DA N C E R E P E R TO RY THEATRE P RES EN TS
FALL FOR DANCE
PR O DUCING ARTI STIC DI RECTO R: ERI CA “ EG ” G I O N F R IDDO
NOVEMBER 9 AT 7:30 (PREVIEW) NOVEMBER 10-11, 15, 17 AT 7:30 P.M. NOVEMBER 12 AT 2:00 P.M.
OSCAR G. BROCKETT THEATRE F. LOREN WINSHIP DRAMA BUILDING
THEATREDANCE.UTEXAS.EDU
DANCE
CHOREOGRAPHER
Black Angel tooth fairy what we cannot hold ETERNAL BONDS .2 the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)
Gesel Mason Aída Hernandez-Reyes Angela Cox and Ava Tran Valeria Y. Gonzalez Aysha Upchurch
Stage Manager: Katelyn Nguyễn Assistant Stage Manager: Gabi Hernandez Technical Director: David Tolin Archival Team: Laura Baker, Faith Davis, Elizabeth Garza, Katie Anne Jones
There will be one 10-minute intermission. The videotaping, photography or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.
NOTE FROM THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR This concert is dedicated to the artistic legacy of professor emeritus Yacov Sharir. Our institutional memory is short. Students move through the department in cycles of four years with new faces, dreams and bodies of memory. They enter as one version of themselves, and leave having discovered many, many versions of who they might be. For 36 years, Yacov Sharir helped dancers on this beautiful, challenging journey of transformation. He did the wondrous work of linking students to the many versions of themselves and connecting generations of students and aspiring artists to one another. His legacy survives in the faculty, who continue the culture of growth and artistry he helped establish. His presence weaves through the dancing bodies on stage here. Even though these young artists did not share space with Yacov, they are touched by his legacy. His spirit continues on in their dancing. There is another kind of transformation here on the stage. There is a heaviness that desires to be expressed here; a weight that needs sharing, but more importantly needs transforming. It needs to move. Perhaps it's the weight of history repeating itself; the heaviness of "...again?" It needs to move. Maybe it's the labor of turning oneself inside out, even through pain, to understand oneself a little more clearly. We need to move through it. Or maybe it's the inevitable work of cycling through life again and again and again. We must move through it. And this is where dance is at its most powerful— when our bodies transform weight into joy, heaviness into hope. In our dancing here we are actively moving what weighs us down, insisting that it CAN move inside us, so that when we again encounter heaviness on the other side we can see it as something asking to be moved. And we'll move it until it transforms again and again and again and again. We celebrate this glorious, transformative work to the countless legacies moving through the artists on this stage, the legacies just beginning to unfold and those that haven't even yet begun. Producing Artistic Director Erica “EG” Gionfriddo
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Black Angel Choreography: Gesel Mason Costume Designer: Jessi Rose Lighting Designer: Gavin Strawnato Sound Designer: Dillon James Projection Designer: Arash Baqipur Scenic Designer: Leah Austin Assistant Costume Designer: Lauresther Medina-Jimenez Rehearsal Assistant: Andrea Orta Cast: Andrea Orta – November 9 and 11 Jannah Collins – November 10 and 15 Megan Davidson – November 12 and 17 From the Choreographer I created Black Angel in 1998 in response to the brutal murder of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas. Byrd was abducted, beaten, chained to the back of a pickup truck and then dragged down a country road. Byrd's gruesome slaying led to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. This work, restaged 25 years afer Byrd’s death, grapples with society’s arduous afiliation with violence and hate.
tooth fairy Choreography: Aída Hernandez-Reyes with the dancers Music: Composed by Dillon James Costume Designer: Jessi Rose Lighting Designer: Zackary Read Sound Designer: Dillon James Projection Designer: Nitsan Scharf Scenic Designer: Leah Austin Assistant Costume Designer: Lauresther Medina-Jimenez Cast: Daniela Mendes Albert, Hayley Jeansonne, Lorna Luciano From the Choreographer Think on experiences you’ve had where you felt exposed; where you had private information you shared in confidence not kept confidential; where you were enlightened to secrets others were keeping from you. In this piece we are exploring the power of exposure, voyeurism, holding things in, letting them out and revealing secrets. Special thanks to Siah Maslo for her contributions to this piece.
