SATU HUMMASTI portrait
  • Junior Advisor
  • Sophmore and Transfer Student Advisor, Modern Dance Department
  • Associate Director-Undergraduate Studies, School Of Dance
  • Dance Minors Advisor, Modern Dance Department
  • Associate Professor, School Of Dance
801-581-4562

Creative Research

  • 2022/2023 greenland. (October 2022-February 2023) Collaborative evening-length dance about human impact on land; with Natalie Desch, Pam Geber-Handman, Eric Handman, and Daniel Clifton. --Salt Lake City, Utah, January/February 2023—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Performing Dance Company Concert Performance, completed 10/17/2022.
  • 2022 SB DANCE-CURBSIDE THEATER, All Kinds of Love (July-October 2022)—invited guest choreographer SB Dance commissioned me to choreograph one section of the company's evening-length curbside theater work, which is shown throughout Utah and the Mountain USA during Summer and Fall 2022. The work takes place on a moveable 10x10 elevated stage, five dancers and live music. This Work Received a CITY WEEKLY BEST OF UTAH 2022 AWARD Utah, USA--Salt Lake City, St. George, Park City Commission, refereed, completed 07/01/2022.
  • 2021 Remember What Spring Can Bring (2020 Ballads) (October 2021) Collaboration with Daniel Clifton and seven dancers with song writing and movement; music by Daniel Clifton and Satu Hummasti. 18 minutes --Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2021—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Concert II Choreography, completed 11/01/2021.
  • "oh how we fell" (November 2019) invited guest choreographer Piece for 12 dancers created on University of Texas-Rio Grande Dance Ensemble; to be performed in Edinburgh, Texas in May 2020 Choreography, in progress 11/01/2021.
  •  The Åland Island Guest Artist Residency—This was an awarded guest residency to develop the new work Ocean Dances during the month of July 2020. This residency will be rescheduled for Summer 2022.—Åland, Sweden Choreography, in progress 07/01/2021.
  • 2020 Bell Hill Collaboration with Daniel Clifton, and nine performers, is a dance, a ritual, a gathering, an offering, a way to come to come together as a community during a global pandemic. Performed in: --Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2020—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Concert Livestream and Outdoor Performance Series Choreography, completed 10/01/2020.
  • 2020 Bell Hill Collaboration with Daniel Clifton, and nine performers, is a dance, a ritual, a gathering, an offering, a way to come to come together as a community during a global pandemic. Performed in: --Salt Lake City Utah, October 2020—Red Butte Gardens Fall Festival Commission, completed 10/01/2020.
  • cleanslate (October 2019) Piece for six dancers with improvisation and movement; music by Björk. 14 minutes (This piece was selected to represent the School of Dance at the regional ACDA in Washington in March 2020). Performed in: --Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2019—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Concert Choreography, completed 10/26/2019.
  • Lost Love Socialite Sweet Love Recluse (May 2019) Evening length dancer theater piece for six performers and three musicians with original text created by Hummasti/Clifton and the performers, original music performed live by Salt Lake Electric Ensemble, co-directed with Daniel Clifton. --Salt Lake City, Utah, May 2019—Sugar Space Arts Warehouse Choreography, completed 05/13/2019.
  • 2018-2019 Lost Love Socialite Sweet Love Recluse (to premiere in May 2019): Piece for six performers and three musicians with original text, original music performed live by Salt Lake Electric Ensemble, co-directed with Daniel Clifton. As a SugarSpace Artist-in-Residence for 2018-2019 we started an intensive rehearsal period in Fall 2018 to workshop this piece with six professional Salt Lake City dancers and performers Performance, in progress 01/01/2018.
  • "Market"; A Piece for eleven dancers with text, improvisation, and movement; original musical score by Daniel Clifton. 25 minutes. Performed in: --Salt Lake City, Utah, November 2017—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Concert Performance, completed 10/05/2017.
  • "Lost Love Socialite/Sweet Love Recluse": Assistant Professor Lecturer Daniel Clifton and I began initial work and research on an evening-length dance theater piece to be performed in 2018. The piece will include original choreography, text, and music score. Choreography, in progress 09/01/2017.
  • "Scenes from Meta" Trio created at SALT Dance Fest with text and improvisation. Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2017---Marriott Center for Dance Studio 240 Performance, completed 06/16/2017.
  • "Bright Eyes" Sextet with voice, improvisation, and song; Set design by Isaac Taylor, in collaboration with Daniel Clifton’s piece Turn Around. 20 minutes:Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, November 2016—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Concert Choreography, completed 11/03/2016.
  • "Night of The Home Videos" Quartet set on and in collaboration with students at Keskuspuisto Ammattiopisto Tanssiosa (Central Park Vocational College Dance Program); this program is one of only a few in all of Europe that offers a fine arts dance degree to artists with special needs. I was invited to co-collaborate on their final project for their degree. Video and Sound Design by myself in collaboration with Jukka Huitila: Performed in: -Helsinki, Finland, June 2016—X Dance Festival at the Kaappeli Tehdas (Cable Factory Art Center, a premiere showcase for contemporary dance in Helsinki); accepted entry to this international festival -Helsinki, Finland, May 2016—The piece was shown in five different venues throughout Helsinki in May as a part of an outreach project. Venues such as the main performance space at several Central markets (Jumbo, as a part of International Day of Dance, and Kamppi), and the Keskuspuisto Vocational College main hall had high visibility in Helsinki for this project. Choreography, refereed, completed 06/15/2016.
  • "Heteronormative Duet: Part 1; Suzanne, Part 2; Coral, Part 3; Peneloppe" Three four minute duets set to music and improvised spoken text; Performed in: -Berlin, Germany, May 2016—Part 1; Suzanne only, shown at Berlin State Ballet School Showcase concert - Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2016—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Spring Performing Dance Company Concert Choreography, refereed, completed 05/20/2016.
  • "Strip Dance" -Quintet with voice and improvisation: 18 minutes.Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, October/November 2015—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Concert Choreography, completed 10/29/2015.
  • "Jesus Cow" Dance for 10 graduate dance pedagogy students commissioned by the Teatterikorkeakoulu, University of the Arts, in Helsinki, Finland. Performed in: -Helsinki and Oulu, Finland, February/March 2015—performed in studio showing. This piece was also selected to represent the Theater Academy at the Arctic Lights Dance Festival in Oulu, Finland in March. Choreography, completed 03/30/2015.
  • "i dreamed we walked into this little world, and all the little things broke my heart" Quartet with text and improvisation: 22 minutes. Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, October/November 2014—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Choreography, completed 10/26/2014.
  • "Village Square No. 4, Revived" Quartet with text and improvisation; 30-minute work that I will consider developing into evening length work. Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, February/March 2014—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Spring Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Choreography, completed 01/03/2014.
  • I began work on a 30 minute dance-theater piece "Village Square No. 4, Revived" in December 2013, which will be premiered in February 2014 Performance, in progress 12/2013.
  • "Little Storms" Trio in silence with written text as score; collaboration with Steve Rasmussen, costume designer. Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2012—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Choreography, completed 10/2012.
  • "this is what it's like to dance for you". Quartet began in fall 2011, to be performed spring 2012. Performance, in progress 03/10/2012.
  • "I heard your name in an Empty Room"-- commissioned by Kannon Dance Company, St. Petersburg, Russia. Co-choreographed with John Allen. Performed as a part of the 2011 Open Look Dance Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia. Performance, completed 07/10/2011.
  • "Never let me Go"- an trio for Performing Dance Company, premiered at MCD, April 2011 Performance, completed 04/21/2011.
  • Ghost Interruptions---Multimedia collaboration with Lien Fan Shen (animation), James de St. Germaine (computer engineering), myself, and I-Fen Lin (dancer). Performed at the New Media Wing, May 2009. Exhibition, in progress 2009.
  • Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles Duet to music by Jurgen Kneipper, Orquesta Electronica Berretin and Isabella Yurieva. Graphic Design by Carly Berret. Performed in: -Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2009—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Spring Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Performance, completed 2009.
  • Songs I Want to Sing (To You)-Piece commissioned by Repertory Dance Theater. Rehearsal Began in December 2009; Performance to be completed in March 2010 Performance, in progress 2009.
  • Dance With Me Septet to music by Takamasa Aoki/Noriko Tujiko and Cliff Martinez. Originally Commissioned by the Compañía de Cámara Danza UNA in San Jose, Costa Rica. Performed in: -San Jose, Costa Rica, Summer/Fall 2009—Multiple Performances including ones at Teatro Eugene O’Neill and The National Theater -Edinburgh, Texas, November 2009—University of Texas Fine Arts Theater, University of Texas Pan American Dance Ensemble. I restaged one section of this dance. -Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2009—University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Fall Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Performance, completed 2009.
  • Thaw March 2008— This piece was selected to represent University of Utah at the American College Dance Festival, Northwest Region Informal Concert. University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance. Performance, completed 03/21/2008.
  • Thaw Quartet to music by Loscil and Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto. Animation by professor Lien Fan Shen. Choreographed in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2008---University of Utah Marriott Center for Dance, Spring Performing Dance Company Dance Concert Choreography, completed 02/15/2008.

