Fall Dance Concert 2021 November 18–21, 2021
Produced by Julie Adams Strandberg
Kerosene Choreography by Abby Cohen '24 Yen Honsla' (this courage) Choreography by Pavanee
Giroti, RISD BFA '23 Field in November Choreography by Rachel Hemmer '23 Love Like There's No Tomorrow Choreography by Abby Perelman '22 Lessons Choreography by Marley Carroll '21
Merry-Go-Round Restaging by Abby Perelman '22
- INTERMISSIONTell Me It's the Truth Choreography by Julie Adams Strandberg Synesthetic Circles Choreography by Justin McAllister '24
Agape
Choreography by Morgan
De Lancy '22 and Ariana Clark '24
New Film Choreography by Members of Extension
Rush Hour Choreography by Robert Battle
Production Staff
Production Director ...................................................... Barbara Reo Communications & Audience Services Manager.........Brianne Shaw Lighting Design Advisor ................................................Timothy Hett Sound Engineer...........................................................Alex Eizenberg Stage Manager........................................................ Akari Izumi '21.5 Assistant Stage Manager...................................Navaiya Williams '25 Photographer ..........................................................Erin X. Smithers
Run Crew
Will Malloy '25, George Mawanda-Kalema '21.5, Abby Schindell '25, Navaiya Williams '25
Special Thanks Brown Arts Institute
Please take a moment to note the fire exits. Two at your right-the door through which you entered and another in the far right corner of the room. There is also a third at the rear of the room, leading into the basement of Lyman Hall. 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 an 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 of Brown promotional purposes.
Producer’s Note Forget The Gap We take many things in life for granted until they are taken away. One of those things is the natural and organic way in which traditions are passed on. An unanticipated result of the year of isolation at Brown has been a break in that passing on of traditions from student to student, with many groups struggling to bridge the gap left when the seniors could no longer keep the stories alive for first years. But fortunately, Dance Extension -- Brown’s dance repertory company was able to keep their traditions and stories alive through a virtual format. The dancers learned existing repertory, they had new works set on them, they pushed the boundaries of Zoom to create dances for the camera, and they performed for hundreds in virtual concerts. They shared stories to tell and to pass on. Forget The Gap. After a year and a half of virtual rehearsals and performances this concert - which includes Extension, two soloists, and members of What’s On Tap - celebrates the physical reunion of the dancers with each other and with an in-person audience. Ashumu, where the performances are taking place, is also the space where the dancers take class, create, and rehearse. It is therefore with great excitement that the performers welcome the audience to Ashamu to share what they have been working on in this same space during this reunion semester. Julie Adams Strandberg
Kerosene Choreography: Abby Cohen '24 Lighting: Amy Teboul '23
Music: "Kerosene" by Yves Tumor Dancers: (Dance Extension) Abby Cohen '24, Ty Scott '21, Rachel Hemmer '23, Blanca Payne '24
Yen Honsla' (this courage) Choreography: Pavanee Giroti, RISD BFA '23 Lighting: Autumn Qiu '25 Music: "Yen Honsla" by Karsan Sargathiya, Salim-Sulaiman, and Shafqat Amanat Ali Dancer: Pavanee Giroti, RISD BFA '23
Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. Its origin is traditionally attributed to the traveling poets in ancient northern India known as Kathakars. The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means ‘story’. These storytellers communicated excerpts from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance and music.Kathak is found in three distinct forms, called Gharanas, named after the cities where the Kathak dance tradition evolved – Jaipur, Banaras and Lucknow (I am trained in the Lucknow gharana.) While the Jaipur gharana focuses more on the foot movements, the Banaras and Lucknow gharanas focus more on facial expressions and graceful hand movements. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement harmonized to the music.
Yeh Honsla is a song by Karsan Sargathiya, Salim–Sulaiman, and Shafqat Amanat Ali from the Hindi film ‘Dor’. The title directly translates to ‘this courage’, and the song is an ode to the spark of courage that exists in each of us. Courage is like a candle burning in our hearts inviting us to keep following an imperceptible faith that all will be well in the end. Courage, then, is not the absence of fear, but our ability to carry on in spite of fear.
Field in November Choreography, videography, editing and performance: Rachel Hemmer '23 Original Score: Tom Farrell
This film was produced as part of a Screen Dance Workshop led by Sarah Friedland ‘14.
