In Memoriam: James O. Barnhill ,Professor Emeritus James Orris Barnhill, born on May 23, 1922 and died October 16, 2021. Born in Sumner, Mississippi, a son of the late Reverend James A. and Louise (Sullivan) Barnhill, and brother of the late Joseph M. Barnhill. He was a Providence resident for over 60 years. He was educated at Mississippi College, Yale University (B.A. 1947), and New York University (M.A. 1949) before returning to Yale for School of Drama (M.F.A. 1954). He taught for one year at Dubuque University in Iowa and started as an Instructor at Brown University in Providence in 1954, where he became an Assistant Professor of English in 1958 and Professor in 1975. He was appointed Professor of Theater Arts in 1978 and was one of the founding members of Brown’s Theatre, Speech, and Dance Department, serving as its first Chairperson and facilitating the founding of the Rites and Reason Theatre of the Africana Studies Department. He remained active with the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies after his retirement in 1987. He was instrumental in setting up Brown’s joint programs with Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS and taught there in 1979-1980 and 1984-1985. He was also a Fulbright Professor of English at Calicut University, Baroda, Gujarat, India in 1983-84, taught at RI School of Design 1986-1994, and taught at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan from 1995 to 1997. During WWII, he was in the US Navy in the Pacific Theatre and was the Executive Officer of a landing craft participating in the Okinawa campaign and in the Occupation of Japan. In Providence, he was one of the founders of Trinity Square Repertory Theatre, working for 3 seasons with the company and serving in a variety of positions, including stage manager and actor. During his time at Brown, he directed over 200 plays and at RISD he started a cabaret with Visiting Professor Szymon Bojko and Agnieszka Taborska from Poland. At Brown, Barnhill had many students who became well-known actors and theatre practitioners, including James Naughton, Kate Burton, Aunjanue Ellis, Jobeth Williams, Laura Linney, John Lee Beatty, Richard Foreman, and many others.
Don B. Wilmeth, Professor Emeritus Don B. Wilmeth (Ph.D., U. of Illinois, 1964), born in Houston, Texas, in 1939, was an Asa Messer Professor Emeritus and Emeritus Professor of Theatre and of English, Brown University, retiring in 2003 after thirty-six years there, sixteen as chair of the theatre department. He was the author, editor, coeditor, or series editor of over four dozen books, including the award-winning three-volume Cambridge History of American Theatre, which has been issued in a paperback edition. In 2007 he completed a new edition of the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre.In addition to Brown, he taught at Smith College, Tufts University, and Trinity University (Texas), and was a distinguished speaker at various universities and professional meetings, including the Universities of Indiana, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the Mid-American Theatre Conference where he served as respondent. He is considered a pioneer in the serious study of American popular entertainment and an established authority on the history of American theatre and drama. A former president of the American Society for Theatre Research and dean emeritus of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, Don Wilmeth served as vice president of the International Shaw Society, hosting an international Bernard Shaw conference at Brown, June 2006. He was the recipient of career and research recognitions from the New England Theatre Conference, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the Society for Theatre Research (UK), the American Society for Theatre Research, and the Theatre Library Association. ATHE also honored him for his work as an editor. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Wilmeth was an actor and director, and an ardent collector of theatre and entertainment ephemera and memorabilia, as well as books on the history of the theatre (over 5,000). He was a proud member of the local (Keene) Hourglass Readers. He mounted exhibits drawn from his collection at Franklin Pierce University as well as one at the Cheshire County (NH) Historical Society. During the Brown University commencement in 2008 he received the William Williams Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Brown University Library.