what we cannot hold Choreography: Angela Cox and Ava Tran Costume Designer: Jessi Rose Lighting Designer: Gavin Strawnato Sound Designer: Dillon James Projection Designer: Arash Baqipur Assistant Costume Designer: Lauresther Medina-Jimenez Cast: Laura Anawaty, Mia Blitz, Jannah Collins, Merrin Foley, Parker Manning, Makaila Natividad, Arianna Puente, RyAnne Rovelo, Cameron Suckle, Giuliana Velez From the Choreographers what we cannot hold is an investigation of how the holding and sharing of one’s emotional weight may portray itself in the physical body. This piece explores the parallels between the emotional and physical realms regarding weight's portrayal within the body and mind; specifically, how they can both impact and imitate one another.
INTERMISSION
ETERNAL BONDS .2 Choreography: Valeria Y. Gonzalez in collaboration with the dancers Music: Composed by Dillon James Costume Designer: Alex Rockey Lighting Designer: KP Pierce Sound Designer: Dillon James Scenic Designer: Joshua W. Martin Assistant Costume Designer: Layla Isaac Rehearsal Assistant: Daniela Mendes Albert Cast: Daniela Mendes Albert, Angel Blanco, Leo Briggs, Bayleigh Breanne, Faith Davis, Grace Falconer, Payge Garcia, Jalani Aminatta Miller, Makaila Natividad, Drew Phipps, Maxima Velasquez From the Choreographer I am so honored to have worked with a beautiful inside-and-out and talented cast. I am grateful for all the support the Department provided for me, including my colleagues and collaborators. ETERNAL BONDS .2 explores the enigma of time, the potency of memories and the multifaceted emotions surrounding grief. Seven dancers embody fragments of a greater consciousness, navigating audiences through vivid and elusive memories. Despite time's transience, it's the shared moments with loved ones that indelibly imprint onto eternity. The performance brings forth hope, suggesting eternal love and connections beyond our worldly existence.
the inevitability of work (and the joy in it) Choreography: Aysha Upchurch with the dancers Costume Designer: Jessi Rose Lighting Designer: KP Pierce Sound Designer: Dillon James Projection Designer: Nitsan Scharf Assistant Costume Designer: Lauresther Medina-Jimenez Rehearsal Assistant: Bayleigh Breanne Cast: Claire Anstey, Lilly Brown, Megan Davidson, Saada Diggs, Andrea Orta, Valentina Reyes Rubio, Eden Ryder, IvyCamille Sampson, Lauren Simpson, Wynter Winston From the Choreographer Everything we enjoy comes from intention and efort, so why do we try to escape the inescapable? We have to work. We get to work, so we better (enjoy the) work!
CREATIVE Leah Austin (Scenic Designer – Black Angel, tooth fairy) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Recent credits include assistant scenic design for Proving Up (Butler Opera Center, 2023) and Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023). Arash Baqipur (Projection Designer – Black Angel, what we cannot hold) is a M.F.A. in Theatre (live design and production) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a storyteller with a background in film and architecture and an enthusiast in design for screen and live performance. He is interested in experiencing various fields of visual arts including video art and experimental films. He has collaborated on several short and feature films as a production, set and costume designer. Angela Cox (Choreographer – what we cannot hold) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance and Bachelor of Social Work double major with a minor in American Sign Language. She grew up in Austin and trained at a local studio in Dripping Springs. This is her fourth show with Dance Repertory Theatre. Recent credits include Fall For Dance (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2021, 2022), PIVOT (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2022) and multiple projects with Dance Action's S.E.E.D. Erica “EG” Gionfriddo (Producing Artistic Director) is a dance artist and educator who believes in the intelligent body each of us occupies. They are co-founder of the transdisciplinary group ARCOS, which has presented work across the country including for the American Dance Festival, UNESCO, The Ammerman Center Symposium on Arts and Technology, Engagement Symposium of Philosophy and Dance, Currents New Media Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. EG considers their creative processes and projects as rehearsals for survival in a complex world. Valeria Y. Gonzalez (Choreographer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a Mexican-American dance artist holding an M.F.A. in Dance from the New
York University Tisch School of the Arts. As the founder of VALLETO, an all-female and non-binary dance company, she celebrates diversity and freedom of expression and constantly seeks liberation from the systems that oppress us. Gonzalez is known for her innovative approach to dance, emphasizing several contemporary methodologies. Gonzalez's passion led to the creation of "Unpredictable Bodies," a venture that promises to set the stage for a dance revolution in Austin. Gabi Hernandez (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management at The University of Texas at Austin. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance, and she hopes to be a part of many more projects within the department. Aída Hernandez-Reyes (Choreographer – tooth fairy) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. They are a company dancer and rehearsal director for VALLETO. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Contronymic Living (Fall For Dance, 2021) and Sawubona (PIVOT, 2022), in addition to their co-choreographed work machine organ50 presented as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). Layla Isaac (Assistant Costume Designer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a second-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Recent credits include Les Contes d’Hofmann (Butler Opera Center, 2023). Dillon James (Sound Designer) is a B.S. in Arts and Entertainment Technologies major at The University of Texas at Austin. James has had an aptitude for music and sound in the digital realm since childhood. Past credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Year of the Tiger (2021) and “Kimmy” (2021). He has also worked on projects for The Department of Radio-Television-Film and the School of Design and Creative Technologies.
