You & Me Program 2015

ERMA LOWE HALL, STUDIO THEATRE

JANUARY 29-31 // 2015 // 8PM

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DARK CIRCLES CONTEMPORARY DANCE JAN 29–31 / / 8PM

ERMA LOWE HALL, STUDIO THEATRE

JOSHUA L. PEUGH / founder artistic director

JAMES GREGG JORDAN MOSER guest artists

DANCERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EMILY BERNET

DANNY ANCHONDO JR.

SALVATORE BONILLA

BRYAN BLACKMON

DAVID CROSS

DALLAS BLAGG

CHADI EL-KHOURY

ALICIA CHANG

ALEX KARIGAN FARRIOR

EVAN FARRIOR

DEXTER GREEN

ADAM HOUGLAND

SARAH HAMMONDS

BRYAN HUNT

STEFFANI LOPEZ

JOHN KARIGAN

KELSEY ROHR

DR. KATHRYN LARSON JOSHUA L. PEUGH

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PHOTO BY: STEPHANIE CROUSILLAT

Dear Friends, Welcome to our Winter Series at the Erma Lowe Hall, Studio Theatre!

As a young company, we have faced challenges and opportunities,and have embraced both with energy, vitality and a determination to grow and thrive.

The last few months have been inspiring, invigorating and thrilling.They have brought us together with the TCU School of Classical & Contemporary Dance performing in their delightful space and teaching master classes for their enthusiastic students. As we have with SMU, we continue to build both partnerships and relationships within the educational communities in Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and forge a vibrant artistic vision for the community. Our performances in the newly renovated Emma Lowe Hall are emblematic of this effort, and we are delighted to mark our newest association with these performances.

ABOUT THE COMPANY Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (DCCD) was founded by Joshua L. Peugh and Cho Hyun Sang and had its first performance in the spring of 2010 in Seoul, South Korea.

Since then, the internationally acclaimed company has performed all over Asia, Europe, and North America.

Commended for innovative combinations of classical technique and modern movement styles, DCCD explores the depths of human connections within a multicultural framework, taking a cross-cultural approach to the moving body.

The Company’s newest branch - based in North Texas and lead by internationally award-winning choreographer Joshua L. Peugh - bridges the gap between East and West. Hailed as “a rising star in the Dallas dance arena” (DIYdancer.com), DCCD made its American debut in 2013 and was soon after recognized in the top ten of TheaterJones’ “2013 Review: The Year in Dance.” It has been praised as “frequently stunning, and always fascinating” (DFW.com).

DCCD is dedicated to bringing the progressive work of international choreographers and dancers to a worldwide audience. It strives to educate the public on the power of movement in communicating ideas.

In our pursuit of the creation of bold and sophisticated dance programming, we have commissioned a new work from James Gregg. I first met him last winter when we were both making dances for BalletX in Philadelphia. As our friendship developed, we spent time discussing our passion for dance over meals and coffee. I was immediately drawn to his aesthetic and values, and commissioned an original piece for Dark Circles from this talented choreographer. For tonight’s program, James and the dancers have shaped a world worthy of the dark visions of Cormac McCarthy, a domain where life and loss become characters themselves. For the first time, we have also commissioned a composer to create original music. Jordan Moser’s haunting score written for Boonflood, U.S.A. is captivating and particularly thoughtful.

I choreographed the second work on tonight’s program as a commission for The Dance Gallery Festival last October. Dark Circles were proud to perform at their esteemed Level UP program in New York at Ailey Citigroup Theater. For me, Critics of the Morning Song is particularly special because it was created with and for Alex Karigan Farrior. She performed some of my first essays in choreography when we were both undergraduates at SMU. Sharing the stage with her more than a decade later is a precious gift for me.

The premiere I’ve created for tonight is an unusual and idiosyncratic work. The trajectory of YOU AND ME began with the idea of using an 8-bit soundscape to create the atmosphere of an arcade game. But inside that seemingly anarchic ecosphere, I saw the opportunity to explore the nature of partnerships; it became the story of Mario and Luigi on a quest. Yet the dance has become surprisingly more complex and meaningful for me, becoming a kind of personal movement metaphor of order and symmetry and the contradictions and beauty humanity can bring. Whenever and whatever I create, it is the reality around me that dictates the fantasy world I build.

