The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
<
strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
<
strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
<
strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
<
strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
<
strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host Restive Move s: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film & Mindfulness from April 3 0 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day.
The festival was conceived and cura ted by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of M OVE LAB. Developed in collaboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senio r majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Film & Media Studies\, it will be presented in the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researc hers\, students and community members to engage with dance and music as pa thways to creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience and cultu ral expression.
Restive Moves invites the UCI and wider Orange Count y communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfulness with soci al and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. F rom educators integrating balance and vitality practices\, to community me mbers readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry poin ts into a shared\, moving conversation.
Festival Sche dule
All events take place in the xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group of
10+\, senior and UCI affiliate $15
Student/youth $10
Package
of all four paid events $40 ($10 each)
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 p.m.<
/strong>
Breath\, Justice & Jazz: Restive Moves
A p
rogram in three parts: Restive Moves opens in shared reflection with a com
munity meditation led by Tina Orduno Calderon\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrie
lino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme and Chicana descent. She invites us into dee
per alignment with life\, land and one another. From that grounding\, the
evening lifts into Erin Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created i
n collaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO\, a
work that moves through air\, body and resistance in a call for environmen
tal justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the script\, ill uminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy of the LA Ja zz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of t heir own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register of style\, p resence and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performan ce Q&A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistant Professor of Urban P lanning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A scholar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Danc er and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organization that celebrate s and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annua l Earth Week programming. Central to his work is facilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creating space for communiti es to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Runnin
g Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
The Virtuo
sity of Play
Exploring the neuroscience of dopamine: movement
\, anticipation\, reward\, timing and risk in a dance between improvisatio
n\, music and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\, also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and choreographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Doug lass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Johnson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, sin gers and composers Bruno Cilloniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Q in and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Desi
gn)
Sorlie Reeves II (Lighting)
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Pr
oduction)
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding dancing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real and wide ly shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates powe rful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain states linked to mood\, motivation and wellbeing.
When we groove to a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpens our s ense of rhythm and prediction and fosters that liberating joy of play. Yet this liberating power comes with nuance. The same dopamine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral into addictions relen tless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schizophrenia. This neur ochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the perils of untamed plea sure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless par ticipant — and step into our living experiment. Feel dopamine’s wild orche stra in real time.
Saturda
y\, May 2 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Restore the Awe and Play:
Vital Renewal for Educators
Are you seeking professional devel
opment that not only supports your work as an educator\, but also restores
your energy\, creativity and sense of possibility?
Led by Robin Bra nch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this restorative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educators of all kinds to participate. Throu gh meditation\, movement\, mindfulness\, play and creative reflection\, pa rticipants will explore practices that open the way to increase sensory aw areness that supports the nervous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience and overal l vitality in both personal and professional life.
Virtual acces s available. Click here for the Zoom link.< /p>
Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Boundless I
maginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of bold con
trast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two striking halv
es in one experience. The first half features award-winning short films by
Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works includes Quil
an Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman & Davis’ We D
ance and Cyrian Reed’s Melanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\,
justice and speculative imagination.
The second half turns to a haun ting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lo la\, it follows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family histor y tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a gripping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to bu ried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension and fo rce.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&A moderated by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
In
termission: 15 min
Sunday\
, May 3 | 3–5 p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Gota wit
h Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open community dan
ce experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab session in
vites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditional Gota dan
ce-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy and shared j
oy. No prior dance experience is required — community members are warmly e
ncouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May 3 |
6:30 p.m.
Women Make Films That Dance!
Re
stive Moves closes with a spirited final program of award-winning screenda
nce\, emerging artists and a moving documentary\, all shaped by a strong t
hread of women’s creative vision. Playful\, embodied and deeply engaged wi
th the multi-generational performers\, urban and natural environments\, th
ese films explore the intersections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, pl
ace and care.
The program features Mama Dancers by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\ , a 50-minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celeb rated works by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and An a Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Ken dal Villa and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are als o the subjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scienti sts.
Post screening Q&A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Int
ermission: 20 min
A
bout S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance a
t the University of California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Inte
rnationally recognized for her work at the intersection of improvisation\,
embodied knowledge and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodi
ology®\, a research-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition
and breath as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities
\, artists and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect and thr
ive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.