CREATIVE Joshua W. Martin (Scenic Designer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a first-generation theatre artist and multidisciplinary theatrical designer based in Austin, Texas. His avid commitment to theatre for social change and his vision to make theatre accessible and acceptable drive his current pursuit of democratizing voices through placemaking in emerging and unconventional spaces. Martin is a founding member and acting artistic director of Imperium Arts Inc. and is a M.F.A. in Theatre (live design and production) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. josh-w-martin.com
project, 2023), Les Contes d’Hofmann (Butler Opera Center, 2023), The Cohen New Works Festival (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023), Proving Up (Butler Opera Center, 2023) and 해 님달님 Sun and Moon (thesis project, 2023).
Gesel Mason (Choreographer – Black Angel) is artistic director for Gesel Mason Performance Projects and an associate professor at The University of Texas at Austin. A 2019 Rauschenburg Artist in Residence and inaugural Texas Performing Arts/Fusebox Festival Residency recipient, Mason’s work has been presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival. Her work, Yes, And, was awarded a 2020 New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project grant and premiered at the Fusebox Festival in Austin, Texas and Dance Place in Washington, D.C. geselmason.com
Zackary Read (Lighting Designer – tooth fairy) is a lighting designer and technician based in Austin, Texas. He is currently studying at The University of Texas at Austin where he is working to hone his skills in stagecraf and stage lighting. As a technician, he has worked in various theatres including Texas Performing Arts, The Long Center and other outdoor venues. As a designer, he has worked with The Alchemy Theatre on productions of The Baker's Wife and Pipeline. Zackread.wixsite.com/theatre
Lauresther Medina-Jimenez (Assistant Costume Designer – Black Angel, tooth fairy, what we cannot hold, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology at The University of Texas at Austin. They have an extensive background in costume design. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Tiny Fingerprints (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2022) and Address the Body! (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023) in addition to multiple projects as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). Katelyn Nguyễn (Stage Manager) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent stage management and assistant stage management credits include elizabeth is going into the ground (studio
KP Pierce (Lighting Designer – ETERNAL BONDS .2, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre (lighting design) candidate. Most recently, they worked with Marjorie Lyons Playhouse as the lighting designer for productions of Antigone, The Glass Menagerie and The Zoo Story.