Love Like There's No Tomorrow Choreography: Abby Perelman '22 Lighting: Autumn Qiu '25
Music: "Love Like There's No Tomorrow" by The War and Treaty
Dancers: (Dance Extension) Abby Cohen '24, Morgan DeLancy '22, Blanca Payne '24, Abby Perelman '22, Jada Wooten '24, Alana Zhang '25
After so long apart, we realize how special our time is together. And even though we're slowly returning to "normal," there is no guarantee of how long it will last. This piece celebrates our ability to dance together again, and urges us to embrace each other as a grounding force in the chaos of the past year.
Lessons Choreography and Direction: Marley Carroll '21 Video Editor: Simity Jalloh Music: “Lessons” by SOHN, with edits by Tom Farrell Sound Engineer: Morgan DeLancy '22 Dancers: Marley Carroll ’21, Morgan DeLancy ’22, Abby Perelman ’22
This film was produced as part of a Screen Dance Workshop led by Sarah Friedland ‘14.
Merry-Go-Round Restaging: Abby Perelman '22 restaging of an original Cotton Club routine reconstructed in 1991 by Jennifer Hyde Dracos-Tice '92 Lighting: Autumn Qiu '25 Music: "Merry Go Round" by Duke Ellington Dancers: (Dance Extension, What's On Tap) Miriam Arden '23, Morgan DeLancy '22, Rachel Hemmer '23, Sam Mickel, MD '23, Kiara Moon '23, Blanca Payne '24, Abby Perelman '22, Emily Perelman '25, Addie Schwartz '23, Jada Wooten '24, Zoe Zimmerman '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.
*Intermission*
Tell Me It's the Truth Choreography: Julie Adams Strandberg Reconstruction: Laura Bennett '92 Lighting: Amy Teboul '23 Music: "Tell Me It's The Truth" by Duke Ellington Dancers: (Dance Extension) Marie Baker '22, Ariana Clark '24, Abby Cohen '24, Morgan DeLancy '22, Rachel Hemmer '23, Blanca Payne '24, Abby Perelman '22, Ty Scott '22, Jada Wooten '24, Alanna Zhang '25
"Tell Me It's The Truth" 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.
Synesthetic Circles Choreography: Justin McAllister '24 Lighting: Amy Teboul '23 Music: "Holding You Down (Goin' In Circles)" by Jasmine Sullivan
Dancer: Justin McAllister '24
This piece is a dance that I freestyle-choreographed in one take based on what I was seeing in my head in real time and a movement score drafted separately based on synesthesia. As someone who has synesthesia as well as being on the spectrum, I figured this dance would be a really interesting way to approach a discussion started in my Arts and Health Theory class on Autism Spectrum Disorder and intersectionality. My synesthesia is linked between the visual and auditory fields. When I hear sounds, more specifically musical ones, I see different colors, patterns, shapes, words, and scenes play out as the song continues. Dance has always felt like the way in which I could best and easiest communicate what I was feeling or thinking, and I was asked to share that here with you all to a song that I really enjoy.
Agape Choreography: Morgan DeLancy '22 and Ariana Clark '24 Lighting: Autumn Qiu '25 Music: "Stay High" Album by Brittany Howard and Donald Glover "Agape" by Nicholas Britell
Dancers: (Dance Extension) Marie Baker '22, Ariana Clark '24, Morgan DeLancy '22, Rachel Hemmer '23, Abby Perelman '22, Ty Scott '22, Jada Wooten '24, Alanna Zhang '25
Can you tell us about love? “Hmm, well, there's love of children Love of self Love of God Love of a partner And all of them have a different shape But all of them is the same in the end It's about sensitivity, it's about passion It's about unconditional giving of self to another person And there's love of humanity That's the love that is right now needed most Love of humanity”
- Dr. L'Antoinette Ọṣ un Awade Wemo Stines
New Film Choreography: Members of Extension
Dancers: (Dance Extension and The Chattertalks) Marie Baker ‘22, Morgan DeLancy ‘22, Rachel Hemmer ‘23 Blanca Payne ‘24, Abby Perelman ‘22, Ty Scott ‘22 Jada Wooten ‘24, Ariana Clark ‘24, Abby Cohen ‘24, Alanna Zhang ‘25
We created this film with material generated during our residency with Sarah Friedland in September 2021. After experimenting with contact improvisation and pedestrian movement, we distilled our findings into movement patterns and phrases which became our shot list for filming underneath the tent on Ruth-Simmons Quad. From improvisation to shotlist, to holding the camera in our own hands and directing shots, to importing RAW footage and editing it into a version of our memory of filming this together, we created a diary of what it was like to move together again, feeling the heat of another dancer's back on our own and breathing together.