The University of California\, Irvine will host \;Restive Moves: A Multimedia Festival — Dance\, Music\, Film &\; Mindfulness \;from April 30 to May 3\, 2026\, a four-day. \;
The festival was conceived and curated by Dr. S. Ama Wray\, Professor of Dance at UC Irvine and Director of MOVE LAB. Developed in col laboration with Nakya Solomon\, a UC Irvine senior majoring in Business Ec onomics with a minor in Film &\; Media Studies\, it will be presented i n the xMPL at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. \;
T he festival gathers artists\, educators\, scientific researchers\, student s \;and community members to engage with dance and music as pathways t o creativity\, courage\, wellness\, empathy\, resilience \;and cultura l expression.
Restive Moves \;invites the UCI and wider Orange County communities to experience dance\, music\, film and mindfuln ess with social and scientific insight as vital tools for restoration and connection. \;From educators integrating balance and vitality practice s\, to community members readying to dance together\, the festival offers multiple entry points into a shared\, moving conversation.
All events take place in th e xMPL.
Paid event ticket prices:
Full price: $20
Group \;of 10+\, senior \
;and UCI affiliate \;$15
Student/youth $10
Thursday\, April 30 | 7:30 \;
p.m.
Breath\, Justice &\; Jazz: Restive Moves
A program in three parts: \;Restive Moves ope
ns in shared reflection with a community meditation led by Tina Orduno Cal
deron\, a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva\, Chumash\, Yoeme \;and
Chicana descent. She invites \;us into deeper alignment with life\, la
nd \;and one another. From that grounding\, the evening lifts into Eri
n Cooney’s poetic documentary Aire Libre\, created in co
llaboration with Los Angeles activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO
\, a work that moves through air\, body \;and resistance in a call for
environmental justice.
In the second half\, the program flips the s cript\, illuminating the stage with the sleek power and cinematic energy o f the LA Jazz Dance Company from Hollywood. Here\, the dancers move in the light of their own fire\, shifting the evening into a bold new register o f style\, presence \;and performance.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A moderated by Dr. Dominic J. Bednar\, Assistan t Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine's School of S ocial Ecology\, where he directs the Just Energy Transformation Lab. A sch olar of energy justice and just energy transitions\, Dr. Bednar is also a Sonic Artist/DJ\, Dancer and Co-Founder of Black in Environment — an organ ization that celebrates and amplifies the work of Black environmentalists globally through annual Earth Week programming. Central to his work is fac ilitating the dreaming of energy and environmentally just futures\, creati ng space for communities to envision and co-build the equitable world they deserve.
Running Time: 1hr 30 min
Intermission: 15 min
Friday\, May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
Th
e Virtuosity of Play \;
Exploring the neuroscience of
dopamine: movement\, anticipation\, reward\, timing \;and risk in a dance between improvisation\, music \;and the audience.
Performance Architecture by S. Ama Wray with neuroscientist Amal Alachkar\ , also performing live. Collaborating as improvisers are dancers and chore ographers Challyce Brogdon\, Khilea Douglass\, Ongelle Johnson\, Anisa Joh nson and Violeta Lemoh\; musicians\, singers and \;composers Bruno Cil loniz\, Daniel Manoiu\, Vera Mackay\, Hayley Qin and Daniel Richardson and Kai Tregre.
Genesis Tanner (Scenic Design) \; \;
Sorlie
Reeves II (Lighting) \;
Lala Ukita and Violeta Zapeda (Production)&
nbsp\;
Have you ever noticed the collective anxiety surrounding danc ing? Does some of it live within you? These feelings are real \;and wi dely shared. Yet dance\, especially when amplified by music\, activates po werful neural systems. Dance and music can profoundly influence brain stat es linked to mood\, motivation \;and wellbeing.
When we groove t o a beat or improvise freely\, dopamine surges reward our efforts\, sharpe ns our sense of rhythm and prediction \;and fosters that liberating jo y of play. Yet this liberating \;power comes with nuance. The same dop amine pathways that heal through connection and pleasure can also spiral i nto addictions relentless hunger or fracture into dissonant chords of schi zophrenia. This neurochemical paradox promises ecstatic freedom and the pe rils of untamed pleasure.
