W&L’s Lenfest Center Opens 2025-26 Season with ‘The Missing Element’ with the Beatbox House The Sept. 18 performance fuses street dancing and beatboxing in a cinematic whirlwind of sound and movement.
Editor’s note: The following release was written by Allison Munck ’27 for W&L’s Lenfest Center for the Arts.
The Lenfest Center at Washington and Lee University presents “The Missing Element” with the Beatbox House on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Keller Theatre.
Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office.
The performance kicks off the Lenfest Center’s 2025-26 season, “Your Gateway to Global Experiences.” “The Missing Element” fuses street dancing and beatboxing in a cinematic whirlwind of sound and movement. Led by beatboxer Chris Celiz and break-dancer Anthony “Invertebrate” Rodriguez, the performance pushes creative boundaries and redefines the artistic potential of street dance and beatboxing in a more classical performance space. Street dance styles of krump, flexN and breaking will be performed to the human-generated rhythms of the Beatbox House, a New York City-based collective of world champion beatboxers.
The performance plays off the cypher — a freestyling concept from hip-hop and rap — to spotlight both dancers and musicians. The performance explores the elements of earth, wind, fire and water, embracing the diversity of each dance style and giving dancers space to embrace their background and add a level of personal interpretation alongside creative direction.
“We have this thing that’s kind of outside of our body that is reacting and responding to the sonic landscape that we’re creating,” said Celiz. “It’s like a visual representation of our sound, which is really cool.”
On stage, the dancers’ incredible flexibility, strength and control interweave with the dynamic soundscapes of the Beatbox House, chasing the “missing element” and culminating into a performance audiences will never forget.
Celiz and Rodriguez will be joined by Beatbox House members Amit Bhowmick, Bjorn “Bloomer” Hunsta and Michael “Match” Wingate, as well as krumpers Ethan “Simba” Graham and David “Twice Light” Adelaja and flexers Joseph “Klassic” Carella and Carlito “Luffy” Walker.
“The Missing Element” was first commissioned in 2019 by Works & Process and was subsequently developed through a series of residencies from 2020 through 2023. Initially designed for the circular architecture of the Guggenheim, the show has expanded to bring its electrifying performances to stages across the country.
In addition to their Sept. 18 performance, “The Missing Element” will host masterclasses with W&L Dance and the Rockbridge Ballet. The group will also present two pop-up performances on campus Sept. 16 – 17, including a sneak peek performance during dinner at the Marketplace on Sept. 17.
Order your tickets online today, or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket purchase information. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $35 for adults, $32 for seniors, $29 for W&L faculty and staff and $8 for students.
This performance is sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund.
For a full list of performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.
The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies, the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.
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