Kendal Villa '26 Showcases Feminine Autonomy Through Dance Film

Medici Circle Scholar Kendal Villa and ¿Te Tiento?

By Gamy Cortes

Kendal Villa ’26 remembers the moment dance became her calling. While at a competition, surrounded by grand sets, skilled dancers and performers, something clicked.

“I wanted to bring stories to life,” said Villa.

Spectacle wasn’t the only alluring aspect. During middle school and high school, Villa discovered dance as an outlet for struggles she couldn’t otherwise express. Through that, she was able to connect with other artists. That connection between personal expression and networking would become a foundation in her aspirations.

“I am always going to be a student, no matter how old I get,” said Villa.

She is now pursuing a dual B.F.A. in dance performance and choreography at UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts, where she has expanded her artistic vision beyond the stage. As president and founder of Jazz Co-lab, secretary of Strut UCI and a member of Bare Bones Dance Theatre’s outreach committee, Villa cuts her time between creating and teaching. Yet it’s in the intersection of dance and film where Villa has found the most compelling medium.

Funding for Artistic Compensation

Founded in 2004, the Medici Circle Scholarship supports academic growth and broadens the creative development of its recipients by awarding funding to each Medici Scholar for their specific projects. This unique scholarship program takes education beyond the classroom, allowing scholars to reach their creative and professional goals. Through this scholarship, sponsored by Susan Hori, alongside the guidance of professor S. Ama Wray, Villa was not only able to choreograph and direct her dance film ¿Te Tiento?, but also exercised a principle that would guide the rest of her career: artists deserve compensation for their work.

“As a performing artist, I have been in situations where my participation in professional work was merely reciprocated through credit or a meal,” said Villa.

Outside of Villa’s work experience, this commitment to valuing labor was also driven by her mother’s experiences. When Villa’s mother was laid off after working for the same company her whole career — commuting laboriously from Cypress to Santa Monica — Villa became aware of how often workers are underappreciated. Villa’s mother later confided to her that she felt she’d lost her purpose. Villa insisted this was untrue.

“My mother is a diligent, independent woman who advocates for herself and others, attributes I admire,” said Villa.

That admiration would later shape not only Villa’s ethics as a choreographer and director, but the emotional narrative of ¿Te Tiento? itself.

Image: Behind-the-scenes photography from ¿Te Tiento?. Photo by Alexandra Gonzales and Zoe Tiller.

Ordinary Moments Inspiring Artistic Movement

Her faculty mentor, Dr. S Ama Wray, invoked guidance and discussions on cultivating impactful messages. 

“I will continue to move through life staying true to my values and creativity,” said Villa.

The ordinary moments of her life — like lingering on a song or finding inspiration in the landscape while driving — often become the jumping off point for her more complex choreographic ideas.

“There are fun ways that you can take life and experiment with movement,” said Villa. 

This approach carried directly into the beginning stages of ¿Te Tiento? — which roughly translates to, “Do I tempt you?” After listening to Sophie Castillo’s song, “Call Me By Your Name,” Villa was captivated not only by the music but by Castillo’s lived confidence and self-possession. Villa workshopped a piece for her Choreography II course, and months later, when the Medici Circle scholarship opportunity arose, Villa recognized the chance to expand that initial study of feminine autonomy into a fully realized film.

“I wanted to represent the sensual and natural foundation of femininity,” said Villa. “Articulating the strength and resilience of an individual’s right to have their presence be known and sexuality freely expressed.”

Image: Behind-the-scenes photography from ¿Te Tiento?. Photo by Alexandra Gonzales and Zoe Tiller.

Dancing with Company

To realize that vision on screen, Villa was attentive to the relationship between choreography and cinematography.

“Bridging terminology with my producer, Makiko Donville, and director of photography Sofie Verweyen, was important,” said Villa. “So that we can have open collaboration and more time to expand on the vision that we wanted to share for the screen.”

The choreographic relationship between the two dancers (Alexa Guerrero, Eden Morse) draws from Villa’s own social dancing experiences. Villa incorporated movements reminiscent of bachata and salsa, dances she grew up enjoying with her large Latinx family. Villa also thought of moments when she is out with a group of friends, where movement is found through playful improvisations of feeling the music. 

“We are just trying to find the groove,” said Villa. “That confidence largely emanates from my chest and hips.”

That same inviting energy, sultry yet grounded in self-possession, is infused in ¿Te Tiento? The dancers find their way to confidence and harmony, eventually asserting their power and sensuality, which Villa claims there is a distinction to be made. She recalls advice from training with her heels mentor, Melissa Westlake.

“Your beauty and confidence should not come from putting on a performance for someone else,” said Melissa. “Sensuality is not sexuality. It should showcase your confidence and your true self.”

Villa submitted ¿Te Tiento? to seven festivals, with official selections from Cyprus International Film Festival’s Golden Aphrodite Awards in Nicosia and the LA Femme International Film Festival in Beverly Hills. She’s awaiting responses from three others. Using all the Medici funds, she managed to compensate every cast and crew member, cover festival submission fees, and was able to hold a private screening premiere to commemorate the dedication and love put into this piece by her all female cast and crew.

Image: ¿Te Tiento? poster, courtesy of Kendal Villa.

What’s Next?

Villa then looks forward to her senior thesis from May 29-30, 2026. This work will consist of live music and dance to honor the influences of jazz and cultural music from her grandparents as a means of expressing the joy and experience of improvisation that has impacted her livelihood. 

She is also in the process of choreographing a new dance film with her sister and two trusted friends, as well as a contemporary fusion piece for the upcoming UCI Dance undergraduate performance, Physical Graffiti. This show will run from April 30 through May 2, 2026.

Kendal will be graduating this upcoming Spring with two B.F.A.'s in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Innovation in Entrepreneurship. In the summer, she plans to attend the American Dance Festival Summer Dance Intensive in North Carolina and looks forward to training with legendary dance companies, working alongside groundbreaking new artists, as well as gaining mentorship and professional development tools.

To learn more about Kendal Villa’s work, visit her website at thekendalvilla5.wixsite.com/kendal-villa. To learn more about the Medici Circle and ways to support or apply, visit here.