The Haruka Weiser Memorial Commission celebrates the life and art of Haruka Weiser. This commission has been made possible through the Haruka Weiser Endowed Excellence Fund in Choreography, an endowment created by students, alumni and friends to honor her in perpetuity. This annual commission brings dance artists from around the world to campus to create a new work of dance art in honor of Haruka.
Haruka Weiser was a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin at the time of her death in 2016.
Rennie Harris; Resurrection (Transcendence, 2018)
"The definition of resurrection: the act of. being raised from the dead or the act of bringing to view, attention or to use again. In thinking about the cycle of life and how we all often forget that this life is but one part of our spiritual journey, this excerpt of an evening-length work I am currently creating on The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is about experiencing the moment - to life and remember the lives before and after you...to keep resurrecting their memory, their spirits again and again. It is a hip-hop dance theatre work inspired by recent loss - my mother, my mentor, Baba Chuck Davis, and of course Haruka Weiser (who makes me think of my eldest daughter, also of part Japanese descent). The movement is informed by a variety of street dance styles as well as butoh. It is also a social and political statement about becoming like the living dead - conforming socially, politically and religiously without even realizing it; it's about staying true to one's self when the pressure to comply and conform is ever present."
Rennie Harris
LEARN MORE ABOUT TRANSCENDENCE (2018)
Charles O. Anderson; Idọ̀bálẹ̀ (Fortitude, 2019)
"Remembering Haruka...She has been gone longer than I actually knew her...but she is indelibly etched into my memory. Every time we bring back an old memory, we run the risk of changing it. It's more like opening a document on a computer - the old information enters a surprisingly vulnerable state when it can be edited, overwritten or even deleted. It takes a while for the memory to become strengthened anew through a process called reconsolidation. Memories aren't just created once, but every time we remember them. This spring (2019), Haruka Weiser would have graduated from our dance program. This piece is my humble attempt to offer her a ceremony to mark that occasion. Idọ̀bálẹ̀ is the Yoruba concept of showing respect upon greeting and leaving. It reflects a cyclical process and reverence for life and death. I chose this title in dedication to Haruka and her classmates. We often think of showing respect to our elders, but since Haruka's untimely passing, I have been confronted with the passing of so many young people and have taken strength and inspiration from the resiliency and bravery of their peers."
Charles O. Anderson, former Head of Dance (UT Austin)
Ido Tadmor; Live as ONE (Emerge, 2023)
Ido Tadmor is a world-renowned Israeli dancer/choreographer who danced with acclaimed international companies the Bolshoi Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, among others. He is the former artistic director of The Israel Ballet and is the Presidential Fellow in Dance at Chapman University. Tadmor was the 2011 winner of the highly respected Landau Prize in Israel for life achievement, as well as the lead judge on So You Think You Can Dance Israel and a guest choreographer on Dancing with the Stars Israel. For four decades, Tadmor has represented the State of Israel around the world as the Ambassador of Dance of Israel.
Jennifer Archibald; Quiet Echoes (Points of Intersection, 2024)
Jennifer Archibald is the founder and artistic director of the Arch Dance Company and program director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives. Archibald has choreographed for Atlanta Ballet, Ailey II, Ballet West, Ballet and Tulsa Ballet and has worked commercially for the Los Angeles KCON conferences, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and MAC Cosmetics as well as chart-listed singers and actors.
She was appointed as the first female resident choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet's 40-year history. This season, she will create works for BalletMet, Smuin Contemporary Ballet and The Washington Ballet. She is currently an acting lecturer at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University and will be the contemporary guest choreographer for Jacob's Pillow.
Meredith Rainey; Ode to Cicadas (Cyphers, 2024)
Meredith Rainey, a pioneering dancer and choreographer, began his ballet journey in Fort Lauderdale, later becoming the first African American dancer at Milwaukee Ballet. He performed with Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. His choreography has been commissioned by companies worldwide, including Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Philadelphia Ballet. A recipient of prestigious grants and awards, and holding an M.F.A., Rainey is also a sought-after instructor, inspiring the next generation of artists.
Haruka Weiser Endowed Excellence Fund in Choreography
Funds distributed from the endowment will support new choreographic work and dance initiatives in celebration of Haruka Weiser's life. Support may include, by way of example and not limitation, choreography commissions, fees for guest artists to teach and rehearse new works and expenses related to production of the works and their preservation.