We are happy you have chosen to spend your evening with us. I look forward to sharing this program with you.

Sincerely,

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JOSHUA L. PEUGH founder & artistic director

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WORLD PREMIERE

BOONFLOOD,, U.S.A.

CRITICS OF THE MORNING SONG

CHOREOGRAPHY: James Gregg

CHOREOGRAPHY: Joshua L. Peugh

MUSIC: Jordan Moser

MUSIC: “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” by Ray Conniff, Judy Garland & David Rose, and Perry Como

LIGHTING DESIGN: Roma Flowers DANCERS: David Cross, Chadi El-Khoury, Alex Karigan Farrior, Sarah Hammonds, Steffani Lopez, & Joshua L. Peugh

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PREMIERED OCTOBER 26, 2014 THE DANCE G A L L E R Y F E S T I V A L : L E V E L U P, N Y C

LIGHTING DESIGN: Roma Flowers DANCERS: Alex Karigan Farrior & Joshua L. Peugh

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WORLD PREMIERE

JOSHUA L. PEUGH

is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dark Circles Contemporary Dance. After graduating cum laude from Southern Methodist University, Joshua moved to South Korea to join Universal Ballet Company where he performed soloist and featured roles in the works of Ohad Naharin, Christopher Wheeldon and others. After two-and-a-half years with the company, Joshua left UBC and co-founded Dark Circles Contemporary Dance in Seoul. Since then, he has created work for festivals all over Asia, Europe, and North America winning awards for his choreography in Korea, Japan, Canada, and the USA. He has been chosen as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” for 2015, and was recently named an “important discovery” by New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay for Slump. Joshua has been commissioned to create new dance works for BODYTRAFFIC, BalletX, Company E, Dallas Black Dance Theatre II, Southern Methodist University, and Booker T. Washington HSPVA and is the choreographer for the rolling world premiere of Andrew Hinderaker’s Colossal at Dallas Theater Center. He has also served as a juror for the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, as Associate Choreographer for Bruce Wood Dance Project, and as a member of the adjudication panel for the Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition.

JAMES GREGG CHOREOGRAPHY: Joshua L. Peugh MUSIC: “Super Mario Bros. - Underwater Theme” by 8-Bit Arcade; “U_08-1” by Alva Noto; “Requiem, Op.48: 4. Pie Jesu” by Sylvia McNair, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & John Birch; “Ans (For Evgeny Murzin)” by Alva Noto; “mur” by Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto; & “Walking With Elephants” by Ten Walls

Born in Wheatridge, Colorado and raised in Oklahoma, James Gregg is now a Montreal-based choreographer. He has set choreographic works on Danceworks Chicago, BalletX, Northwest Dance Project, Nashville Ballet’s Emergence, Springboard Danse Project Montreal, River North Dance Company, Elements Contemporary Ballet, and also L’Ecole Superieure de Danse de Quebec. Most recently, James won Ballet Austin’s 2014 New American Talent Choreographic Competition. He was also a finalist in Milwaukee Ballets’s 2013 Genesis Choreographic Competition, and in 2011 was the winner of the International Choreographic Competition at Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. As a performer, James worked with Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Aszure & Artists, Rubberband Dance, and River North Dance Company. Throughout his career he had the opportunity to do the works of many renowned choreographers including Victor Quijada, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Rodrigo Pedernieras, Frank Chauves, Danny Ezralow, Mauro Bigonzetti, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto, and many more.

JORDAN MOSER LIGHTING DESIGN: Roma Flowers DANCERS: David Cross, Chadi El-Khoury, Alex Karigan Farrior, Sarah Hammonds, Steffani Lopez, & Joshua L. Peugh

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Jordan Moser is a singer-songwriter, composer and dancer based in Austin Texas. He has been with Ballet Austin since 2007. In 2012 Jordan released his fist full length record, ‘Sleeping Bag’ to critical acclaim. The Austin Chronicle said, “Jordan Moser’s debut shows off a musical side that’s difficult to pin down. He is a newcomer to watch!”. Last spring he released his second record ‘Mainstream Reservoir’ on Brooklyn based record label Punctum Records.