Rush Hour Premiere: 1998 Choreography: Robert Battle Restaging: Erika Pujič Lighting: Amy Teboul '23 Original Music: "Rush Hour" by John Mackey
Dancers: (Dance Extension) Thursday/Saturday: Marie Baker '22, Morgan DeLancy '22, Rachel Hemmer '23, Blanca Payne '24, Abby Perelman '22, Ty Scott '22, Jada Wooten '24 Friday/Sunday: Ariana Clark '24, Abby Cohen '24, Morgan DeLancy '22, Rachel Hemmer '23, Abby Perelman '22, Ty Scott '22, Alanna Zhang '25
Performance Companies Dance Extension was established in 1979 by Julie Adams Strandberg, Brown University’s founding director of dance, 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.
Choreographer Bios Abby Cohen '24 (Kerosene) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a sophomore at Brown studying English and Dance. She started taking ballet classes when she was 8 years old, and since then has studied Modern, Contemporary, Horton, Jazz, Hip Hop, Graham, Musical Theater, West African, Carribean, choreography and more. To her, dance is an athletic art form allowing and portraying emotional expression, profound thought, and spiritual engagement through movement. She is most interested by the community-building aspects of dance, and the powerful ways dance brings people together. This is her second time choreographing a dance piece for the stage, and her first time doing so at Brown. She would like to thank Julie Strandberg, Laura Bennett, Erika Pujic, her cast, and the entire dance department at Brown for being an incredible source of inspiration and support.
Pavanee Giroti ('Yeh Honsla' (this courage))is a Kathak dancer from New Delhi, India, and is currently pursuing a BFA in Industrial Design and Sustainability Studies from RISD. After 16 years of training, she received her sixth-year diploma Sangit Prabhakar (equivalent to a bachelor's degree in Dance). She started taking Kathak classes at the age of 4, later went on to take contemporary dance classes, and is now taking Ballet at Brown. Dance, particularly Kathak, has always been a form of therapy and worship to her, allowing her to express her emotions through beauty and graceful movement. She would like to express gratitude to her guru Anindita Acharjee for introducing her to this art form, to the Brown TAPS department, and to Patricia Seto-Weiss for allowing her to share this piece, one that she holds so close to her heart.
Rachel Hemmer ’23 (Field in November) began dancing at Berkshire Dance Theatre, joined Burr and Burton Academy’s theatre and dance classes and various productions, and has been a member of Extension since her first year at Brown. Outside of dance, she is pursuing a degree in Astrophysics and works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the introductory astronomy courses.
Abby Perelman '22 (Love Like There's No Tomorrow, Merry-Go-Round) is a senior at Brown studying Cognitive Neuroscience and Data Fluency. Originally from Maryland, she has been dancing since she could walk - ballet, tap, jazz, modern and more. She has been dancing with Dance Extension and What's on Tap? since her freshman year, and is grateful for all of the connections and memories she has made with these groups. She is working towards a career in medicine, where she aims to combine her passions for movement and dance with the brain as a way to address neurodegeneration and other neurological conditions. Marley Carroll ’21 (Lessons) began dancing when she was two years old. She has trained in many styles—including modern, contemporary, tap, and ballet— and has taught and choreographed contemporary and tap dances since high school. At Brown, she was a member of Dance Extension and a co-director of What’s on Tap?. Marley concentrated in Middle East Studies.
Julie Adams Strandberg (Tell Me It's the Truth) is a dancer, educator, and historian. She has choreographed and directed over 60 works for dance and theatre productions and has performed dances by a wide range of choreographers in national and international venues. She studied with 20th century dance pioneers Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Melissa Hayden, Jose Limon, Donald McKayle, and Charles Weidman and is one degree of separation from George Balanchine, Katharine Dunham, Lester Horton, Doris Humphrey, Pearl Primus, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn. As an educator, Julie provides dancers with holistic, multi-faceted ways in which to be artists in our culture and advocates for the inclusion of dance in the education of EVERY child. She develops and designs materials and programs that provide broad access to dance as an art form to all persons including those with Parkinson’s disease, those on the autism spectrum, and others with cognitive and physical challenges. She is distinguished senior lecturer at Brown University, founding director of dance in the University’s Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies and holds a BA from Cornell University and an MS from Bank Street College of Education. In 1979 she founded Dance Extension to provide Brown student dancers with the opportunity to perform masterworks by established choreographers, to have new dances set on them by emerging choreographers, and to create their own work. When she isn’t dancing, Julie enjoys family adventures with her husband Josiah, daughters Laura and Marie, son-in-law William, and grandsons Andrew and Jackson.
