Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance

Carly Liegel grew up training at the Kehl School of Dance in Madison, Wisconsin; there, she discovered her passion for dance, performance, and choreography. She is a senior pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance and minor in Exercise Science. Carly has continued her studies at summer programs with The Joffrey Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, and Doug Varone and Dancers.

For IU’s mainstage, Carly performed in Juel D. Lane’s new work, Ego, and the first ever re-staging of Twyla’s Tharp’s 1973 Deuce Coupe. In 2019, she performed a site-specific work, Ascension, choreographed by Elizabeth Shea, celebrating the re-opening of the Eskenazi Museum of Art. Carly also had the opportunity to choreograph for Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin’s new play, Tiger Beat.

Carly has been heavily involved with student theatre organization, University Players. In 2019, she co-choreographed American Idiot and in late 2020, she assistant directed/choreographed Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, creating adaptations to perform safely outside, distanced, and with masks. Carly is also directing University’s Player’s SLIP: An Annual Dance Collaboration, providing student choreographers the opportunity to create and present dance films.

She has been involved with some student independent projects at IU, including Advanced Choreographic Project Show’s Ephemerous and Apperception (stage manager), and Kyle Mason’s Into the Woods (assistant choreographer). She was to present her own independent project in collaboration with Megan Kudla, entitled Ramble: A Journey Through Led Zeppelin. The project was cut short due to the pandemic, but Liegel and Kudla wish to continue this project sometime in the future.

Carly is a certified yoga instructor and trained Dance for PD instructor, both of which she plans to continue throughout her career. Post graduation, Carly wishes to pursue her passion for dance by performing, teaching, and creating for both the contemporary dance and theatre worlds in New York or Chicago.