Interconnected: A Dance Festival of Bodies, Technology, and Shared Space

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Dance Department, Omari Carter and Bradford Chin present “Interconnected: A Dance Festival of Bodies, Technology, and Shared Space,” a two-day pop-up festival taking place on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, 2026, inside the historic Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue, Madison, WI.

Curated to highlight the creative research of Assistant Professors Omari Carter and Bradford Chin, the festival celebrates the interconnectivity of dance by weaving together diverse movement traditions, digital mediums, and collaborative live performances.

Visitors can explore digital works, tactile screendance installations, and live choreographic showcases unfolding across multiple spaces in Lathrop Hall. Installations and site-specific works are scheduled with repeating schedules so that attendees can curate their unique path through the building. Theater performances include a mix of live dance and screendance. 

After the final installation circuit, the festival will close with a lively reception in the Virginia Harrison Parlor within Lathrop Hall, featuring a specially curated World Music DJ set, mixed by Omari Carter.

Installations Circuits will include:

• “Afon 11 / River 11”: A dual-screen installation by Omari Carter exploring site-responsive body percussion along the River Cych in Wales.
• “Our Vibes: A Vibrotactile Screening Installation”: An immersive, body percussion infused, screendance installation by Omari Carter, featuring a 12′ x 12′ vibrating viewing platform built in collaboration with the UW–Madison College of Engineering’s Design Lab.
• “Falling Up Stairs” by Liz Sexe is a site-specific performance that weaves through historic Lathrop Hall, performed at the closing and the re-opening of the Madison Municipal building 2016-2018. 
• A selection of films by disabled movement and visual artists curated by Bradford Chin and Unfolding Disability Futures (Chicago).

Theater Performances will include:

• Live performance works by Bradford Chin and Madison-based dance artists.
• A screendance curation by Omari Carter that includes:

1. “The Great Spoon Escape” a screendance by Omari Carter that encapsulates the dance within the everyday. 
2. “Anywhere is a Dancefloor,” a film produced by Motion Dance Collective in association with River Rea Films, that celebrates the creativity, resilience, and fierce spirit of Birmingham’s (UK) LGBTQ+ nightlife community. 
3. “HOMESCAPE,” a film by Pablo Córdoba in association with Migration Dance Film Project. This mini-documentary takes us through behind-the-scenes of the creation of the short-film “OFFERING.”
4. “OFFERING.” by Migration Dance Film Project, uses the power of procession in Montreal and articulates the spatial array of stillness and movement through body music.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Special instructions will be sent to ticket buyers. Wristbands and maps will be distributed at the event to help patrons navigate the installations. There will be a sign-up for the “Our Vibes” installation to book a 15-minute timeslot. Separate electronic tickets for the theater performances will be required to enter the theater, and RSVPs will be required to attend the closing reception to maintain a safe building capacity. Note that the “Our Vibes” installation is not suitable for those who:

• Have a history of epilepsy or seizures
• Have heart conditions or a pacemaker
• Are pregnant
• Have joint, back, or musculoskeletal injuries
• Experience vertigo, balance disorders, or motion sensitivity
• Are sensitive to strong physical or sensory stimulation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This concert is presented and produced by the Dance Department and is supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Chancellor’s Fund and the School of Education. In the image at the top of this page, photos of Bradford Chin (left) and Omari Carter (right) were taken by Hannah Byma. Other images include Omari Carter’s “Our Vibes,” taken by Mariah Moneda, and film still of “Anywhere is a Dancefloor,” images of “To be far and close” by Bradford Chin, photo by Matt Griffo; images of Omari Carter’s “Our Vibes,” taken by Mariah Moneda, Sandy Silva’s “Offering” courtesy of Migration Dance Film Project, and film still of Omari Carter’s “The Great Spoon Escape.”