Brown University’s Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies presents
Festival of Dance 2022 April 8 - 10, 2022 Produced by Julie Adams Strandberg
Merry-Go-Round Restaging by Abby Perelman ‘22 Carry On Wayward Son Performance by The Bear Bones DANZÓN NO. 2 Choreography by Patricia Seto-Weiss Ecce Etude Choreography by Danny Grossman International Waltz and Tango Choreography by Ang Li ‘19 and Rea Yoh ‘22 Rush Hour Choreography by Robert Battle Choreography adaptation by Erika Pujič --INTERMISSION-Bring you Home Choreography by Wendy Rein ‘99 and Ryan T. Smith ‘02 Musical Interlude Enge En Punnagai Choreography by Abby Perelman ‘22, Vasu Jayanthi ‘23 and Hamsa Shanmugam ‘24 Ember Choreography by Wendy Rein ‘99 and Ryan T. Smith ‘02 The Envelope Choreography by David Parsons
Production Staff Production Director ............................................ Barbara Reo Communications/Audience Services Manager .. Brianne Shaw Festival Lighting Designer ........................................ Tim Hett Festival Sound & Video Engineer .................... Alex Eizenberg Stage Manager ...................................... Tyler Zickmund ‘22.5
Run Crew Jacob Glueck ‘25, Jeremy Ha ‘25, Mia Humphrey ‘25 Amit Levi ‘25, Yennefer Liu ‘25, Sumaiya Ramsaroop ‘25 Sabrina Sanclemente ‘25, Charles Shi ‘25, Nicole Dennis Talley ‘25, Ekaterina Vanurina ‘25 Special Thanks Brown Arts Institute
Please take a moment to note the fire exits. There is an exit at each corner of the theatre. Use of recording devices, cameras, and cell phones is not permitted. As a courtesy to patrons and performers, please silence all electronic devices. The video taping or other video or audio recording of this production by any individual not expressly directed to do so by Brown University is strictly prohibited. All or portions of Brown University events and their participants may be captured by photography or video and used for news or Brown promotional purposes.
Producers Note 53 YEARS This concert marks the end of an era, as I will retire at the end of this academic year. I founded the dance program in 1969 and have directed it ever since. In those 53 years I produced over 150 concerts and events. So this dance concert is bittersweet for me. I have tried to curate it in a way that reflects my philosophy that university dance concerts should showcase works by faculty, students, and guest artists side-by-side to reflect the richness and diversity of the Brown dance community. In this concert you will see dancers in works by guest choreographers, a ballet by faculty Patricia Seto-Weiss, and original works by student groups, What’s On Tap, Ballroom, and Abinaya. Within this broad approach, the focus of my arts research has been through my course: Dance Performance and Repertory, familiarly known as Dance Extension. I founded it in 1979 on the premise that the training of dancers must include the opportunity to perform, teach, and revisit masterworks; the chance to have new works set on them by emerging choreographers; the support to create their own work; and the mentoring to prepare them to be holistic artists in the contemporary world. Over the past 43 years their performing experiences have ranged from dancing in over 17 works by icons of American dance to being one of the first companies to experiment with the use of motion capture in performance with Troika Ranch, a performance ensemble that created contemporary, hybrid artworks through an ongoing examination of the moving body and its relationship to technology. As my last concert at Brown, this is also the final concert of Dance Extension and tonight’s program highlights dances that have particular significance for the company.
The Envelope by David Parsons, set on the company in 1986, has been performed in multiple venues by multiple casts and has been passed down dancer-to-dancer for the last 36 years. Merry-Go-Round has been performed by three generations of Brown dancers. In 1983, I created and performed in a cabaret at Brown called Shades of the Cotton Club, which included six Brown students as the “New Cotton Club Girls.” Merry-Go-Round was reconstructed on them by two original “Cotton Club Girls.” In 1990, Merry-Go-Round was restaged by a Brown Extension member for inclusion in The Duke and His Mistress: a celebration of Duke Ellington’s 100th birthday, a collaboration between Extension and the Brown Jazz Band. Restaged once again for this concert by an Extension member, Merry-Go-Round now lives in the bodies of contemporary tap dancers and through these performances connect all of us to the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance. Since 1997, Extension has performed nine Repertory Etudes, short dances based on signature works by American choreographers. I have chosen Ecce Etude by Danny Grossman to represent the collection. Bring You Home is a restaging of a work by Extension alumni, Ryan Smith ‘02 and Wendy Rein ‘99, celebrating the tradition of engaging alumni dancers to reconnect with current student dancers. And Rush Hour by Robert Battle has been in the repertory since 2003. Tonight, through live performance and on film, Rush Hour honors the wide circle of friends who create together and make up the extended Extension community. As my era ends, I hope and trust that I leave a launching pad for those that will follow. Julie Adams Strandberg