Alex Rockey (Costume Designer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a M.F.A. in Theatre (scenic design and costume design) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits include scenic design for Proving Up (Butler Opera Center) and ...but you could've held my hand (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2022). He also served as assistant costume designer for Fall For Dance (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2022) and assistant scenic designer for Rent (Duke University). He spent his summer as a costume shop stitcher at Maine State Music Theatre and previously held a scenic art apprenticeship at Santa Fe Opera. Jessi Rose (Costume Designer – what we cannot hold, tooth fairy, Black Angel, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with her M.F.A. in Theatre (costume design). Her recent design credits include Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (Zilker Theatre Productions), Big Fish (Austin Playhouse), Ride the Cyclone
CREATIVE (Southwestern University) and Up on the Housetop (short film, Red Herring Productions). She has also served in technical and support roles for Tulsa King (ager/dyer, Paramount+), Love & Death (set costumer, HBO Max), Match Me if You Can (stitcher/set costumer, Match Me LLC.) and 1883 (stitcher, Paramount+). Nitsan Scharf (Projection Designer – tooth fairy, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre (integrated media for live performance) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent design credits include Over/Under (Extreme Lengths Productions), Rock Paper Scissors (The Welders), The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield (ExPats Theatre), The Ascension Project (Uprooted Dance), A Chorus Within Her (Theater Alliance), My aMeriCa (Montgomery College) and RESILIENCE and Trés | Tres (Ars Nova). He received his B.A. from the University of Maryland in 2018. nitsanscharf.com (he/him) Gavin Strawnato (Lighting Designer – Black Angel, what we cannot hold) is a secondyear M.F.A. in Theatre (lighting design) candidate. His recent design credits include two pieces in Dance Repertory Theatre’s EMERGE (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023). David Tolin (Technical Director) was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. He received his B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in design/ technology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his M.F.A. in Theatre from The University of Texas at Austin before teaching at Westlake High School for seven years. Tolin works at Texas Performing Arts’ Fabrication Studios as the Project Manager and as faculty in the UT Live Design and Production area.
Ava Tran (Choreographer – what we cannot hold) is an emerging choreographer and performer from Houston, Texas pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance with a minor in arts administration at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Fall For Dance (2021, 2022) and PIVOT (2022), as well as Evolution and Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. Additionally, Tran was selected as a project lead for The Cohen New Works Festival (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023). Aysha Upchurch (Choreographer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)), the Dancing Diplomat, is an artist and educator who creates, facilitates and designs for radical change. She is an embodied storyteller who leans on African diasporic movement to create works of joy, connection and liberation. She has been a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts commissioned artist and a Bessie Schonberg Dance Fellow at The Yard. Upchurch has been on faculty at George Mason University, Salem University and Harvard University and recently joined UT Austin as a visiting lecturer.
CAST
Daniela Mendes Albert
Laura Anawaty
Claire Anstey
Angel Blanco
Mia Blitz
Bayleigh Breanne
Leo Briggs
Lilly Brown
Jannah Collins
Megan Davidson
Faith Davis
Saada Diggs
Grace Falconer
Merrin Foley
Payge Garcia
Hayley Jeansonne
CAST
Lorna Luciano
Parker Manning
Jalani Aminatta Miller
Makaila Natividad
Andrea Orta
Drew Phipps
Arianna Puente
RyAnne Rovelo
Valentina Reyes Rubio
Eden Ryder
IvyCamille Sampson
Lauren Simpson
Cameron Suckle
Giuliana Velez
Maxima Velasquez
Wynter Winston
CAST Daniela Mendes Albert (Dancer – tooth fairy, ETERNAL BONDS .2; Rehearsal Assistant – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Edinburg, Texas where she studied dance at Dancentre of Edinburg. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include EMERGE (2023). Other credits include Evolution (2023) and Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. (2022). Laura Anawaty (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration. She has performed and choreographed multiple projects for the student organization Dance Action, where she currently serves as co-president. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Fall For Dance (2021, 2022) and PIVOT (2022), in addition to multiple performances as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). Claire Anstey (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a second-year UTeach Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has been dancing for the past 18 years. This is Anstey's first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Most recently, Anstey performed as a member of The University of Texas at Austin Dance Team at the National Dance Alliance College Nationals, where Anstey and her team were selected as Jazz National Finalists. Angel Blanco (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a Puerto Rican queer choreographer whose work exposes the inequalities that members of colonized and queer communities endure. They're compelled to sharpen the gaze of the onlooker with narrative scopes to formulate conversations around the subject matter. Characterizing traits of their culture as experimental guides for movement departure nurtures their creative process. Their movement is in conversation
with what it means to be maximal, minimal and necessary; questioning these forms of movement through research laboratories that invite others to collaborate, explore and fail. Mia Blitz (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a pre-health professions certificate at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Long Island, New York and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts while also training in a variety of styles at Kanyok Arts Initiative. Recent credits include TEDxUTAustin, EMERGE (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023), The Cohen New Works Festival (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023) and Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. (2021-2022). Bayleigh Breanne (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2; Rehearsal Assistant – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a M.F.A in Dance candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She has trained with artists and choreographers around the United States and internationally. Most recently, Breanne performed with New Orleans-based companies and choreographers: ELLEvate Dance Company, Mélange Dance Company, Artivism Dance Theatre, Arouna Guindo in residence with Binge Dance Festival and Jakki Kalogridis. Leo Briggs (Dancer - ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a first-year student pursuing a M.F.A. in Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. They graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Dance and Movement Studies from Emory University in 2019. Lilly Brown (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Brown’s recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Failures in Holding the Multiple (Fall For Dance, 2022), Of Mutants and Madmen (PIVOT, 2022), Raised on Estrangement (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and Evolution (2023).
