a single choreographer in isolation. Instead, it was a real collaboration.

The main creators were:

Brandon Whited — Artistic Director and Chair of UCSB’s Department of Theater and Dance.
Dalya Modlin — Company member and co-choreographer.
Calder White — Company member and co-choreographer.

These three worked closely with all the dancers to shape the choreography. That means every movement you see on stage came out of a group process, not from one person telling everyone what to do.

In addition to those main creators, the company included eight student apprentices from UCSB, who performed alongside the professional dancers. Working with students gave these young artists real hands-on experience performing in a professional setting and learning how collaborative creation feels from the inside.

The student performers were: Sophie Berls, Charlotte Breier, Drew Caswell, Zorah Chappel, Tanner Carmichael, Lara van Diggelen, Bijou Douglas, and Kate Monney.

The whole team also included people behind the scenes:

Vickie J. Scott — Lighting Designer.
Michael Wall — Composer of the music.

These team members added light and sound that matched the emotional journey of the dance. The lighting and music helped shape how audiences felt, making the experience richer and deeper.

What Does FORUM Look and Feel Like?

FORUM is a contemporary dance work, which means it doesn’t follow the strict rules of classical ballet or traditional forms. Instead, it focuses on expression, exploration, and creative movement that comes from the body and the moment.

The performance runs about 60 minutes and is structured to take the audience through different moments of togetherness, separation, connection, tension, and release.

One of the things that makes it interesting is the way movement and music interact. The composer Michael Wall wrote music that doesn’t always follow a simple beat or pattern. Instead, the music and dance grow together, letting the motion shape the sound and letting the sound inspire the movement.

Lighting also played a big role. The lighting designer used color and shadow to create moods that change as the piece goes on. Sometimes the stage would feel warm, sometimes stark, sometimes intimate, and other times dramatic. These changes help tell the emotional story without words.

The movement itself ranges from flowing group sections where everyone moves together, to quiet moments where one or two dancers express very personal emotions, to scenes that feel almost like conversation without talking.

A Piece that Speaks to Today

A lot of the ideas in FORUM come from what’s going on in the world right now. Brandon Whited has said that the work tries to connect with the times we live in — times that feel both connected and disconnected, hopeful and tense.

The dance doesn’t try to give answers, but it asks questions like:

How do we find meaning together?
What does connection feel like when the world feels so divided?
How do we move with one another, share space, and understand each other?

These questions aren’t answered with words. Instead, they are shown in movement — in how the dancers come together, how they move apart, how they support one another, and how they respond to the music and to the space.

In one part of the piece, dancers form shapes and patterns that look like they are trying to connect but aren’t quite finding each other. In another part, two dancers might move as one for a moment before separating again. These moments reflect how people sometimes feel in everyday life — wanting closeness, yet struggling to fully reach it.

This kind of choreography makes FORUM feel like more than a show. It feels like a conversation — a conversation without language, where your body and your heart speak.

Learning and Growing Together

One big part of the project is the apprenticeship program. This program gives UCSB students a chance to work directly with professional dancers and choreographers. For many students, this is the first time they’ve had a real professional performance experience.

These apprentices don’t just learn steps. They learn what it’s like to take part in a creative process — to make decisions, to give feedback, to adapt and change, to work through problems with others, and to grow as artists. They learn what it means to be part of a creative team.

This mentorship and close collaboration prepares students for real careers in dance and the arts. It’s one thing to learn technique in a classroom; it’s another to rehearse and perform with professionals, learning skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

About Santa Barbara Dance Theater

Santa Barbara Dance Theater is not just another dance company. It’s a professional company that is part of UC Santa Barbara and has been around since 1976. It’s one of the longest-running contemporary dance companies in the area and a place where research, performance, and teaching come together.

Over the years, SBDT has presented many works that mix creative exploration with strong performance values. They’ve also toured internationally and worked with many guest choreographers.

The company believes that dance is not just about showmanship; it’s about thinking, feeling, sharing, and growing. FORUM fits perfectly with this philosophy — it asks audiences to open their minds and hearts, to watch movement with curiosity, and to feel what it means to be part of a shared human experience.

Why FORUM Matters

So why does something like FORUM matter?

In a world where many people feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure about how to talk to one another, art like this offers a space to reflect and feel. It doesn’t tell you what to think. It gives you a chance to feel something real and maybe see your own life reflected in what’s on stage.

FORUM shows how art can be a mirror — reflecting both the beauty and the struggle of living together. It shows how dance can be a language for emotions that are hard to put into words. And it shows how collaboration — working together — can create something bigger than any one person could make alone.

This work reminds us that connection isn’t easy, but it’s worth exploring. It reminds us that we all have a story, a movement, a beat, and that when we bring these together, we can create something meaningful.

Conclusion

In the end, Santa Barbara Dance Theater’s FORUM was not just a dance performance. It was a celebration of working together, connecting deeply, and sharing human experience through movement. It brought together artists, students, designers, and audiences in a shared space where ideas could move freely and feelings could come to life.

Whether you love dance or have never seen a contemporary dance performance before, FORUM was an invitation — an invitation to open your mind, feel something, and think about how we all connect in this world.

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