2017 | CONNECTIONS

The 2017 Concert featured the following pieces…

You Fell In Love With My Flowers But Not My Roots - Adrienne Hawkins
For Judi - William Evans
Dream a Little - Meghan McLyman
Lookin' for Love- Lynn Modell
Mothers / Daughters - Erica Schwartz
Moonglow Part 2 - Yo-El Cassell
The Playground - Jenny Oliver

You Fell In Love With My Flowers But Not My Roots - Adrienne Hawkins

CHOREOGRAPHY Adrienne Hawkins

DANCERS Julia Amaral, Erik Brown, Karen Klein, Marissa Molinar, Jenny Oliver, McKersin Previlus, Kayla Skerry, Mai Telesford

MUSIC  Nikki Govanni, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson

“You fell in love with my flowers but not my roots ... so when autumn came you didn’t know what to do.”

For Judi - William Bill Evans

CHOREOGRAPHY William Bill Evans

DANCERS Amy Palmieri Burns, Melody Gamba, Don Halquist, William Bill Evans

MUSIC Felix Mendelssohn: Andante In D Minor, Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major Andante

COSTUMES Susan Cox

In December, 2016 I began to create several short works, for different dancers, to music by Mendelssohn. During the creation of the trio section of this work, my beloved sister-in-law Judi Evans passed away. She loved life and lived it to the fullest, even as she battled stage-four cancer for four-and-a-half years. I will love her and miss her every day, for the rest of my life.

Dream a Little - Meghan McLyman

CHOREOGRAPHY Meghan McLyman

DANCERS Audrey Albert-King, Amy Caine, Eleanor Duckworth, Brenna Kenney, Karen Klein, Eliza Mallouk, Kristen Palma, Dan Quinn

MUSIC Dream a Little Dream of Me, perfomed by Ozzie Nelson

TEXT Dancers, arranged by Meghan McLyman

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman

Lookin' for Love by Lynn Modell

CHOREOGRAPHY Lynn Modell

DANCERS Ann Brown Allen, Ann Fonte, Mary McCarthy, Lynn Modell

MUSIC Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Burt Bacharach and recorded by Dusty Springfield; Someone to Watch Over Me by George Gershwin, recorded by Benny Carter Orchestra; Lollipops and Roses by Tony Velona, recorded by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass; Independent Women Part 1 by Beyoncé and Cory Rooney, recorded by Destiny’s Child

My dance is about various aspects of dating — the hoping, the looking, the ending, the disappointment. At the end of the day, whether you are in a relationship or not, you need, and are thankful for, your friends.

Mothers/Daughters - Erica Schwartz

CHOREOGRAPHY Erica Schwartz

DANCERS Andy Taylor-Blenis, Alexandra Blenis, Tslila Goldstein, Ronit Goldstein, Avery Saulnier de Reyes, Neli Reyes Music: Luis Conte, Nicholas Britell, Evgueni Galperine & Sacha Galperine, Zoe Keating

VISUAL ART Sophie Isaak

PROJECTION DESIGN Paul Laurey

“My mother has always been my rock, even during my most rebellious years. This year her presence has been very important to me. It’s ing that we are part of a dance that showcases some of the progressions that mothers and daughters experience. Being able to express this in a form that we both find so much joy in, has been a treat.” — Alexandra Blenis

Moonglow Part 2 - Yo-El Cassell

CHOREOGRAPHY Yo-El Cassell

DANCERS Adam Barrameda, Joanie Block, Emily Bloomenthal, Erik Brown, Kelley Donovan, Ann Fonte, Eliza Mallouk, Elliot Purcell, Andy Taylor-Blenis

MUSIC On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter; excerpt from Why Your life is not a Journey narrated by Alan Watts

MUSICIANS Sarah Campbell, Melanie Chen, Sofia Velinzon

COSTUMES Brooke Stanton

Dedicated to Esther Garcia, Melodie Jeffery-Cassell and Keaton James Cassell

"The moon lives in the lining of your skin.” — Pablo Neruda 

The Playground - Jenny Oliver

CHOREOGRAPHY Jenny Oliver

DANCERS Ronaldo Alcide, Thea Anderson, Makalah Brown, Amy Caine, Erin Chiesa, Rae Chiesa, Kelley Donovan, Eleanor Duckworth, Rossana Fazzina, Djavila Ho, Sadada Jackson, Marian Ingegneri, Carolyn Jepsen, Karen Klein, Amanda Ng Yann Chwen, Reisa Anne Sperling, Alysen Vilhena, Samantha Wilson

MUSIC Ibrahim Maalouf: Nomade Slang, Michael Nyman: Here To There

My piece is a look back to a time when life was “fun and games.” Playground games are something that connects us all. With my international, intergenerational cast we have discovered that similar games are played all over the world. This discovery has been the inspiration and driving force for the choreographic process.