So\, come to Virtuosity of Play — as spectator or fearless participant — and step into our living experimen t. Feel dopamine’s wild orchestra in real time.
Restore the Awe and Play: Vital Renewal for Educators
Ar
e you seeking professional development that not only supports your work as
an educator\, but also restores your energy\, creativity \;and sense
of possibility?
Led by Robin Branch-Scott and S. Ama Wray\, this res torative workshop especially welcomes K–12 educators while inviting educat ors of all kinds to participate. Through meditation\, movement\, mindfulne ss\, play \;and creative reflection\, participants will explore practi ces that open the way to increase sensory awareness that supports the nerv ous system’s regulation. The session offers practical tools to take away\, supporting buoyancy\, resilience \;and overall vitality in both perso nal and professional life.
Virtual access available. Click here for the Zoom link.
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strong>Saturday\, May 2 | 7:30 \;p.m.
Boundles
s Imaginaries — Buried Inheritances
A restive evening of
bold contrast and cinematic power\, this program brings together two strik
ing halves in one experience. The first half features award-winning short
films by Black artists centering Black life. The choreo-poetic works inclu
des Quilan Arnold’s Lowlyfe\, Jade Robertson’s Gold Sphere\, Wideman &\; Davis’ We Dance \;and Cyrian Reed’s M
elanin Vibes exploring migration\, spirituality\, justice and specula
tive imagination.
The second half turns to a haunting documentary by Darshan Singh Bhuller\, Das Modell\, The Dancer and Lola\, it fo llows a white male dancer as he confronts a hidden family history tied to Hitler’s regime. The film opens questions of whiteness\, legacy \;and the afterlife of history in the body. Together\, these works create a grip ping evening of film that moves from boundless Black imaginaries to buried white ancestry\, all with beauty\, choreographic wit\, tension \;and force.
The audience is invited to a post-performance Q&\;A modera ted by Dr. Dasha Chapman\, UC Santa Barbara.
Running Time: 1hr 30 mi
n
Intermission: 15 min
Sunday\, May 3 |&n
bsp\;3–5 \;p.m.
MOVE Lab – Community Dance Got
a with Nani Agbeli
The festival culminates in an open com
munity dance experience led by renowned artist Nani Agbeli. This MOVE Lab
session invites participants of all ages and backgrounds into a traditiona
l Gota dance-drumming practice\, emphasizing rhythm\, collective energy&nb
sp\;and shared joy. No prior dance experience is required — community memb
ers are warmly encouraged to attend and move together.
Sunday\, May
3 | 6:30 \;p.m. \;
Women Make Films That D
ance!
Restive Moves closes with a spirited final
program of award-winning screendance\, emerging artists \;and a movin
g documentary\, all shaped by a strong thread of women’s creative vision.
Playful\, embodied \;and deeply engaged with the multi-generational pe
rformers\, urban and natural environments\, these films explore the inters
ections of choreography\, poetry\, cinema\, place \;and care.
Th e program features Mama Dancers \;by Dr. Jingqiu Guan\, a 50- minute documentary exploring dance and motherhood\, alongside celebrated w orks by Charlotte Griffin\, Ariyan Johnson\, Meena Murugesan and Ana Maria Alvarez. The evening also introduces emerging dance filmmakers Kendal Vil la and Kasi Kirkpatrick\, featuring UC Irvine dancers. They are also the s ubjects in a documentary about ARCHAEA\, co-choregraphed by Cyrian Reed\, S. Ama Wray\, in dialogue with biological and environmental scientists.
Post screening Q&\;A with artists
Running Time: 2hrs
Inter
mission: 20 min
Buy Tickets \;<
strong>Buy Package
About S. Ama Wray
Dr. S. Ama Wray is a Professor of Dance at the University of
California\, Irvine and the Director of MOVE Lab. Internationally recogniz
ed for her work at the intersection of improvisation\, embodied knowledge&
nbsp\;and social healing\, Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology®\, a res
earch-based methodology that centers polyrhythm\, intuition \;and brea
th as forms of embodied intelligence. Her work engages communities\, artis
ts \;and institutions in re-imagining how we learn\, connect \;and
thrive through this time of compounded change and social disruption.