CAST Jannah Collins (Dancer – Black Angel, what we cannot hold) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Sawubona and Of Mutants of Madmen (PIVOT, 2022); And I Can Breathe Again and Mo’Move/Meant in 3 (Fall For Dance, 2022) and ZAZ: The Big Easy (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). Collins has also created works for Evolution and The Cohen New Works Festival. Megan Davidson (Dancer – Black Angel, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a B.F.A in Dance major also pursuing a minor in African and African Diasporic studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in contemporary, ballet and jazz techniques. She has recently pursued more intense training in movement from the African Diaspora. Her most recent credits include The Way of Water: Onion Creek (Forklif Danceworks) and MICHIYAYA's why they are the way that they are in EMERGE (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023). Faith Davis (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2; Archival Team) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has danced with Houston Ballet, Ballet West and Texas Ballet Theater. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include A Million Alien Gospels (PIVOT, 2022), Failures in Holding the Multiple (Fall For Dance, 2022) and Live as ONE (EMERGE, 2023). Saada Diggs (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Her recent credits include ZAZ: The Big Easy (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and A Riverside Tale (thesis performance) as well as various other projects at the University. Grace Falconer (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She has received extensive dance training from Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. Falconer has previously
performed in Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. (2022) and The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) through Texas Theatre and Dance. This is her first performance with Dance Repertory Theatre. Merrin Foley (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where she trained in numerous dance styles and techniques through school, studios and intensives. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Red,Blue,Yellow: Magenta,Teal,Amber: Violet,Green,Orange (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and multiple works with Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. Payge Garcia (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in various dance styles. She recently performed and choreographed works as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). Other recent credits include Dance Repertory Theatre's Fall For Dance (2022) and Dance Action's S.E.E.D. Hayley Jeansonne (Dancer – tooth fairy) is a UTeach Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include EMERGE (2023), Evolution (2023), The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) and multiple works with Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. Lorna Luciano (Dancer – tooth fairy) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a pre-physical therapy certificate at The University of Texas at Austin. She is from San Antonio, Texas, where she trained extensively in contemporary, jazz and ballet dance styles. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Pop Refuge by Joel Valentín-Martínez (Fall For Dance, 2022), and Blue, Contrapposto, Blue by Venese Alcantar (EMERGE, 2023). Parker Manning (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Houston, Texas and trained at Masters Upper Level Dance Studio. Recent credits
CAST with Texas Theatre and Dance include And I Can Breathe Again (Fall For Dance, 2022) and Falling Into Structured Meaninglessness (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). Jalani Aminatta Miller (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a B.F.A in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in West African movement as well as hip hop. She is currently teaching at Balance Dance Studios and is continuing to broaden her career as a professional dancer. Makaila Natividad (Dancer – what we cannot hold, ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance student also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, she trained with Prisma Dance, where she studied a variety of dance techniques. Her recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include EMERGE (2023), The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) and Evolution (2023), as well as Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. (2022, 2023). Andrea Orta (Dancer – Black Angel, the inevitability of work (and the joy in it); Rehearsal Assistant – Black Angel) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a minor in Mexican American and Latino/a Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in numerous dance styles and techniques. Recent performance credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Fall For Dance (2021, 2022), PIVOT (2022) and EMERGE (2023), as well as Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. (2022). Drew Phipps (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Cohen New Works Festival (2023), as well as multiple works with Dance Action’s S.E.E.D. She has also participated in Barnstorm Dance Fest in Houston, Texas (2023). This is her first performance with Dance Repertory Theatre.