Justin McAllister (Synesthetic Circles) of Moorestown, New Jersey is a sophomore at Brown University. He is double concentrating in Biology and Dance on the Pre-med track. Justin has always had a knack for dance, with his studies focused mostly in the hip-hop, broadway, and house styles. Since coming to Brown however, he's expanded his studies to ballet and even joined campus groups such as Tempo Performance Co. and the Poler Bears.
Ariana Clark '24 (Agape) of Northampton, Massachusetts, is a Sophomore at Brown and a member of Extension since 2019. She began her dance career in ballet class at the age of 5 and has completed most of her training at Pioneer Valley Ballet. Since coming to Brown and joining Extension, Ariana has broadened her dancing horizons with the addition of contemporary and modern dance to her repertoire. She is also a new member of the Brown Aerial Acrobatics team on the Lyra apparatus. Outside of the studio, Ariana concentrates in Computer Science and Native American Studies. Agape is Ariana's first ever piece of choreography and she is so thankful to have created it with her co-choreographer and friend Morgan De Lancy, along with her talented and inspiring cast. She hopes you enjoy this display of love for humanity as we are able to once again dance together. Morgan DeLancy '22 (Agape) is a senior studying History with a focus on Human Rights and Displacement. She began taking ballet lessons at age four and has been dancing ever since, studying ballet, tap, and lyrical before coming to Brown, where she joined Dance Extension. Morgan is interested in the study of movement at all scales—from diaspora to dance and the personal to the political. She spends her time outside of the studio facilitating for the Community Dialogue Project, volunteering at the Refugee Dream Center, and researching for her thesis, which focuses on Black immigrant women’s organizing work in 1960s Britain. Morgan is incredibly grateful to learn and dance alongside such thoughtful, talented, and supportive company members in Extension. She has loved working with her wonderful cochoreographer Ariana Clark to create Agape and hopes you enjoy the show!
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.
Sarah Friedland is a filmmaker and choreographer working at the intersection of moving images and moving bodies. Her work has been screened, installed, and performed across film, art, and dance venues including New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, Ann Arbor Film Festival, BAMcinématek, Performa19 Biennial, La MaMa Galleria, Sharjah Art Foundation, MAM Rio, the American Dance Festival and Dixon Place, among many others. She is currently a Pina Bausch Fellow for Dance and Choreography, collaborating with artists Wen Hui and Eiko Otake, a NYSCA/NYFA Fellow in Video/Film, as well as Fitt Artist-in-Residence at Brown University from September 20 - 30, 2021. (http://motionandpictures.com/about)
Sock & Buskin Sock & Buskin (S&B) is the board that selects and produces the mainstage theatre season for the Brown University Theatre. It is a partnership between undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. Then... Founded in 1901 by Thomas Crosby, a professor in the Brown University Department of English, Sock & Buskin has maintained an unbroken string of performance seasons since being established. Originally founded as an all-male organization, Sock & Buskin became a co-educational group in 1927 when it merged with an all-female theatre troupe from nearby Pembroke College. Now... Sock & Buskin is comprised of 13 students and a number of faculty and staff members. The student board meets twice a week during the academic year. In addition to conducting production business, the board discusses 1-3 plays or projects each week for consideration in the following year’s season. Discussions are open to the public. Discussion notes for each play, as well as a meeting and reading schedule (and lots more information) can be found at sockandbuskin.org.
Sock & Buskin Board Members: Dylan Lewis '22, Hillel Rosenshine '22, Faith Hardy '23, Una Lomax-Emerick '23, Madeleine Adriance '23.5, Marielle Buxbaum '24, Ellie Liebner '24, Lydia Riess '24
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......Leane Pajot '22, Gavin Petty '23 Ahn McGraine '22, Leo Tamez 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 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