New Faculty Carlo Antonio Villanueva Introduces Dance Students to His Ever-Dancing World

Joining the University of Minnesota Theatre Arts & Dance community, Carlo Antonio Villanueva brings new teachings to Dance students and faculty. Using his talents to travel around the world and perform for various communities, Carlo plans to teach technique(s) and composition to aspiring Dancers. We took the time to ask Carlo a few questions about his background, thoughts behind his passion for dance, and what he brings to the table in terms of artistry. We cannot wait to introduce you to our new Dance faculty member!

What does dance mean to you; what inspired you to be in the world of dance?

“Dance ethnographer Deidre Sklar wrote, 'Movement knowledge is intertwined with other forms of cultural knowledge.' Our worlds are already always in motion, always dancing. We are also always in performance so long as we are with each other as witnesses. I stay committed to movement and performance because they are base conditions of the human experience, and the field of dance houses both naturally.”                      

You have worked with so many amazing artists, including our visiting artist Jordan Demetrius Lloyd. What are you most excited about in his upcoming "REACH" performance with the University of Minnesota Dance Theater?

“From working directly with him on his piece NEIGHBORS (2019) and from following his performing and making, I know deeply that Jordan's questions about form and composition are aesthetic, persistent, and fun. To be honest, I know nothing about what Jordan has in store for us this Fall, but I look forward to his visit and what we can all learn together with and from him.”

Both theatre arts and dance are collaborative art forms. You've mentioned in the past that you enjoy "making interdisciplinary messes" that involve "convulsions" and "bodily grotesqueness". What does that look like for UMTAD students?

"'Making interdisciplinary messes' speaks for itself---it means interrupting the solo rhythms of our separate disciplines and getting in a room together to devise new ways of trying, failing, and learning. Messes are inconvenient, especially in the busy-ness of our fast-paced world, but I value them as natural prompts. Once a mess is made, will we clean? Fall? Make more mess? Let go? Recover? Accept? Redirect? In order to do that, we have to build bridges between the Barker, Rarig, and the university beyond---socially, creatively, and maybe literally---in our curricula and stage productions so we can actually cross-pollinate and get to work. I think that's a tall order for students to do on their own; they need faculty and staff to vision and manifest such growth. As for 'convulsions' and 'grotesqueness', consider it a metaphor for now. What does an unruly body do?”

Can you tell us more about your upcoming performance with Christopher Williams Dance in New York?

“Yes. I am currently in technical rehearsals for choreographer Christopher Williams for a program that world premieres two dances at Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City, from October 12 to 15. Over the years, I have performed in several of Christopher's contemporary queer retellings of Western classical dances. What I find most useful in working with him is the opportunity to engage performance as research. How are rehearsals structured? How does one ready the body? What changes when a dance meets an audience? I am grateful for the possibility to ask these questions and more IN PRACTICE and not just theoretically. I look forward to restaging/reconfiguring this research in the studio, classroom, and choreographic process with my students at Theatre Arts & Dance.”

Carlo is pictured dancing in choreographer Christopher Williams' 'Jeux' (2023), photographed by Steven Pisano. Read the review of Jeux in the New York Times.

We look forward to having Carlo join Theatre Arts & Dance here at the University of Minnesota and cannot wait to see the positive impact he will make on our community of artists. Welcome, Carlo!