Jordan has had two ballets created to his songs, ‘Hiding Places’ and ‘Path You Came Here By’ choreographed by Michelle Thompson. He has been commissioned to create music for several different projects including Ballet Zaida, Yoga with Adrienne, and others. In 2014 Jordan Moser received a grant from the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation to create music for ‘Queer Angels’ as part of a collaboration with Nick Kepley for Motion Dance Theater.

EMILY BERNET

is a native of Dallas, Texas and is currently pursing a BFA in Dance Performance at Southern Methodist University. She is a gra3duate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Emily has performed in works by Joost Vrouenraets, Dwight Rhoden, and Larry Keigwin among others, and has attended summer intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Emily is a founding member of DCCD’s United States branch.

SALVATORE BONILLA

is a native of Puerto Rico. He began his dance training at CCCEPA performing arts magnet program at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton Georgia. He is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance at Southern Methodist University. Salvatore has performed works by Bill T. Jones, Adam Hougland, and Maurice Brandon Curry. This is his first season with DCCD.

DAVID CROSS

is a native of Kansas City, Missouri where he began his dance career as a b-boy. He is a recent graduate of University of Missouri, Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance where he received a B.F.A. in Dance Performance with an emphasis in Ballet. He has performed in works by Gary Abbott, Jamal Story, Paula Weber, Bernard Gaddis, DeeAnna Hiett, Kevin Iega Jeff, Ron Tice, Kristopher Estes-Brown and Sabrina Madison-Cannon as well as in ballets, musicals, music videos, live band performances, and in the movie Three Blind Saints. David was also a guest artist with Storling Dance Theater in their acclaimed production Underground. He performed at the grand opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and at the ACDFA’s National College Conference at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. David has toured Australia and the USA with GX International and throughout the Midwest competing in dance battles with his crew Boogie Munstars Family (BMF).

ALEX KARIGAN FARRIOR

was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Dallas, Texas. She received a BFA from Southern Methodist University. Alex has danced professionally with Amy Marshall Dance Company, BODYART, ModArts Dance Collective, and Bruce Wood Dance Project. In addition to performing, Alex has also collaborated with renowned dance photographer, Lois Greenfield, and has been featured in Ms. Greenfield’s 2011, 2012, and 2013 Breaking Bounds calendars.

Alex is currently pursing an MFA in Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University. Alex joined Dark Circles Contemporary Dance in the spring of 2014.

DEXTER GREEN

is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He began his dance training at the age of three at Tari’s School of Dance and later joined Revolution Dance Co. In 2011, Dexter graduated from Catholic High School. He is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance at Southern Methodist University where he has performed works by Bill T. Jones, Adam Hougland, Joost Vrouenrates, Joshua L. Peugh and Bruce Wood.

Dexter is a founding member of DCCD’s United States branch.

SARAH HAMMONDS

a native of Dallas, Texas, graduated cum laude from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Marketing. Prior to attending SHSU, Sarah studied dance at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she performed works by Peter Chu, Nathan Trice, Jessica Lang, Jennifer Mabus, and several others. At SHSU she had the privilege of performing in works by guest artists IMEE, Gina Swarenson, and David Justin. In 2012, she represented SHSU at the American College Dance Festival where she performed Spin Cycle Symphony choreographed

by Ashley Clos. Sarah has also performed as a guest artist with NobleMotion Dance and assisted director Andy Noble in setting his work. She joined DCCD in the spring of 2014.

CHADI EL-KHOURY

a native of Beirut, Lebanon, spent his formative years in Dallas, Texas. He began his ballet training at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2010, Chadi graduated with a B.A. in Theology and Sociology and a minor in Applied Research Methods before pursuing a B.F.A. at University of Missouri, Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. In September of 2013, Chadi was selected as a performing artist for Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project Studio Residency Program. He has also been selected to participate in the inaugural PUSHfest Dance Festival at the state-of-the-art ODC Theater in San Francisco, California this fall. Most recently, Chadi showcased work at Dallas Dance Fest at Dallas City Performance Hall in Dallas, Texas. He has staged work for Dark Circles Contemporary Dance and has created new work for Texas Ballet Theater’s Youth Ensemble to showcase at Youth American Grand Prix.