Sue E. Perlmutter Fund for Dance The dance program is honored and grateful for the support of the Sue E. Perlmutter Fund for Dance. Festival of Dance 2019 features works by Wendy Jehlen ‘94, Omari Wiles Mizrahi, RAW Dance Theatre, and international artists Marcel Gbeffa (Benin), Kae Ishimoto (Japan), Luciane Ramos-Silva (Brazil), Ibrahim Adbo (Egypt), Sarveshan Gangen (India-South Africa), Danang Pamungkas (Indonesia), and Yasin Anar (Turkey) whose residencies were made possible because of the generosity of the Perlmutter Family and friends of Sue Perlmutter. The Sue E.Perlmutter Fund brings visiting choreographers, dancers, and musicians to Brown University annually for the benefit of dance scholarship and for the enjoyment of students, faculty, and the general public. The Fund was established in loving memory of Sue E. Perlmutter P’06 by her husband, Marc E. Perlmutter ’74, P’06, as a lasting legacy to Sue, her love of dance, and her commitment to the joyful celebration of life through movement. Sue Perlmutter (1952-2015) was born in Philadelphia and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut before obtaining a Masters degree in Education at Tufts University in 1975. She loved music and the arts and had a particular passion for Jazz Dance throughout her adult life, both as a student and a performer. “She had a smile that lit up the studio and a contagious zest for life,” one of her instructors has observed, and “flew into class like Tinkerbell, sprinkling her positive fairy dust amongst us all.” Trained as a teacher, Sue taught Jazz Dance to American, Japanese and Southeast Asian students at several schools, including The American School in Japan, while living as an expatriate with her family in Hong Kong and Tokyo for seven years. Sue also valued diversity and, after returning to New York in 1993, she pursued her interest in learning and teaching about different world cultures while working as a cross-cultural acclimation specialist with clients moving to and from the US. The Sue E. Perlmutter Fund for Dance was established by her husband of forty years, Marc ’74, and her children Dara and Eric ‘06 in loving memory of Sue and as a lasting legacy to her lifelong study of dance.
Merry-Go-Round
Restaging: Abby Perelman ‘22 restaging of an original Cotton Club routine reconstructed in 1991 by Jennifer Hyde Dracos-Tice ‘92 Music: “Merry-Go-Round” by Duke Ellington Performers: Dance Extension and What’s On Tap? Miriam Arden ‘23, Morgan DeLancy ‘22, Rachel Hemmer ‘23, Abby Perelman ‘22, Adeline Schwartz ‘22.5, Claudia Spelman ‘24, Jada Wooten ‘24, Zoe Zimmermann ‘22.5
“Merry-Go-Round” was part of The Duke and His Mistress: Edward Kennedy Ellington in music and dance, a concert that was a collaboration between Dance Extension, directed by Julie Adams Strandberg, and the Brown Jazz Band, directed by Matthew McGarrell, in celebration of Duke Ellington’s 100th birthday. The show premiered on campus in 1990 and toured to alumni clubs in London, New York City, and Boston over the next nine years.
Carry on Wayward Son
Performers: The Bear Bones Ian Ackerman ‘23, Marcus Bartholomew ‘22, Gareth Mansfield ‘24, Leah Mims ‘22, Benjamin Newcomb ‘23, Christopher Pawul ‘24, William Perry ‘22, Victoria Rose ‘23, Darra Snow ‘23, Ethan Vivoda-Sadee ‘24 Music: “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas, Arr. Thomas Huang
“Carry On Wayward Son” is a rock song that was released in 1976 as a part of Kansas’ Leftoverture album. The song is widely regarded as one of the band’s best creations, and it reached number 11 in the top 100 charts after its release. The song also achieved a quadruple platinum designation in 2019. For this performance, an adapted version of the piece will be played solely on trombone.
DANZÓN NO. 2
Choreography: Patricia Seto-Weiss Costume Design: Frances Romasco Music: Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez Performers: Sophia Ahn ‘22, Abby Cohen ’24, Allie Coonin ‘21.5, Camille Donoho ’24, Brynn Goggins ’24, Kaetlyn Liddy ’22, Elise Petit ’25, Smita Rajan ’24*, Claudia Spelman ’24, Jillian Talenda ’22*, Catherine Vandermillen ’22, Alanna Zhang ‘25 (* 2pm performances only)”
“This piece was developed as part of the course in Advanced Ballet with Repertory (TAPS 1344) in collaboration with the dancers. It is a balletic interpretation of Mexican composer Arturo Márquez’s “Danzón No. 2.” Márquez’s orchestral piece marries musical influences from Latin America, Africa, and Europe, and pays homage to a traditional salon dance from Veracruz, Mexico, called danzón. In this choreography, we stayed mainly within a balletic vocabulary with only the occasional break from tradition. A big thank you to all the dancers for their hard work and dedication!”