Arianna Puente (Dancer - what we cannot hold) is a third-year B.F.A. in Dance major also pursuing a minor in kinesiology and health education at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in dance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Witchcraf (Fall For Dance, 2022) and Renaissance Futura (EMERGE, 2023), as well as Evolution (2023). RyAnne Rovelo (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive and diverse background in many genres of dance. Recently she performed in Gesel Mason's Renaissance Futura as part of EMERGE (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023). She also choreographed for Dance Action's S.E.E.D. and has taken a professional ballet class with Austin Community Ballet. Valentina Reyes Rubio (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in dance and Latin rhythms, having represented the Danceholic Project in Street Dance Crew in her home country of Colombia. She worked for AAINJAA percussion company (20152021) as a performer on international tours. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include performances in The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) and Evolution (2023). Eden Ryder (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a B.F.A. in Dance student with deep roots in Texas. Originally from Dallas, she began her dance journey at The Dallas Conservatory and attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she received training from internationally acclaimed artists, educators and accomplished choreographers. Ryder made her Texas Theatre and Dance debut as part of Fall For Dance (2022) in digitalesque, choreographed by Rebecca Castillo.
CAST IvyCamille Sampson (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Her recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include …but you could’ve held my hand (2022), MICHIYAYA’s why they are the way that they are (EMERGE, 2023), Beneath the Melanin (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and a piece choreographed by Aída L. Hernandez-Reyes as part of Evolution (2023). Lauren Simpson (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a second-year UTeach Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has been dancing since the age of three and received training from Greater Austin Dance Academy. Cameron Suckle (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a B.F.A in Dance major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration. She grew up in Los Angeles, California and trained at The Industry Dance Academy. She has an extensive background in competitive dance in various styles, including contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop and ballroom, among others. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include And I Can Breathe Again (Fall For Dance, 2022) and Falling Into Structured Meaninglessness (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). Giuliana Velez (Dancer – what we cannot hold) is a B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Houston, Texas, she has trained in various dance styles and loves to pull from multiple perspectives in her artistry. Recent credits include works as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023) and her original choreographed piece Interconnection, performed at the American College Dance Association South-Central Regional Conference (2023).
Maxima Velasquez (Dancer – ETERNAL BONDS .2) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has extensive training in theatre and dance and has worked with various international performers from Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, Japan and Chile. Velasquez is an active dancer with Dance Action, a student run organization at UT Austin. This year, she makes her Texas Theatre and Dance debut in Fall For Dance as a performer in Valeria Y. Gonzalez’s piece. Wynter Winston (Dancer – the inevitability of work (and the joy in it)) is a second-year B.F.A. in Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in various aspects of performing arts, but her main focus is dance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include More Blackberries, Please, a project presented as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023).
