Movement and Dance (MAD) Weekend returns to Nazareth University

The 14th annual Movement and Dance (MAD) Weekend festival returns to Nazareth University from Jan. 22-25. This event hosts 25+ dance-related events, including movement-based workshops, film screenings, discussion panels, informal performance opportunities (able to view and participate in), and live performances. Movement-based workshops hosted by the Nazareth Dance Organization and taught by guest artists, faculty, and alumni, start on Thursday, Jan. 22, and continue through Sunday, Jan. 25. Boston Dance Theater company will perform at Nazareth in Callahan Theater on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the Boston Dance Theater company are available through the Nazareth Arts Center box office. 

On Saturday, Jan. 24, Framing Ménerbes, a film by New York City artist Daniel Gwirtzman, will make its Rochester premiere at 5:30 p.m. in the Shults Center Forum. The Forum doors open at 5 p.m. The screening is followed by a conversation between the filmmaker, a Rochester native, and the audience. The night culminates with a community mixer/meet and greet with the MAD artists from 7-8:30 p.m. See more details below. 

The MAD Artists’ Showcase, featuring choreography from regional, Massachusetts-, Colorado-, Atlanta-, and NYC-based guest artists (including some Nazareth University alumni), will be held on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m., in Callahan Theater - tickets will be sold at the door (CASH ONLY). 

Go to naz.edu/MAD for more information. 

 

PEFORMANCES:
Boston Dance Theater will perform Strong Women on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Callahan Theater. BDT co-artistic director, Jessie Jeanne Stinnet, describes the performance as: “A playlist of some of the hottest female choreographers in the US today.” 

Since its inception, Boston Dance Theater has maintained a deep commitment to amplifying the voices of strong female choreographers of color. Strong Women is an evening of short works that the company commissioned from renowned choreographers Sidra Bell, Rena Butler, Rosie Herrera, Micaela Taylor, and Yue Yin.

Tickets: $15 general admission; Students with an ID, $10 and Nazareth students $5. Nazareth faculty get a 50% discount.

The MAD Artists’ showcase on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m. in Callahan Theater features work from guest artists Jon Lehrer Dance Company, BodyStories (Teresa Fellion), Catching Mangoes (Jacquelyn Pritz), Zehnder Dance (Sarah Zehnder), 32nd Pack Dance Company (’21 Naz alumni Rachel Daly and Caroline Sherwood), Marisa Ballaro, Nancy Hughes, and Mayhem Dance (Caitlin Mahon). 

Tickets: CASH ONLY - $10 cash at the door; $5 student tickets with Nazareth ID. 

 

WORKSHOPS: 
Movement-based workshops begin on Thursday, Jan. 22, and run through Sunday, Jan. 25.

Tickets: Classes are $5 ($3 with College Student ID), CASH ONLY at the door. 

This year’s festival will offer nearly 30 different classes and events taught by dance educators, artists, industry professionals, and choreographers. These movement-based workshops are open to Nazareth students and community members ages 15+. If participants are under 18, a parent must sign a waiver before participation. Classes include several forms of dance: modern, musical theatre, ballet, contemporary, jazz, pilates, and company repertoire. 

During MAD Weekend 2026, we are introducing a mixer for the students, faculty, community members, and artists participating in the weekend! The mixer will take place in the Shults Center reading lounge (outside the Forum). Food and beverages provided. Date and Time: Jan. 24, 7-8:30 p.m. 

 

SCREENING:
On Saturday, Jan. 24, Framing Ménerbes, a dance film shot in France, makes its Rochester premiere at 5:30 p.m. in the Shults Center Forum. Doors open at 5 p.m. The screening is followed by a conversation between the filmmaker, a Rochester native, and the audience.

“Framing Ménerbes frames a stunning village in Provence, its natural beauty of far-reaching vistas, mountains, vineyards, and the light for which it is known, taken in through the prism of choreographer, filmmaker, and dancer Daniel Gwirtzman, celebrating thirty years as a New York City artist in 2025. The film combines the vicarious excitement of a travelogue with a documentary-like portrait of an artist’s creative process, immersing the viewer in the picturesque landscapes and charming architecture. Daniel shot the film, capturing the dancer who had been with him the longest, himself. A dozen participants from the region joined as performers in this feature-length film celebrating the beauty of natural phenomenon, and the body's natural ways of moving” (Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company). 

Tickets: For the film screening, Daniel Gwirtzman is using Eventbrite for presale tickets. Access the Eventbrite link on naz.edu/MAD to purchase tickets in advance. Cash only tickets will also be sold at the door based on availability. Students must have ID to get discounted admission.

Use the Nazareth University map for directions to the event. 

 

 

Contact Heather Roffe: hroffe4@naz.edu

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2025 December
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