The University of Iowa Department of Dance will present Lifescapes, a production featuring the thesis works of three graduate students, at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 4-6, in Space Place Theatre of North Hall.

The event combines new works by Joseph Cox, Jennifer Harge, and Michael Medcalf.

Cox performed for 25 years, most notably as principal dancer with the Louisville Ballet. He is an active choreographer and educator of dance, having served on the faculty of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and directed Cincinnati Ballet’s second company. An Iowa Arts Fellow, his other honors include the 2009 Kentucky Arts Council Fellowship for Choreography and an official Kentucky Colonel commission. Upon completing his Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the UI, Cox will become an assistant professor of dance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He will be performing Rerun: Changing the Channel.

Harge is a second year Master of Fine Arts candidate with an emphasis in choreography. Originally from Saginaw, Mich., she began her dance training at the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan and has since performed and choreographed nationally and internationally with Chavasse Dance and Performance and the Brown Dance Project. Her piece is titled A Thin Line Between Heaven and Here.

Medcalf is an accomplished performing artist, educator, and choreographer with more than 20 years of experience. As a professional dancer, he has worked with and performed the works of prominent choreographers such as Dianne McIntyre, Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Jennifer Muller, Bill T. Jones, Cleo Parker-Robinson, Kim Robards, Talley Beatty, and others on concert stages throughout North America, Turkey, Greece, Africa, Bulgaria, Germany, and Cyprus. His contribution is titled Rainbows Weren’t Meant for Little Black Boys Like Me but I Kept Them in My Pocket Anyway.

Admission to Lifescapes is free for UI students with a valid student ID, $12 general admission, and $6 for youth and senior citizens. Tickets are available from the Hancher box office or at the door.

The Department of Dance is part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. For accommodations at the concert, contact the Department of Dance in advance at 319-335-2228. For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the new Arts Iowa website.