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Show Description

Have you touched the sand? dives into the question it presents, unraveling what it means to truly grasp something—fully, viscerally, and without turning away. Created by Moo, a sibling choreographic duo, and performed by local Kansas City dancers, this contemporary dance world premiere explores the idea of deeply understanding something in a tangible way—and how one moves forward from that moment of realization. How does someone continue on after they’ve touched the sand?
The work explores the tension between not having touched it—and what that absence does to you—and the quiet shift that happens when you finally do. Maybe it’s a sudden impact. Maybe it’s the subtle moment you find yourself in a different place than you were before, not even realizing when it changed.
This piece is a quiet urging to return—to notice where you are, where you’ve been, and the care it takes to be present with a thought before it unravels into an answer. Moo invites you into a space where meaning reveals itself at different speeds—sometimes slow, sometimes all at once. Touching the sand is not arrival—it’s recognition. The kind that settles into you before you even know it’s there.

Dancers:

Alexandra Smith, Jaeden Johnson, Liat Roth, Ashleah England, Sarah McGuyer, Clara Houske, Regina Lombardo

Choreographers:
Kaitlyn & Troy Gardner, aka Moo

Kaitlyn and Troy Gardner are a sister and brother duo who grew up in Tucson AZ with similar backgrounds in dance. They were both brought to Kansas City MO to pursue a BFA in Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Kaitlyn, the oldest, moves to create instances, feelings and curiosity. She graduated from UMKC in 2019 and has danced in the local Kansas City dance scene for companies and choreographers such as Tristian Griffin Dance Company, Wylliams Henry Contemporary, Haley Kostas, Alexis Borth, Olivia Emert and Caroline Dahm. She has also performed works by Chad Michael Hall, Lauren Edson, Cameron McKinney, Kirven Boyd, Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, and Christian Denice. Kaitlyn has created professionally for Charlotte Street’s Scratch Night in 2023, Tristian Griffin Dance Company’s Mosaic performance in 2022, as well as created group and solo work for Lawrence Arts Center and solos for UMKC Conservatory graduating seniors since 2020. Troy, younger, is currently a student at UMKC’s conservatory where he will graduate with a BFA in dance and choreography in the Spring of 2025. He has furthered his training with Alonzo King Lines Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Troy has performed works by Gregory Dawson, Gary Abbott, Jae Man Joo, and Caroline Dahm to name a few. They come together to listen to each others knowledge, opinions and concerns as they collaborate on the same story through the art form of dance. Using their combined life experiences they hope to create art that evokes empathy and wonder. They are excited to create together, as they love to dig deep into dance and movement to decipher what is being interpreted at all points within the creation process.

Cast and Crew

Kaitlyn Gardner, Troy Gardner, Alexandra Smith, Jaeden Johnson, Liat Roth, Ashleah England, Sarah McGuyer, Clara Houske, Regina Lombardo, Ryan Bruce