2023
Provo Tribune – Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company Brings Professional Dance to Utah Valley
“With the arts scene growing in Utah County so much in recent years, we boldly suggest that if you haven’t seen what’s going on in the professional dance scene in Utah County yet, you’re missing a big part of the growth occurring in our community!”
Daily Universe – BYU alumna premieres short dance film about complexity of her faith
Heaton said she felt a great desire to reach out and connect with other faiths while working on this piece. The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts residency program in New York gave her the opportunity to spend time with New York dancers with diverse faith backgrounds.
Emily Larsen Doxford, director of communications and marketing for the center, said it is not affiliated with the Church, but it seeks to collaborate with Church programs and be a resource for Latter-day Saint affiliated artists.
“The mission is to explore the intersection of divine creativity and cultural relevance,” she said.
Lehi Free Press – Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company performs fall concert at Orem Library Hall
“At Wasatch Contemporary Dance, we believe strongly in the power of dance to educate, unite and inspire compassion and creativity. As the company’s founder and artistic director, I have made it my mission over the last 13 years to curate unique views, socially and emotionally important topics, and uplifting art that can inspire the community. I love to see a theater full of strangers who come together to celebrate our mutual humanity through the art form of dance. Bringing people together is the most gratifying part of my job,” said Heaton.
Keep an eye out for details about the company’s next concert, which they will perform in Lehi this coming April.
Canvas Rebel Interview with Jessica Heaton
The greatest unexpected problem I’ve faced on the creative pathway is that most of my job is not creative! There’s a lot of administrative work that has to be done to make my creative journey even possible. These things include scheduling, contracts, grant writing, paperwork, trainings, and more. At times, I have really resented all the administrative work required of me to make art possible for myself and for the others on my dance company, but as I’ve gotten more practiced at the administration, I’ve actually found that I do enjoy it…
2021
City Weekly - Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company explores a presentation for both in-person and virtual audiences
As performing arts companies begin exploring ways to bring live audiences back to shows, they’re not forgetting the necessary innovations that were part of the pandemic. For Utah County-based Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, that means creating a production that can work as both a site-specific in-person event and as a virtual presentation for those who want or need to watch from home.
2019
Journal of Dance Education -A Collective of Four Cases Illustrating How Educational Partnerships Help Sustain Regional U.S. Nonprofit Dance Companies
As a result of decades-long dwindling arts funding sources, U.S. nonprofit dance companies struggle to emerge and be sustained. However, mutually beneficial relationships are often developed between nonprofit dance companies and educational institutions such as K–12 schools, universities, and private studios. These relationships enhance students’ education through experiences with dance companies, and companies are, in turn, supported and, in some cases, sustained by these institutions…
2017
loveDANCEmore - Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company: Blue Skies
Blue Skies was an immersive dance experience. Before entering the social hall, we were treated to a playful duet, “Hold Please,” featuring two mischievous ushers dancing in the ticket booth. The duet was a fantastic way to introduce the audience to an interactive show, and took every opportunity to explore and make full use of the unconventional dance space… Overall, the dancers’ technique and performance skills were superbly articulate and joyfully evocative, and the choreography meticulously and clearly crafted with the jazz-era theme in mind.
The Spectrum - Creativity unbound at choreography showcase
Angela Green’s piece, “Aloft”, from WCDC’s most recent performance, was chosen to be presented at the Red Rock Dance Festival in St. George, UT. This is what the photographer of the event had to say of her piece.
My favorite dance was “Aloft,” choreographed by Angela Green. In the program, Green writes that the dance was inspired by her imaginative father, who taught her to find joy in the journey and delight in the beauty surrounding us. I most definitely delighted in the beauty of her 10-minute piece, which incorporated a number of large balloons. It was almost dreamlike as the dancers interacted with the glowing blue orbs that floated across the stage.
2016
The Daily Universe - Wasatch Contemporary lets graduates dance again
Jessie Heaton thought her days of performance dance were over when she graduated from BYU. But while her husband was finishing his degree she decided to fill the void by starting Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company.
“It was depressing, thinking about life without dance,” Heaton said. “I wanted to make something that would give myself and other dancers in Utah County a chance to continue dancing.”…
2014
Daily Herald - Wasatch Contemporary Dance: Dancing Through Life
It isn’t just the younger generations excelling at and in need of opportunities to develop their talents when it comes to dance. From ballroom to contemporary, tap to jazz, ballet and lyrical artists of all ages are flooding the area, and in need of opportunities for growth.
It’s that need that spurred the creation of the Wasatch Contemporary Dance, according to the company’s artistic director, Jessica Heaton.
“I always wanted to start a dance company,” Heaton said. “I didn’t think I’d do it in Utah but realized there’s real need here. There is a huge pool of dancers…
2013
City Weekly - Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company
When you look at the dance community over the past few years, you can see a steady growth in the performers, but not so much in the companies. — I’m not saying that the companies we currently have aren’t awesome (well, maybe not so much the one that keeps doing Thriller every year until 2055), but the expansion of smaller productions hasn’t seen a lot of action over the past 10 years, causing some to look at what can be done to support the ever-growing number of performers on the way.
In Utah County, the Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company has been hard at work bringing out original works with the help of local performers to create independent productions and bring more dance to Provo. The company has been running strong for over three years…
