2019 | Lineage

The 2019 Concert featured the following pieces…

Power to the Girl - Meghan McLyman
Axis of Lineage: Geometry of Geography- Liana Percoco
”You’'ll Never Know Dear…” - Audra Carabetta
Parallel Positions - Brian Feigenbaum
Neither Here Nor There - Joanie Block
Signs Point to Yes - The Davis Sisters (Alexander and Joy Davis)
Dance Halls - The Wondertwins (Billy & Bobby McClain)

Expressions of Tradition and Aspiration

This year’s dynamic cast of deeply thoughtful choreographers explores the intricate and delicate transfer of ritual, tradition and culture.  Choreographers and dancers grapple with the line – their heritage, the paths they were encouraged to follow, and the lines they dared to cross. In total we have 40 dancers participating this season, ranging in age from 7- 83! We invite you to join us for ACROSS THE AGES this year, where past and present, memory, dream and journey collide.

Power to the Girl - Meghan McLyman

CHOREOGRAPHY Meghan McLyman

DANCERS Zimora Aswat, Kelsey Blanchette, Eleanor Duckworth, Katie Dunkel, Karley Fisher, Edie Hettinger, Maggie Husak, Marley Klatka, Karen Klein, Elena Ludwig, Eliza Mallouk, Lindsey McGovern, Rebecca McGowan, Meghan McLyman, Susan Paino, Marielle Palombo, Juliette Palombo, Maryann Perrone, Alli Ross, Naomi Wood

MUSIC Elizabeth Mitchell, Echo Ark, and recordings from the cast.

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” - Stacy Bendet

Axis of Lineage: Geometry of Geography - Liana Percoco

CHOREOGRAPHY  Liana C. Percoco, in collaboration with the dancers

DANCERS  Erik Brown, Sarah Craver, Kelley Donovan, Ameya Kothandaraman, Ruth Benson Levin, Liana C. Percoco

COSTUMES  Kevin Morris

MUSIC Excerpts from: “Ellipses”, Andrew Bird; “Coppélia”, Léo Delibes; “All Blues”, Miles Davis; “New York Loop”, My Fun; “Soul Makossa”, Manu Dibango; “Moonlight Serenade”, Glenn Miller 

After becoming a mother and losing my mother within two years my idea of what defines lineage shifted on its axis.  I started wondering how our expectations of inheritance are expressed through our words, gestures, and lives, and sought a larger perspective of these expectations from across the ages.  In this work the cast dove into our lineages to find unexpected shapes, feelings, and memories about who we are, where we’ve come from, and what we pass on.  It’s brave, but also therapeutic, to put parts of our heritage on display-- I hope you find connections in our stories to your own through witnessing our performance.  Thanks for listening and being here. Special Thanks to Eliza and Mary for the support to create a new work; Sarah Gazdowicz for monologue coaching, Catherine Siller for tech guidance.

“You’ll Never Know Dear…” - Audra Carabetta

CHOREOGRAPHY  Audra Carabetta

DANCERS  Janet Blackman, Isabella Cerulle, Michelle Cueroni, Eleanor Duckworth, Joelle Garfi, Emma Malbon, Eliza Mallouk, Andy Taylor-Blenis, Gary Whited

MUSIC Bowsprit by Balmorhea & You are my Sunshine by Johnny Cash

“You’ll Never Know Dear…” focuses on love, human relationships, the beauty and sadness of aging and most importantly the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. It will address the following questions…How does simple gesture translate, turn and twist to fit different ages, strengths and abilities? How is it that intergenerational relationships can affect us so deeply as an audience? Most importantly, we all experience love and loss...how does that change with the passing of time?

Parallel Positions - Brian Feigenbaum

CHOREOGRAPHY Brian Feigenbaum and Dancers

DANCERS  Erik Brown, Fairlight Chemelli, Maggie Eames, Brian Feigenbaum, Kelli Gifford, Tony Guglietti, Edie Hettinger, Karen Klein, Jonny Mangini, Mary McCarthy, Kristen Rybicki, Mariaconcetta Vinti, Kristin Wagner 

MUSIC Hildur Guonadottir, Leonard Cohen, Madeleine Peyroux 

Like all creatures, I am fascinated and inspired by that which is yet to come, and the new shoots and starts who carry the future. At the same time, I greatly honor the movement of time that takes us from child to youth to adult and beyond. Teaching a wide expanse of ages for many years has allowed me to see our commonality, altered only by the parallel of time.

Neither Here Nor There - Joanie Block

CHOREOGRAPHY  Joanie Block, in collaboration with dancers

DANCERS Joanie Block,Emily Bloomenthal, Hedaia Elsherif, Julie Leavitt, Soumaya MaRose, Melinda Rothstein, Carol Schneider-Sereda, Jonathan Smalls

MUSIC Cuatro Vientos by Danit Treubig

MUSICIANS  Yoel Genin, Emanuel Keller, Lizje Sarria, David Schwartz, Joel Segel, Kan Yanabe, Lorel Zar-Kessler

VIDEO ART  Clarissa Duque

This dance explores the concept of “Home” and was created in response to our nation’s disturbing immigration policy.  How did our ancestors define home? How do we? Is it a place? Is it a feeling?  Can it be owned? Can it be stolen? The piece includes intimate phrases created by each dancer, as well as live music and video by the award winning Video Artist, Clarissa Duque, a recent immigrant from Venezuela.   

Signs Point To Yes - The Davis Sisters

CHOREOGRAPHY  The Davis Sisters, (Alexander and Joy Davis) in collaboration with the dancers

DANCERS Sarah Craver, Eleanor Duckworth, Audrey Albert King, Karen Klein, Ruth Benson Levin, Eliza Mallouk, Mary McCarthy, Kristen Rybicki 

MUSIC  Atmosphere ASMR, Bob Dylan performed by Peter, Paul and Mary, and Terry Britten and Graham Lyle performed by Espen Eriksen Trio

“Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen,
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in a spin 
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin' 
For the loser now will be later to win,for the times they are a-changin' ” 

-    Bob Dylan

Dance Halls - The Wondertwins

CHOREOGRAPHY Billy & Bobby Wondertwins

DANCERS  WonderKids/OrigiNation (director, Shaumba-Yandje Dibinga) Ahnesty Abraham, Danay Almond, Nasya Baine, Josiah DeVaughn, Mzuri-Ngolela Dibinga, Shaumba-Subira Dibinga-Robinson, Amaiya Ervin, Morgan Grace, Alana Laforest, Kellaiah Laurent, Satya Marazzo-Henry, Amara Pierce, Aniyah Pierce, Joy Poritzky, Lovell Porter, Jay’dha Rackard, Nevai Taylor, Selah Thande, Ngolela wa Kamanampata, Henning Washington, Gia Wigfall

MUSIC  Missy Elliot: Lose Control; Busta Rhymes: Put Your hands Where My Eyes Can See; Snoop Dog: Drop It Like It’s Hot; Swizz Beats: On My Side; Mario P Amigo: Hos Alvaro

This piece was primarily created to show how the energy of our youth should never be suppressed. Currently we are experiencing the biggest cut in the arts in the history of education by the Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos. We decided to make this piece about what happens during the transitioning in the halls between classes in a school that encourages the arts.

Videos by Christopher Huang
www.christopherhuang.com