RDT’s LINK Series is an outreach program offering independent choreographers the opportunity to present their work in performance. RDT provides infrastructure and advisory support for production and marketing while allowing the choreographer to retain artistic autonomy.
Artists
OUT OF THE ASHES
Thayer JonutzMarch 20-21, 2026 | 7:30 PM
ROSE WAGNER - LEONA WAGNER BLACK BOX THEATRE
Out of the Ashes combines two full-length multimedia works, Hammer and Nail and Scorched. Hammer and Nail was born out of the Covid-19 pandemic, and tells the story of Oakland University Professor of Dance, Thayer Jonutz’s upbringing in a roofing construction family and is an immersive experience that speaks to a universal theme of rebuilding after loss. Scorched, was partially created during The Center For Latter-Day Saint Arts, The Artists Residency at the Center, September 2025 in New York where Jonutz was selected as 1 of 6 LDS affiliated artists to participate. Scorched started as a general desert landscape themed work but quickly emerged as an emotionally packed biographical account, like Hammer and Nail. The final scene was profoundly inspired by the tragic LDS Grand Blanc Michigan attack that ended with human casualties and the church building burned to the ground. Out of the Ashes features dance, spoken word, acting, and dance for the camera by Jonutz, and is all enhanced by the brilliant collaborative artistry of Wayne State University Professor of Composition and Theory. Anderson supports the live experience by mixing the vocalizations, capturing motion sensor inputs, playing with hydro-mics, and layering in violin accompaniment.