Ecce Etude (1977)
Choreography: Danny Grossman Restaging Laura Bennett ‘92 and Hayley Kenney Costume Design: Mary Kerr Lighting Design: Nicholas Cernovitch after Peter Anderson Music: J.S. Bach, “Cantata #78” Performers: Dance Extension Abby Perelman ‘22, Ty Scott ‘22, Jada Wooten ‘24
Inspired by religious paintings and sculptures of Michaelangelo Ecce Etude, the trio from Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), is part of Dancing Legacy’s Repertory Etudes Collection, conceived and curated by Carolyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandberg. Repertory Etudes are short dances based on or excerpted from signature works by significant American choreographers that offer people, from all walks of life, the opportunity to explore, discuss, and appreciate their own personal connection to American dance as well as its cultural relevance.
International Waltz and Tango
Choreography: Ang Li ‘19 and Rea Yoh ‘22 Coaching: Randall Deats and Kathy St. Jean; Katia Kanevskaya and Rudiger Homm Music: “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme”, Remix by DJ Ice; “Jalousie” by Jacob Gade Performers:Brown Ballroom Rance Club Ang Li ‘19, Rea Yoh ‘22
Rush Hour (1998) Choreography: Robert Battle Music: John Mackey Costumes: Frances Romasco
Part 1: On Stage Restaging: Erika Pujič Performers: Dance Extension Ariana Clark ‘24, Abby Cohen ‘24, Morgan DeLancy ‘22, Rachel Hemmer ‘23, Abby Perelman ‘22, Ty Scott ‘22, Jada Wooten ‘24 (Fri/Sun), Alanna Zhang ‘25 (Sat)
Rush Hour (1998) (cont) Part 2: On Location Choreography adaptation for film: Erika Pujič Direction: Laura Bennett ‘92 Editing and Primary Cinematography: Deanna Camputaro Performers: Bak Middle School of the Arts dancers, directed by Haley Campbell and Heidi Sperounis, filmed in West Palm Beach, FL Central Falls High School dancers, directed by Deanna Camputaro, filmed in Central Falls and Providence, RI Dance Extension, directed by Julie Adams Strandberg, filmed on and off campus in Providence, RI Dancing Legacy Ensemble, directed by Laura Bennett ‘92, filmed in Boston, MA, New York City and Saratoga Springs, NY, and Providence and Riverside, RI DAPpers (Dance for All People), directed by Rachel Balaban, filmed on zoom and in Providence, RI Fusionworks Youth Ensemble, directed by Hayley Kenney, filmed in Lincoln and Providence, RI
Rush Hour (1998) (cont) Note from Julie Adams Strandberg:
Since 2013, an intergenerational community of dancers has come together to learn, rehearse, and perform the same dance together. That community includes Brown’s Dance Extension (which I have directed since 1979), Central Falls High School students, Dancing Legacy Ensemble, and DAPpers (Dance for All People). Each group learns the dance separately, but they also visit each other’s venues and several times in the process the whole cast comes together at Brown’s Ashamu Dance Studio where they warm-up together, do community-building activities, and stage the dance for the whole company. The intricate staging is masterfully designed and rehearsed by the professional dancers from Dancing Legacy Ensemble. Sadly, because of Covid restrictions, working towards a live performance with this community, now including students from Fusionworks Dance Center, became impossible. But we decided to focus on what we could do and not what we couldn’t do. We could make a film. This film captures the resolve and resilience of the community members who rehearsed on zoom and filmed outdoors, sometimes in windy raw weather, just to be together. The film also allowed us to include more partners from remote locations – students from Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL, and Dancing Legacy Ensemble members in New York City, Saratoga Springs, NY, and Boston, MA. As part of my last concert before I retire this June, I am delighted that this film offers an opportunity for you to meet this group of young and mid-life professional dancers, college dancers, dancers with Parkinson’s disease and other movement challenges, pre-teens, and teenagers – some recent non-English speaking immigrants. And while we have grieved the loss of sharing a live performance, this film will live on forever as a snapshot of this moment in history and a permanent tribute to this unique community.