CREW TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS FABRICATION STUDIO ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS J.E. JOHNSON KAREN MANESS PROJECT MANAGER DAVID TOLIN OPERATIONS MANAGER JASON LEE HUERTA PROPERTIES MANAGER CAROLYN HARDIN LEAD FABRICATOR HANK SCHWEMMER PROJECT SPECIALIST ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY
STAFF FIRST HAND JENNIFER BALL GRADUATE FIRST HANDS KAITLYN COMFORT MATTHEW SMITH COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE COSTUME CRAFTS ASSISTANTS JACOB BENIAM LUCIA CALLENDAR WIG HAIR AND MAKEUP SPECIALIST TARA COOPER STUDIO ASSISTANTS VIOLET CLEMMONS KATHERINE CONCANNON
SENIOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR SCOTT BUSSEY
STUDIO CREW SUPERVISORS MARISA LAWRENCE ALEX ROCKEY
GRADUATE PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS DANIEL RUIZ BUSTOS TERE GUERRERO C. JOSH MARTIN ZACH YOUNG
STUDIO CREW LAYLA ISAAC CELESTE IZAGUIRRE NOLAN MEYERS ARIA MORGAN JADEN WEST
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS MADISON JACKSON LYRIC VILLAREAL RYLEE VINES
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR DESIREE TOWNES
PRODUCTION LEADS LEAH AUSTIN KATHERINE CONCANNON ISABELLA HOLLIS ELLYSE JEFFERSON ROXOLANA KRYWONOS AUSTIN LUCHAK JONAH MAUGHAN
WARDROBE RUNNING CREW CHIEF LAURESTHER MEDINAJIMENEZ
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS ELIZABETH BANDA NAHLA BELTRAN BRIDGETTE CLIFFORD DANIEL GELD AUSTIN LIVINGSTON KRISTA MCLEOD BEN NUNN GABRIEL GOMEZ REYES CASSIDY WEN JULIA YELVINGTON 324P FABRICATION PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS MADYSEN CRISS CODIE LIGHTFOOT HARPER WELLS
THEATRE AND DANCE COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA PRODUCTION ASSOCIATES DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES JONATHAN WATERS STAFF DRAPERS SARAH BARBOUR WAYNE FOWKS POUA YANG
WARDROBE ASSISTANT MARISA LAWRENCE
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS ASSISTANT LIGHTING SUPERVISOR MICHAEL SHANKS SUPERVISING ELECTRICIAN MICHAEL SHANKS ASSISTANT SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS REESE HERNDON GIBBY MARTINEZ SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS SARAH JEAN ELLIOTT KALLIE “KP” PIERCE GAVIN STRAWNATO ZACH YOUNG 324P LIGHTING FACULTY SUPERVISOR SEB BOONE 324P THEATRE AND DANCE LIGHTING CREW JONATHAN AMEZCUA CATHERINE DISHINGTON GABRIELA MACHADO ELYSE ROSARIO JOSE CALVILLO SALINAS JULIA VEIGA TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING CREW ADAM CORONADO CARLA GARCIA LEIJA GILBERT MARTINEZ ZACKARY READ MATTHEW E. SMITH SHELLY UPHAM JACOB ZAMARRIPA LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR ZOE GOLESKI
WARDROBE RUNNING CREW MADELEINE BIRMINGHAM LAUREN DORSETT CATALINA DUONG EMERSON HARTMAN JULIA LIETNER HUNTER PURVIS KENDALL WENMOTES
AUDIO
COSTUME STOCK SUPERVISOR DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO CREW GEORGIA BECKHAM DEMIAN CHAVEZ BRYCE RIGGLE
COSTUME STOCK ASSISTANTS MEAGAN BEATTIE MEGGIE HUNT EMORY KENNEMORE
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO/VIDEO SUPERVISOR DREW MILLAY TPA ASSISTANT AUDIO/ VIDEO SUPERVISOR CHRIS PAYEUR
AUDIO BOARD OPERATORS DIEGO GUERRA COOPER SMITHER
PROPS
MEDIA
PROP STOCK MANAGERS KATELYN NGYUEN LEILA RABAH
INTEGRATED MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR EARNEST MAZIQUE
SCENERY/PROPS CREW CHANDLER COLLINS MADYSEN CRISS MODESOLAOLUWA “OYIN” OJOMO KARLEE OSBORN MAKENZIE PEACOCK
MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS ARASH BAQIPUR NITSAN SCHARF SYDNEY SOUSA
LIGHTING TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING SUPERVISOR SARAH CANTU
MEDIA SHOP CREW KATRINA ESPINOZA ANDREW LIMAS HUNTER SIMON MACKENZIE THORNTON REBEKAH URBAN CHLOE WHITEHEAD MEDIA OPERATOR ANDRE LIRA
PRODUCTION ADVISORS STAGE MANAGEMENT RUSTY CLOYES DIRECTING KJ SANCHEZ ALEXANDRA BASSIAKOU SHAW COSTUME DESIGN RAQUEL BARRETO COSTUME TECHNOLOGY DAVID AREVALO LIGHTING DESIGN MICHELLE HABECK INTEGRATED MEDIA FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE KATE FREER SCENIC DESIGN JOSAFATH REYNOSO SOUND DESIGN PHILLIP OWEN DRAMATURGY MADGE DARLINGTON RESIDENT INTIMACY DIRECTOR ANDY GRAPKO CREW SUPERVISOR AUSTIN SHIRLEY
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION RUSTY CLOYES TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS DIRECTOR OF FABRICATION AND ACADEMIC PRODUCTION JEFF GRAPKO FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGEMENT AND TICKETING DANA MCLAUGHLIN PR/MARKETING MEGAN BOMMARITO SYDNEY PATTILLO PHOTOGRAPHER THOMAS ALLISON GRAPHIC DESIGNER JEFF GRAY