Welcome Family and Friends to LEGACY: Opening the Way
Thank you for joining us on this miraculous journey of over five decades. In creating this evening’s celebration, I am in gratitude for all of those who have helped us reach this moment. I am encouraged and inspired by the next generation. You are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
For me, and all of us who are part of what we’ve come to call “The Cleo Village”, this concert holds special meaning and symbolism. You will notice several recurring themes connecting the various elements of this performance, as we honor the nurturing spirit that sustains and uplifts us – a spirit that most often we associate with the word “motherhood”, recognizing this as a concept that need not be limited to any one gender or social construct.
For all peoples, in all cultures, the first drum we hear is our mother’s heartbeat. The first music we hear is that of our mother’s voice, and one of the first images we learn to recognize is the circle. Each of these elements are significant to this evenings’ performance.
We begin with the timeless ceremony of the processional, with children, adults, and elders, all led by our master drummers, Bataki Cambrelan and Koffi Toudji, both of whom carry the tradition of the sacred drum circles that are prevalent throughout human history. Bataki has been part of our dance community for over five decades, and Koffi for over two.
Spoken word is an integral part of our beginnings, and of this concert. We speak the words of the libation ritual, we call aloud the names of our departed loved ones and honored ancestors, upon whose shoulders we stand. The voice of Schyleen Qualls, my co-creator and sister-friend, weaves the music of her own poetry, along with that of her fellow poets, Nikki Giovanni, Ruby Dee, and Sonia Sanchez into the tapestry of the stories we share with you tonight. And always, there is the circle – expressed in movement. Moving through the cycles of life – the pain and the resistance carried by The Four Women, the search for spiritual and emotional healing When Wet Came to Paper, the turmoil and upheaval of the 60s in One Nation Under a Groove, Part 2: 48 Hours in Birmingham, and finally the journey of the body, mind and spirit told through three excerpts from my Spiritual Suite – the prayer of Roll Me Through the Rushes, the sisterhood of grief in Mary Don’t You Weep, and finally the joyous celebration of hope and unity on the path To My Father’s House.
Many of you have traveled with us since the very beginning as we’ve built this 54-year legacy. Some of you are just now learning about us – and we welcome each one of you as we continue Opening the Way. We have celebrated many achievements along the way but in just a few days we’re truly reaching new heights – with the groundbreaking on May 15 for our 25,000 square foot expansion – adding substantial new space to our existing studios, theatre
facilities, and offices! This historic Shorter AME building has truly been our “mother facility” for so many years. Now we honor this sacred space through preservation of its rich history and carefully considered connection to our new wing. In this historic 53rd ANNIVERSARY SEASON (54th as of May 31), this expansion project along with the on-going mission and vision of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, has been manifested through the outstanding leadership of our President and CEO, Malik Robinson - and the perseverance of our extraordinary team - Ensembles, Staff, Faculty, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board. With the support of generous individuals, businesses, corporations, and civic organizations, we continue to advance our artistic and educational vision into an ever-expanding community of artists, educators, students, parents, and audiences.
This June and July sees the launch of our 29th Annual International Summer Dance Institute (ISDI), the region’s finest summer intensive program, under the guidance of our alum, Victoria Shead Johnston, Senior Academy Manager. Detailed information is posted to our website www.cleoparkerdance.org - so be sure to reserve space for you and your family now! Both ISDI and our year-round Academy offer a diverse and intriguing range of classes, with the physical, mental, and emotional health of our students and teachers remaining our highest priority. There’s an incredible variety of classes, taught by local, national, and international artists, to appeal to all ages and abilities! Give yourself or a loved one a special gift - check our website for the latest information on our classes and how to purchase them. Make it possible for a young person – or even a not-so-young one - to follow their dream!