INTERMISSION
Bring You Home (premiere)
Choreography: Wendy Rein ‘99 and Ryan T. Smith ‘02 Costume Design: Frances Romasco Music: Joel St. Julien” Performers: Dance Extension Ariana Clark ‘24, Abby Cohen ‘24, Morgan DeLancy ‘22, Rachel Hemmer ‘23, Abby Perelman ‘22, Ty Scott ‘22, Jada Wooten ‘24, Alanna Zhang ‘25
Special thanks to the original cast of “Requiem” (2017), who put some of these ideas into motion. And to Julie Strandberg for creating an expansive, multi-generational dance family through Extension.
Enge En Punnagai
Choreography and Staging: Abby Perelman ‘22, Vasu Jayanthi ‘23, Hamsa Shanmugam ‘24 Costume Design: Frances Romasco Music: Enge En Punnagai Performers: Abhinaya and What’s On Tap? Miriam Arden ‘23, Quinn Erickson ‘24, Rachel Hemmer ‘23 Raima Islam ‘25, Vasu Jayanthi ‘23 Adeline Schwartz ‘22.5, Hamsa Shanmugam ‘24
Ember (2021)
Choreography, Direction and Performance: Wendy Rein ‘99 and Ryan T. Smith ‘02 Editing: Ryan T. Smith ‘02 Music: Donizetti, “Una furtiva lagrima” from L’elisir d’amore MIT Symphony Orchestra
The Envelope (1984) Choreography: David Parsons Reconstruction: Laura Bennett ‘92 Costume: Judy Wirkula Lighting: Howell Binkley Music: Rossini Performers: Dance Extension Fri/Sun Ariana Clark ‘24, Abby Cohen ‘24, Morgan DeLancy ‘22, Hayley Kenney, Abby Perelman ‘22, Ty Scott ‘22, Jada Wooten ‘24 Sat Ariana Clark ‘24, Abby Cohen ‘24, Rachel Hemmer ‘23, Hayley Kenney, Abby Perelman ‘22, Jada Wooten ‘24, Alanna Zhang ‘25”
Choreographer Bios Patricia Seto-Weiss (DANZÓN NO. 2) is Visiting Lecturer in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University, where she has taught ballet courses since 2018. After graduating from Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance in Munich, Ms. Seto-Weiss continued her studies at The Ailey School in New York City. She has choreographed numerous operas including the western hemisphere premiere of J. A. Hasse’s Alcide al bivio at Columbia University, and productions at the Juilliard School and The Ailey Citigroup Theater. She served as Artistic Director and Choreographer of VQ Dance Productions, where her projects included a two-hour contemporary ballet inspired by the novel Voodoo Dreams by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Additional projects include collaborations with visual artists Annegret Hoch and Susanne Thiemann in New York and Germany.” Danny Grossman (Ecce Etude), a narrative choreographer profoundly influenced by the theatrical masks of tragedy and comedy, was born in San Francisco in 1942. In 1963, he joined the renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. In 1973, Grossman joined Toronto Dance Theatre in Canada. In 1975, he choreographed his first work to tremendous praise leading to the formation of the Danny Grossman Dance Company. Grossman has since created a repertoire of more than 60 works. His choreography has been in the repertoire of Toronto Dance Theatre, Free Flow Dance Theatre in Saskatchewan, DancEast in New Brunswick, Theatre Ballet of Canada, Rina Singha Kathak Dance Company in Toronto, The Paris Opera Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and The National Ballet of Canada and has also been performed by modern dance training institutions such as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Adelphi University, City College of New York, Brown University, York University, School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Ryerson University, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and has been represented at the New York State Summer School of the Arts for thirty years. Grossman has been the recipient of the
prestigious Toronto Arts Council Foundation’s William Kilbourn Lifetime Achievement Award and was recently inducted into the Canadian Dance Collection Danse Encore! Hall of Fame. Ang Li and Rea Yoh (International Waltz and Tango) are a competitive ballroom dance couple, formerly on the Brown Ballroom Dance Team. They began competing together in 2017 as newcomer dancers and now dance at the open level in international ballroom and the gold level in American ballroom. Robert Battle (Rush Hour) was born in Miami, Florida. He was interested in dance from an early age and his high school years were spent studying dance at an arts magnet program. He then moved on to The Juilliard School where he met his mentor Carolyn Adams. After graduation, Battle danced with the Parsons Dance Company from 1994-2001 where he also began choreographing his own works. Battle’s own Battleworks Dance Company premiered in 2002 and proceeded to tour the United States. He has also restaged his works and created new pieces for various companies and universities around the world including Hubbard Street Repertory Ensemble and Ballet Memphis. His movement ranges from flowing and expressive to sharp and hard-hitting, but a quiet power always drives his choreography. