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UADC Spring 2026, Featuring the Joffrey Concert Group

Category: Event Calendar

Dates and Times

  • Friday, Apr 3, 2026  7pm
  • Saturday, Apr 4, 2026  7pm

Location

E.J. Thomas Hall - The University of Akron
198 Hill St

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Details

The dancers of UA and Joffrey Concert Group will appear onstage in a night of dance. The Spring 2026 Concert features pieces from Christine Howe, Colleen Barnes, and Bradley Shelver. Howe brings to the stage a contemporary work. Barnes and Shelver create a collaborative piece between the Joffrey Concert Group and UA dance students.

The Joffrey Concert Group will present “By Any Other Name”, choreographed by Clifford Williams. This work was commissioned through the Creative Movers Choreographic Initiative, a program that provides emerging choreographers with the resources and opportunity to create new work for the Joffrey Concert Group. “By Any Other Name” explores the ways we relabel, compartmentalize, and reinterpret our emotions, tucking them into neat boxes, tidy bows, restless cages, or convenient justifications. The piece invites audiences to consider the expansiveness of compassion and love beyond language and categorization. As Williams reflects, “Imagine a world where the possibilities for compassion and love are endless and regardless of what we call it… it still smells sweet.”

The Joffrey Concert Group will also present OOF, which will feature dancers from the University of Akron alongside Concert Group artists. OOF, which premiered in 2024 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, is a highly physical, energetic and musical work that dives into the world of playful frustration, missteps, embarrassment and “why did I do that” moments.

The UADC Spring 2026 Concert is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a stage agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. In addition, with support from the Kenneth Calhoun Charitable Trust.
  
Tickets are available at the door or online. Tickets for the Friday show can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0500643FF6F8D42A and tickets for the Saturday show can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0500643FFD83DEC8. Parking is available through The University of Akron by scanning the QR Code located at the entrance of the lots.