Stephen has amassed a broad portfolio of artistic projects—including commissioned dances, interdisciplinary projects, improvisational scores, and more. The following project descriptions represent his larger volumes of work. A more comprehensive list of projects can be found in his CV and on the Reject Dance Theatre and NilsSpring Dance Project websites.
Click the following project titles to jump to the appropriate description:
The Terminal Project
The Terminal Project is a suite of related dance works conceived by Stephen Ursprung in collaboration with Crystal Nilsson. It began in its first iteration as Stephen’s MFA thesis project at Smith College and has since evolved into a large-scale study of human behavior in transient spaces. The work represents Stephen’s perspective on life and therefore is constantly evolving as he matures and expands his world view.
Terminal 24 premiered in 2012. Terminal 24 explored the intersections of contemporary dance and vernacular and commercial hip hop dance forms. By identifying similarities across genres within dance history as well as the dancers’ experiences and interests, the dance strives to find meaning and understanding in how dance can comment on the human condition. Research for this work also included an analysis of Marc Augé’s research on non-places, explored through this work in the form of globally familiar airports. This piece represents an embodiment of social movement, technique, and cultural intention.
Following Terminal 24, Stephen and Crystal Nilsson began expanding the duet section into its own piece, simply titled Terminal. Terminal explores the metaphors of a flight as a depiction of the arc of an interpersonal relationship. This iteration of the work has toured extensively and has most recently been performed by Stephen and Larissa D. Ursprung, Stephen’s sister-in-law and frequent collaborator.
Most recently, Stephen staged Terminal 35 at Dean College in 2022. This iteration of the work reflects how he has matured since Terminal 24. The naming convention reflects the age at which the piece was staged—Terminal 35 reflects Stephen’s world view at 35 years old.
Technical Specifics: The Terminal Project has been staged and presented in casts ranging from 2 to 7 dancers. Each dancer uses a chair in the work and the piece can be presented with or without projection. Length: 10-15 minutes depending on staging. Music: Recorded
Past Performances:
DEAN COLLEGE Franklin, MA 2022
CHIMERA AT THE PHANTOM THEATRE Warren, VT 2022
BALLIAMO DANCE COLLECTIVE AT WATERFIRE ARTS CENTER Providence, RI 2020
NEW YORK STATE SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS Saratoga Springs, NY 2019
BOSTON TOURING GROUP AT CHISENHALE DANCE SPACE London, UK 2016
THE DANCE COMPLEX Cambridge, MA 2016
BANCROFT SCHOOL Worcester, MA 2016
BROWN UNIVERSITY Providence, RI 2014
MOVEMENT RESEARCH Brooklyn, NY 2012
SMITH COLLEGE Northampton, MA 2012
The Terminal Project was made possible through the generous funding and support of the Gretchen Moran Fellowship for Graduate Research at Smith College, the department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies at Brown University, The Boston Touring Group, and Movement Research in New York, NY.
Territory Suites
The Territory Suites (2014)
The Territory Suites marked Reject Dance Theatre’s first collaborative evening-length work—created by artistic directors Rebecca Hite, Stephanie Simpson, and Stephen Ursprung.
The piece explores “territory” from the perspectives of three unique choreographic voices and lenses: Human Relationships, where we explore territory as it relates to the human body and psyche—What happens when our intellectual and psychological space is infiltrated by an intruder? How does our sense of self change and how can the control of “territory” be regained; Gender Identity, where gender performance and sexual politics are questioned—How do we navigate the world around us through politicizing our bodies? How do we negotiate the people around us both physically and sexually; and Animal Interactions, where we study animal movement and its translation onto the human body—Animals identify their territory through means of intimidation, body language, and physical confrontation. Though the tone of the piece is at times heavy, there are moments of humor integrated throughout such as an absurd physicalization of a sloth or the spoken word/text representing the stream of consciousness during a duet. The juxtaposition of emotional intensity and comedic lightness reflect the complexity of the human experience.
Technical Specifics The piece consists of 9 dancers and can be presented in many formats. It has been performed as a site-adaptive work, as an evening-length work in 5 sections, and as three separate pieces representing the three individual choreographers. There are no props or sets required. Length: Approx 50 minutes Music: Recorded
Past Performances
DEAN COLLEGE Franklin, MA 2022
BROWN UNIVERSITY Providence, RI 2018
BAK MIDDLES SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS West Palm Beach, FL 2016
DANCE COMPLEX Cambridge, MA 2015
FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY Framingham, MA 2015
RIVERDALE COUNTRY SCHOOL Bronx, NY 2015
TAKING ROOT|GREEN SPACE Queens, NY 2015
MASSACHUSETTS DANCE FESTIVAL Holyoke, MA 2015
DANCING IN THE STREETS|SOMERVILLE ARTS COUNCIL Somerville, MA 2015
TRISKELION ARTS Brooklyn, NY 2015
The Space[s] We Hold
The Space[s] We Hold (2023) is a collaboratively choreographed piece exploring the ways we hold space—both physically and emotionally—for ourselves and others.. The first draft of this work consists of three vignettes exploring related themes from multiple choreographic perspectives. Originally conceived by Stephanie Simpson and Stephen Ursprung from Reject Dance Theatre and Amy Foley and Larissa D. Ursprung from Augmentation Movement Project, the work was workshopped as part of a creative residency at Waitsfield, VT’s recently restored historic Stowell Farm Barn over the course of three years (2022, 2023, and restaged with new material in 2024).
2022 Performance at The Phantom Theatre in Warren, VT:
2023 Showing at the Stowell Farm Barn
Technical Specifics The Space[s] We Hold has been staged on casts ranging from 4 to 10 dancers. The work uses multicolored tape and there is one wingback chair used as a set piece. When presented in a proscenium space, the curtain and legs are tied back or flown out and seating is available for the dancers for when they are not actively in the performance space. Length: Approx 30 minutes. Music: Recorded.
Past Performances
PHANTOM THEATRE, Warren, VT 2024
DEAN COLLEGE, Franklin, MA 2023
STOWELL FARM BARN/FARMSPRUNG EVENTS, Waitsfield, VT 2023
PHANTOM THEATRE, Warren, VT 2022
Boys Like This
Boys Like This is a new work-in-progress that explores the nuances of queer male intimacy. Following his collaboration with a team of close female artists on The Space[s] We Hold, choreographer Stephen Ursprung began a new creative process centered on queer masculine perspectives. With support from the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts and a space grant from Fusionworks Dance Center and Dancing Legacy, Ursprung is now developing this new work in collaboration with Joshua Tuason and Alexander Davis.
What began as a thematic extension of The Space[s] We Hold has evolved into a distinct investigation of how queer men in dance navigate the complexities of intimacy, friendship, kinship, and partnership. Through movement and dialogue, the collaborators examine how queer male bodies hold space for one another—with tenderness, tension, and truth.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Funding provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.