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has honored him as a “Master of African-American Choreography.” In July of 2011, Battle was named the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He is only the third person to head this famous company. Wendy Rein ’99 (Bring You Home & Ember) A native New Yorker, Wendy Rein (’99) has been dancing and breaking furniture since age 3. She co-founded RAWdance in San Francisco and brings over 20 years of professional experience to her work as a performer, choreographer, producer, curator, and teacher. Wendy has had the privilege of performing with artists such as Amy Seiwert, Deborah Slater, Alma Esperanza Cunningham, and Nancy Karp. She also worked for seven years in front of the camera and behind the scenes on a series
of dance film projects with RJ Muna. After 16 years in the Bay Area, Wendy recently shifted to New York’s Hudson Valley as RAWdance expanded to two locations. Ryan T. Smith’02 (Bring You Home & Ember) received his BA in Theatre Arts and French Literature from Brown University. In the Bay Area, Ryan had the opportunity to work with artists such as Alma Esperanza Cunningham, Stephen Pelton, and Amy Seiwert, and was a member of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company for 11 years, touring nationally and internationally, and participating in collaborations with artists and organizations in Kochin, Kolkata, Guangzhou, and Jerusalem. He has served as Co-Artistic Director of RAWdance since 2004, shifting from the Bay Area to New York’s Hudson Valley in 2019. Vasu Jayanthi ‘23, Abby Perelman ‘22, and Hamsa Shanmugam ‘24 (Enge En Punnagai), the directors of Abhinaya and What’s on Tap? came together to produce a piece combining the artistic styles of classical indian dance style Bharatnatyam and the rhythmic techniques of tap dance. These students work to foster a sense of collaboration both within and between their groups that developed into this lively piece. David Parsons (The Envelope) was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a leading dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1978-1987 until he founded his own Parsons Dance Company with lighting designer Howell Binkley in 1987. He also has a long list of television appearances having presented his own works, performing in televised programs, and choreographing for film projects. As artistic director, Parsons has created over 60 works for his company in addition to the countless other pieces he created for festivals, workshops, and other dance companies. He is loved for being “one of the great modern-movers,” and his talent is sought after around the globe. Parsons is heavily involved in education outreach, appearing at workshops, lectures, demonstration events, and master class venues, and he continues to share his knowledge with new dancers.
Performance Companies The Bear Bones is Brown’s premiere and only student-run trombone choir. Founded in 2013, The Bear Bones rehearses and performs with the goal of promoting trombone musicality. The group also provides an opportunity for students to enhance their trombone-playing technique and abilities. The songs that The Bear Bones perform include versions of wellknown pop and rock songs, as well as pieces that are arranged by group members. Dance Extension was established in 1979 as a modern repertory company in residence at Brown University. It was created by Brown University’s founding director of Dance, Julie Adams Strandberg, on the premise that the training of dancers must include the opportunity to perform, teach, and revisit masterworks. While the dancers in the company are encouraged and supported to create their own work, they also have the opportunity, rare in the academy, to work with some of our most revered choreographers and exciting contemporary innovators. Dance Extension has performed dances by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, Jack Cole, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Pilobolus, Colin Connor, Carolyn Dorfman, Anne-Alex Packard, Billy Siegenfeld ’70 and Lisa Race. The repertory includes works by Carolyn Adams, Ruth Andrien, Laura Bennett ‘92, Danny Buraczeski, Danny Grossman, Donna Jewell, Lorry May, Carla Maxwell, Donald McKayle, David Parsons, Pearl Primus, and Charles Weidman. Dance Extension has performed at elementary and secondary schools; at other colleges; for Brown University Alumni Clubs in England, Illinois, California, New York, and Washington, DC; for general audiences in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York City, Boston, and Saratoga Springs; and was hired to perform and lead workshops with dance educators and students in the Syracuse public school system.
