Join award-winning choreographer Kelsey Paschich for an inspiring artist talk exploring the fusion of dance and technology at UNM ARTSLab.
This event has already passed, but you can watch the full artist talk, posted below.
The 2025 New Mexico Dance Hackathon is pleased to announce an artist talk by multidisciplinary dance artist Kelsey Paschich, taking place on April 25, 2025 at UNM ARTSLab. Paschich, an award-winning choreographer, will share insights into her exciting and experimental creations that explore the intersection of dance and technology.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and an MFA Dance alumna from the University of New Mexico, Kelsey Paschich is an Assistant Professor of Innovation in Dance at Western Michigan University and the Founder & Artistic Director of phygital dance lab, an incubator for dance and technology experimentation. Her artistic practice investigates the interplay between the physical and digital realms, utilizing motion capture, screendance, and multimedia installations to reimagine dance performance. With work presented internationally in Istanbul, Lisbon, and Ulm, and across the United States, Paschich’s contributions to dance and digital media have earned her numerous accolades, including the WMU Presidential Innovation Professorship (2023) and the Creative Living for Dancers Award (2021, Brussels, Belgium).
The 2025 New Mexico Dance Hackathon provides an immersive, interdisciplinary environment where artists can collaborate and refine projects that combine dance and technology over several months. Guided by the UNM ARTSLab creative team—including Professor Stewart Copeland, Lab Manager Valery Estabrook, Professor Peter Gilbert, and Professor Amanda Hamp—as well as Dance Hackathon Coordinator Madrone Matishak, participants will collaborate with creative partners to explore the evolving relationship between movement and technology through interactive experiences and experimental methodologies. The Program will conclude with a public performance Summer 2025.
This event is free and open to the public. New Mexico Dance Hackathon is sponsored by UNM ARTSLab. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
FOR MORE INFORMATION about the New Mexico Dance Hackathon and Kelsey Paschich’s artist talk, please visit https://artslab.unm.edu/research/dance-hackathon/
LEARN MORE ABOUT ARTSLab by visiting https://artslab.unm.edu
LEARN MORE ABOUT the Department of Theatre& Dance by visiting https://finearts.unm.edu/academics/departments/theatre-dance/
Watch the full talk here:
Join organizers Madrone Matishak and Sarah Bennett Davidson for an overview of the New Mexico Dance Hackathon, an initiative bringing together dance and new media artists to experiment and create innovative work across performance, installation, and film. This info session offers a look at past projects, insights into the creative process, and details on how to apply for this year’s program, culminating in final presentations at UNM ARTSLab this July.
ARTSLab is excited to continue its partnership with Unity in Spring 2026 with two free webinars and two free 10-hour courses, open to anyone in the state of New Mexico.
ARTSLab was recently featured in two articles highlighting its work at the intersection of art, technology, and innovation, including student-led projects and a NASA-funded VR initiative.