The raw, emotional power of local dance will take center stage at Fresno State this month.

Fresno State’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble is premiering their six-part dance called “Finger in Your Eye” in the John W. Wright Theatre to commence the Spring 2026 semester.

The ensemble does not just get the fans intrigued,but it gets the dancers involved to tell their story and engrave a memory within themselves.

According to a press release sent by the Department of Theatre and Dance, the dance will provide “storytelling that invites audiences into a shared and transformative artistic experience.”

Kenneth Balint, the artistic director of the Contemporary Dance Ensemble, hopes the performance leaves others to enjoy the deeper meanings behind the works.

Balint reflected on the partnership at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester, when the group was first practicing for “Finger in Your Eye.”

“Sometimes dancers think they are an independent island, and all of a sudden, realizing they are a part of something bigger … they come out a much better dancer,” Balint said.

The ability to coordinate different movements at one time is what Balint aspires for all of his students; this six-part dance brings that out.

With guest artist Waeli Wang, this performance aims to strike the crowd in awe. Waeli Wang is a movement artist, filmmaker and educator. They have a driving artistic impulse to fuse movement with imagery, abstractly and poetically. Touring internationally for over a decade, Wang is coming to Fresno State for this ensemble.

The performance will take place on Feb. 13-14 and 17-21 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in the John W. Wright Theatre. Ticket prices vary, so be sure to check out the prices online before the performance or at the box office.

In the Spring 2024 semester, the Contemporary Dance Ensemble performed the first of three mainstage dance concert performances, and “Finger in Your Eye” will be the third.