{"id":105477,"date":"2025-05-19T15:38:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T20:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=105477"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:05:09","slug":"photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOS: Danceworks 2025 interpreters explore energy, identity, societal pressure at Northwestern"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Frances Mack<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Danceworks 2025: \u201csignal::transfer\u201d was an interpretative dance performance held at Northwestern University\u2019s Louis Theater between March 14 and 16. Undergraduate and graduate students, along with professional dancers, acted as \u201cinterpreters\u201d for the show themes.<\/p>\n<p>According to Artistic Director Thomas DeFrantz, \u201csignal::transfer\u201d explored themes of energy exchange, identity formation, societal pressure and the role of social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think in the end, I wanted the show to remind us that our friends matter,\u201d DeFrantz said. \u201cThat we don&#8217;t think the same things, we don&#8217;t care about the same things \u2014 but we certainly live next to each other and we can hopefully thrive among each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Medill Reports was granted access to the final dress rehearsal of the show to capture glimpses of the interpreters at work.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105479\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105479\" style=\"width: 725px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105479 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"725\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_01.jpg 725w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_01-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105479\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mary Kate Tanselle stretches and warms up her muscles before the final dress rehearsal for Danceworks 2025: \u201csignal::transfer\u201d on March 13. Danceworks was an interpretative dance show at Northwestern University\u2019s Louis Theater. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105480\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105480\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105480 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_02-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_02-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_02-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105480\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tanselle (left) and Erin Soko (right) hold hands and tap out a rhythm in sync between dance numbers on Northwestern\u2019s Louis Theater stage. As \u201ctransfer agents,\u201d the pair came out before and after each dance to tap and silently interact, guiding the audience through the show and its themes. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105481\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105481\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105481 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_03-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_03-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_03-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dance interpreter arches her head back, hiding her face under a spotlight, during \u201cThe City of Others,\u201d the opening piece of \u201csignal::transfer.\u201d The piece, choreographed by Rafael Palacios, used Afro-Colombian dance to reflect on the complexities of cultural and identity-based othering and the sense of isolation it creates in cities. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105482\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105482\" style=\"width: 427px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105482 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_04-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_04-copy.jpg 427w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_04-copy-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student and professional dancers sit in chairs and dance at the final dress rehearsal. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105484\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105484\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105484 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_06-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_06-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_06-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105484\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cThe City of Others\u201d performers lift one interpreter over their heads as she thrashes and tries to escape just before the end of the piece. Throughout the piece, a spotlight singled out individual interpreters for evocative solos as the rest of the group continued dancing together synchronously. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105485\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105485\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105485 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_07-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_07-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_07-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left to right) Mariel Melendez, Palima Lukins and Lina Morhai stand poised in arabesques, center stage at the beginning of \u201cWho\u2019s in Charge,\u201d the second number of \u201csignal::transfer,\u201d during the dress rehearsal. Melendez, a second-year theater Ph.D. student, said audience members who have never experienced the ballet world may not fully grasp the message of the piece. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105486\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105486\" style=\"width: 427px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105486 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_08-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_08-copy.jpg 427w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_08-copy-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105486\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lukins, Melendez and Morhai stand in the center of the stage holding one another after performing an excerpt of the four little swans variation from \u201cSwan Lake.\u201d Throughout the piece, the interpreters seemed to be battling to stay in control, oscillating between traditional ballet and organic, free-flowing movements as the classical music was interrupted by bursts of a remix of Aretha Franklin\u2019s \u201cRespect.\u201d (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105492\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105492\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105492 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_09-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_09-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_09-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105492\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left to right) Michael Landez, Laila Spencer and Sarah Mininsohn use a selfie stick to hold up a phone sending images to a background projector while performing \u201cAt The End,\u201d the final piece of \u201csignal::transfer.\u201d According to choreographer Al Evangelista, the piece explored the concept of being tracked by technology and the harm excessive technology use can have. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105488\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105488\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105488 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_10-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_10-copy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_10-copy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105488\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cast, crew, choreographers and directors of Danceworks 2025: \u201csignal::transfer\u201d pose for a group photo on the Louis Theater stage after the final dress rehearsal on March 13. There were four performances of the show between March 14 and 16. (Frances Mack\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Frances Mack is a graduate journalism student at Medill, specializing in<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>health, environment and science. You can find her on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mackfrances\/\"><em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a><em> and contact her through email<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>at <\/em><a href=\"mailto:francesmack2025@u.northwestern.edu\"><em>francesmack2025@u.northwestern.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Frances Mack Medill Reports Danceworks 2025: \u201csignal::transfer\u201d was an interpretative dance performance held at Northwestern University\u2019s Louis Theater between March 14 and 16. Undergraduate and graduate students, along with professional dancers, acted as \u201cinterpreters\u201d for the show themes. According to Artistic Director Thomas DeFrantz, \u201csignal::transfer\u201d explored themes of energy exchange, identity formation, societal pressure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":995,"featured_media":105483,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,5251,5542,5493],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-chicago","category-msj25","category-spring-2025"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>PHOTOS: Danceworks 2025 interpreters explore energy, identity, societal pressure at Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PHOTOS: Danceworks 2025 interpreters explore energy, identity, societal pressure at Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Frances Mack Medill Reports Danceworks 2025: \u201csignal::transfer\u201d was an interpretative dance performance held at Northwestern University\u2019s Louis Theater between March 14 and 16. Undergraduate and graduate students, along with professional dancers, acted as \u201cinterpreters\u201d for the show themes. According to Artistic Director Thomas DeFrantz, \u201csignal::transfer\u201d explored themes of energy exchange, identity formation, societal pressure [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-19T20:38:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-01T22:05:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/Danceworks_Mack_05-copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"467\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"francesmack\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"francesmack\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"francesmack\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/506dd531e51bf5587f61f2bc74ebd2fe\"},\"headline\":\"PHOTOS: Danceworks 2025 interpreters explore energy, identity, societal pressure at Northwestern\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-19T20:38:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-01T22:05:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":691,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/photos-danceworks-2025-interpreters-explore-energy-identity-societal-pressure-at-northwestern\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3.amazonaws.com\\\/medill.wordpress.offload\\\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Danceworks_Mack_05-copy.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Arts &amp; 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Undergraduate and graduate students, along with professional dancers, acted as \u201cinterpreters\u201d for the show themes. 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