KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 6, 2026

This October, Kennesaw State University’s Department of Dance was asked to collaborate with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for two concerts as a part of their 2026 Family Concert Series, “Halloween, Hogwarts & More.”

This fall, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra reached out to Marsha Barsky, Professor and Chair of the Department of Dance, to invite the department for their first ever collaboration with ASO. The collaboration was performed on two nights by a group of five undergraduate student dancers selected to represent KSU dance, and two choreographies from Assistant Professor of Dance Autumn Eckman and Associate Professor of Dance McCree O'Kelley. The group included KSU student dancers Sydney Walker, Mia Styles, Isabella Daniel, Hannah Mary Moulton and Roksolana Behen.

The two pieces - one choreographed for Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours and the other to Midsummer Night's Dream - were performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the “Halloween, Hogwarts & More" concert on October 11th at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre and on October 25th at Atlanta Symphony Hall.

The choreographers and dancers noted how smoothly rehearsals went, attributing the success to the team's congeniality and dedication. "This group [of performers] worked wonderfully together," Eckman celebrated. "The dancers shined."

"My fellow dancers, Mia Styles, and Isabella Daniel, and I rehearsed every Friday morning with KSU Assistant Professor and Artistic Director Autumn Eckman," dancer Sydney Walker describes. "The choreography incorporated many modern dance elements with storytelling and theatrical surprises. This process allowed me to explore different aspects of myself as a performer and improve my artistic ability!"

Walker is a senior in the Department of Dance with a concentration in modern dance. She has participated in KSU's summer study program in New York and has performed Phoebe Jewitt's Saltwater in her 2026 choreographic residency. "I was initially drawn to the program due to the range of versatility that this department has to offer. I feel that this department has given me the opportunity to explore different movement styles and learn from professors that offer a high level of professionalism in the dance community," she explains. Walker says that her performance representing KSU for the ASO collaboration was an experience she'll never forget, noting the professionalism and artistry of the musicians and the palpable connection between performers and audience.

"I was so inspired by the passion and dedication that each member poured into the performance, and that is something that I hope to bring into my own craft."

The Department of Dance's next performance will be KSU's heavily anticipated fall season dance concert, titled "Viewpoints", which will feature both ballet and modern concentrations and a team of faculty choreographers.  

Eckman looks forward to how each choreographer's experiences will speak through the concert's three performances. "Each choreographer has a distinct voice; how they use space and physical elements, time, and language... A lens by which each choreographer creates through." 

The department will premiere Viewpoints, on November 12-14, 2026. 
 

Read more about Viewpoints here.

~Story by Cai Burks

~Photography by Livia Stetson