The Symphonic Body UCLA Tickets

The Symphonic Body UCLA is a bold gestural orchestral dance project choreographed and conducted by Ann Carlson. This unique work assembles nearly 100 performers drawn from the UCLA community—students, staff, and faculty—who move in response to the choreography without a traditional soundtrack. The piece emphasizes movement as its own musicality, inviting audiences to experience a living score created in the moment through coordinated gesture and collective presence. While the performance originated at Stanford in 2013 and later graced UCLA’s Royce Hall on November 21, 2015, CAP UCLA has continued to spotlight Carlson’s innovative approach to performance within the broader Los Angeles arts scene.

Note: As of the 2025–26 season, CAP UCLA promotions do not list The Symphonic Body UCLA as part of their regular lineup. This page preserves essential context for those researching the work, its creator, and its legacy in contemporary dance.

About the choreographer Ann Carlson is an acclaimed choreographer and educator who served as Artist-in-Residence at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA). She earned the Doris Duke Artist Award in 2015, recognizing her influential contributions to contemporary dance and performance. Carlson’s work often explores the relationship between movement, sound, and space, pushing audiences to reframe perception of choreography as a dynamic, collaborative art form.

Performance context In The Symphonic Body UCLA, the absence of a conventional musical soundtrack shifts emphasis to gesture, timing, and the collective energy of a large ensemble. The project is a testament to how movement can function as orchestration, with the human body acting as the instrument and the stage as an ever-changing score.

For future updates on performances, opportunities, and related events, follow CAP UCLA and Ann Carlson’s official channels for the latest information and official announcements.