STEFFANI LOPEZ

is a native of Dallas, Texas. She began her training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Motion Center for Dance. Steffani has continued her training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she is a member of Repertory Dance Company II. She has performed works by Robert Battle, Joshua L. Peugh, Andy Noble, and Dwight Rhoden among others. Steffani is a founding member of DCCD’s United States branch.

KELSEY ROHR

is from Richmond, Virginia where she started studying dance at Richmond Ballet through their public outreach program, Minds in Motion. She has performed works by George Balanchine, Adam Hougland, Ohad Naharin, Salvatore Aiello, and Joshua L. Peugh and has attended summer programs at Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She is currently pursuing a BFA at Southern Methodist University. This is Kelsey’s first season with DCCD.

DONORS DCCD is funded in part by the generosity of the following donors: MR. & MRS. BLAKE A. BERNET SCOTT & RENEE ROHR SCOTT & CHERRI WALLIS ALEX BROMBAL RIC & KIM ABEL READ & STEVE GENDLER DANNY CURRY MR. & MRS. ROBERT D. BEASLEY JEANNE F. LARSON DR. SHELLEY BERG KAREN P. KRIETE KATHERINE KARIGAN KATIE PUDER TRAVIS ACREMAN VAN & COLETTE BULLOCK CARRIE JANE LOFTIS CHESTER ALEXANDER TANIA ALBARRACIN JEREMY ANDRZEJEWSKI CAROLYN LOFTIS

EMILY HUNTER

BRIAN KENNY

LISA STOLLER

LESLIE PECK

MR. RICHARD SHAFFER

LARRY LANE

NICHOLE BURNS

DAVID J. DEVEAU

AUDREY ROGERS

SONDRA GOLZAD

MS. ELIZABETH VAN VLECK

ESTELA TEJEDA-MORENO

MISS. MORGAN PALMER

PATTY HARRINGTON DELANEY

HATTIE HAGGARD ALLISON BECK MS. CASEY KEELING CHRISTOPHER HAM JOSIE BALDREE LAURA HAILEY KENDA SIMS ALLISON LEOPOLD ROY ENRIQUEZ AMY FARRIOR DANIEL ANCHONDO HEATHER GUTHRIE DEREK BUMPAS ALICIA CHANG

CARLOS NICHOLLS MEJIA DANIEL BURACZESKI LAURA VECHIONE MICHELE SELF

SUPPORT DCCD’S FUTURE Like most organizations creating and performing concert dance, DCCD depends on donations from big-hearted supporters like you. Please consider making a donation to Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, so we can continue to bring the universal language of movement to a worldwide audience. A donation in any amount is helpful. Donations can be made through our website: DarkCirclesContemporaryDance.com SPECIAL THANKS Special thanks to Preston Center Dance, Kreative J, Tania Lopez, Asian Film Festival of Dallas, SMU Meadows School of the Arts, TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance, and Eugenia P. Stallings.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES: FEBRUARY 21, 2015 // 7:30PM

AIDS Outreach Center Benefit Concert Erma Lowe Hall, Studio Theatre Fort Worth, Texas

JENNIFER MABUS TYE LOVE

MARCH 21, 2015 // 8:00PM

HYUN-JUN RHEE

Breaking Ground Dance & Film Festival Tempe Center for the Arts Tempe, Arizona

YOO-HEE SON

MARCH 27 – 28, 2015

DALLAS BLAGG KATIE PUDER BRIDGET L. MOORE

ANGELA SANTOYO

Richland College Dance Concert Bella Giorno Richland College Main Theatre Dallas, Texas

APRIL 18, 2015 // 8:00PM

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Austin Dance Festival AustinVentures Studio Theater Austin, Texas

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