Presentations

  • Red Butte Gardens Fall Festival-- BooTanical Festival-- I was the primary organizer of the dance program portion for the Red Butte Gardens Fall BooTanical Festival in October 2020. I gathered together approximately 25 dancers dancing for 8 choreographers to perform throughout the month of October in different areas of the Gardens. I saw this as an opportunity for student artists, dancers and local choreographers to show work during COVID. Presentation, Accepted, 10/01/2020.
  • 2018 IceHot Dance Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland, December 2018 -Chosen as an international delegate to this Nordic Dance festival, and had a chance to present to working groups my upcoming show, and to find collaborators for US/Scandinavia Exchanges . Other, Presented, 12/10/2018.
  • Invited to speak about the Judson Church Group and Yvonne Rainer's "Trio A" for Repertory Dance Theater's Lecture Series on Historical Dance. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 09/2011.
  • 2008 World Dance Alliance Global Summit-Dance Dialogues: Conversations Across Cultures, Artforms, and Practices, Brisbane, Australia July 2008 Co-presented a paper on the history of dance in the community in the United States . Conference Paper, Presented, 07/11/2008.
  • SATU HUMMASTI (2005) Valeska Gert and the Politics of Cabaret. Conference Paper, Accepted, 11/2005.
  • SATU HUMMASTI (2004) Between Two Languages: Reflections on Translations. Presentation, Accepted, 08/2004.

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Africa
  • Antarctica
  • Asia
  • Central America
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Europe
  • Finland
  • Iceland
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Northern America
  • Oceania
  • Portugal
  • Russian Federation
  • South America
  • Ukraine