Department Staff PRODUCTION DIRECTOR ............................................ Barbara Reo TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/ LIGHTING DESIGNER...................Tim Hett ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ............................Max Ramirez SOUND DESIGNER / ENGINEER / A/V COORDINATOR .................... Alex Eizenberg ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGERS .......................................... Grace Keefe ‘22 & Jessie Jing ‘22 JOHN STREET STUDIO TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ........... Alex Haynes JOHN STREET STUDIO ASSISTANTS................ Naya Lee Chang ‘24 Leane Pajot ‘22, Gavin Petty ‘23 Ahn McGraine ‘22, Leo Tamez ‘22, Navaiya Williams ‘24 COSTUME SHOP MANAGER ........................................ Ron Cesario COSTUME SHOP COORDINATOR .............................Fran Romasco COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS ...................Elizabeth McGraine ‘22, Abigail Bachenberg ‘23, Evangeline Bilger ‘23, SeungHee Lee ‘23, Ines Sawiris ‘24.5 DEPARTMENT MANAGER .........................................Chris Redihan ACADEMIC COORDINATOR......................................Nita Jo Bynum EVENTS AND FACILITIES MANAGER.............................Alex Nurkin CUSTODIAN .................................................................Achim C Tah COMMUNICATIONS AND AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER ........... Brianne Shaw MARKETING ASSISTANT..............Rebecca-Anne Whittaker ‘22 MFA FRONT OF HOUSE AND BOX OFFICE ASSISTANTS.......................... Maya Jackson ‘23, Alex Pelsor ‘24, Simon Pozder ‘22, Sierra Riley ‘24
Chair & Associate Chair Janet Blume
Deputy Dean of the Faculty, Interim Chair Associate Chair, DUS, Senior Lecturer, Dance
Sydney Skybetter
Department Faculty Ariel Ashbel Assistant Professor of the Practice Michelle Bach-Coulibaly Senior Lecturer, Dance Rachel Balaban Adjunct Lecturer, Dance Constance Crawford Adjunct Lecturer Sarah dAngelo Assistant Professor Lisa D’Amour Visiting Assistant Professor, Interim Head of Playwriting J Dellecave Visiting Assistant Professor Nancy Dunbar Senior Lecturer Emerita John Emigh Professor Emeritus Spencer Golub Professor Tiffany Greene Adjunct Lecturer Leon Hilton Assistant Professor Julia Jarcho Associate Professor, Head of Playwriting Lowry Marshall Professor Emeritus Kym Moore Professor Iván Ramos Assistant Professor Patricia Seto-Weiss Visiting Lecturer Julie Adams Strandberg Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Dance Renee Surprenant Fitzgerald Lecturer Barbara Tannenbaum Distinguished Senior Lecturer Elmo Terry-Morgan Associate Professor Richard Waterhouse Adjunct Lecturer Avery Willis Hoffman Visiting Professor of the Practice Patricia Ybarra Professor Brett Zehner Visiting Assistant Professor
Department Staff
Jo Bynum Ron Cesario Alexander Eizenberg Alex Haynes Timothy Hett Alex Nurkin Max Ramirez Chris Redihan Barbara Reo Fran Romasco Brianne Shaw Laura Stokes
Academic Coordinator Costume Shop Manager, Lecturer Sound Designer, Audio-& Video Engineer John Street Studio Technical Director, Lecturer Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Lecturer Event and Facilities Manager Assistant Technical Director Academic Department Manager Production Director, Lecturer Costume Shop Coordinator Communications and Audience Services Manager Performing Arts Librarian, University Library
Brown/Trinity Faculty Shura Baryshnikov
. Head of Movement, DGS, Assistant Professor of the Practice Angela Brazil Director of MFA Programs Rachel Christopher Assistant Professor of the Practice Curt Columbus Artistic Director of Trinity Rep, Professor of the Practice Melissa Kievman Creative Producer of MFA Programs, Adjunct Lecturer Brian Mertes Head of Directing, Professor of the Practice, Josh F. S. Moser Interim Head of Voice and Speech Sophia Skiles Head of Acting, Associate Professor of the Practice
Brown/ Trinity Staff Jeremy Chiang
Michael Cline Sammi Haskell Jill Jann Anne Harrigan
Technical Director Technical Supervisor Program Coordinator Program Manager Production Manager