May 2, 2025
Oakland University student June Wallace (they/them) will travel to New York next month to present their work, Social Standards, at the 2025 DUMBO Dance Festival, which will take place from June 26 to June 29 in Brooklyn.
“Social Standards is about social standards that society places on queer individuals and the way they choose to live their lives,” Wallace said. “It is a form of protest for independence and freedom of personal expression. The right to love in the way they choose and the right to not live their live in fear.”
Wallace said their own experience as a young, non-binary individual helped to inspire the work.
“I’m trying to find my role in society, and the more I learn about myself and the word it seems to be a role of protest,” Wallace said. “This work is inspired by just that, people trying to find their place in the world as they seek love and acceptance.”
Wallace said the work touches on their own struggles with femininity and masculinity, and how it affects their relationships with other people.
“It has an overarching theme of self-acceptance and love within relationships, Wallace said.
Thayer Jonutz, associate professor of dance and director of the Repertory Dance Company at Oakland University, said he was thrilled to learn that Wallace’s work had been accepted into the DUMBO Dance Festival, which has grown into an internationally renowned and highly desired festival to share choreography.
“June knocked my socks off with stunning performances last year as a first-year student,” Jonutz said. “What is beautifully apparent now is June’s blossoming choreographic voice. I can see June becoming the next famous company director that the next generation of dancers aspire to dance for.”
Wallace’s work will be presented during the 24th anniversary season of the DUMBO Dance Festival, a dynamic, four-day event showcasing 45 cutting-edge dance companies from New York and around the world.
Presented by White Wave Dance, the festival kicks off on June 26 with a Gala Opening Night, setting the stage for an exhilarating weekend of contemporary dance at The Mark O’Donnell Theater.
Over the course of four days, audiences experience a rich and diverse lineup of performances, highlighting the vibrancy and creative excellence of the New York dance scene and beyond.
“This is a festival about opportunities,” said Young Soon Kim, artistic director of White Wave Dance. “The DUMBO Dance Festival provides a platform for over 400 performing artists to showcase their work while offering New York audiences access to an extraordinary range of excellent and visionary choreography at an affordable price.”
For more information about the DUMBO Dance Festival, visit www.whitewavedance.org.