On August 10, we’ll present our 14th Annual “Dancing with the Denver Stars” Gala – raising substantial funding for our community engagement and educational programming. Declared by many as Denver’s best Gala, this exciting night partners the dancers of the Ensemble and Cleo II with some of Denver’s most courageous civic, community and artistic leadership! August 1 and 4, the Ensemble will be returning to Vail, CO as part of the Vail Dance Festival, considered to be one of the world’s most prestigious dance festivals. September 14 and 15, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble will present our Fall 2024 Concert Orfeo Negro, celebrating Brazilian culture, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Center.
Detailed information for each of these incredible events is available on our website at www.cleoparkerdance.org. We encourage you to join our mailing list, so you don’t miss out on any details!
Tonight, as we join in Opening the Way together, let us honor the power of the drum within, acknowledge the healing of the voice, wrap each other in the loving embrace of the circle, and receive the strength of our universal movement!
Within the Nurturing Spirit of Dance, we wish you all a Blessed and Happy Mother’s Day!
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON Founder / Artistic Director / Choreographer of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD), soon to enter its 54th Anniversary Season, is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Denver, formerly Colorado Women’s College (CWC), in the field of Dance, Education and Psychology. She began teaching college-level dance at age fifteen at the University of Colorado, and began her own company upon graduation from CWC, influenced by mentors Rita Berger (a former Balanchine dancer and Metropolitan Opera soloist), and legendary choreographer and humanitarian, Katherine Dunham.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance encompasses the renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Cleo II (her second company), a Youth Ensemble, a year-round academy, an international summer institute, a 240-seat theatre, and an extensive outreach program serving communities throughout Denver and the Front Range. Expansion of CPRD’s current facilities through the addition of 25,000 square feet of new studio, performance, and office space begins in the Spring of 2024.
Ms. Robinson has collaborated with numerous symphonies, theatrical and opera companies, and acclaimed artists including Dr. Maya Angelou and Gordon Parks, Sr. Renowned choreographers Donald McKayle, Talley Beatty, Katherine Dunham, Dianne McIntyre and Eleo Pomare have set legacy works on her Ensemble. Her operatic collaborations include Aida, Samson and Delilah, Carmen, Salome and Porgy and Bess. Symphonic collaborations include Carmina Burana, Romeo and Juliet, Lark Ascending, Bernstein’s Mass, Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Prokofiev’s Cinderella. Theatrical collaborations include the Denver Center Theatre Company productions of Dream on Monkey Mountain and Emperor Jones Her talents as teacher, choreographer, and cultural ambassador have taken her world-wide, with numerous workshops and master classes reinforcing her vision of dance as a universal language. In 1993, a United States Information Agency (USIA) tour to Europe brought critical acclaim to her Ensemble which has also toured to Belize, Africa, Singapore, Nassau, Iceland and New Zealand. In 1996, the company participated in a USIA cultural exchange with Nairobi, Kenya that was praised by the International Sister Cities Inc. Other international tours included Cairo in 1999, and in 2000, a tour of Italy, and the opening of the Tel Aviv - Jaffa First International Festival during an Israeli tour. The most recent international tour for Ms. Parker Robinson and her Ensemble brought them to Bogota, Colombia in Spring of 2019 at the invitation of Tiempo de Juego. A Fall 2024 tour to a series of festivals in Mexico is currently in development.
The Ensemble has performed at prestigious venues and festivals throughout the United States, including Jacob’s Pillow, Vail Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts, John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts and the Joyce Theatre. The Ensemble is returning to the Vail Dance Festival in Summer of 2024 with performances in Avon and Beaver Creek CO.
Ms. Robinson has received fellowships from the Colorado Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Lila Wallace Foundation, Pew Charitable Trust Fund in Washington, D.C., National Dance Repertory Program, and commissions for collaborations with Dr. Maya Angelou and poet Schyleen Qualls. She has worked with renowned composers Jay Hoggard, Carman Moore, Halim El-Dabh, Ann Henry, and Howard Roberts. Her film work includes Run Sister Run, a Margie Soo Hoo Lee / Gordon Parks production about Angela Davis. Her Ensemble is featured in African Americans at Festac, the United States Information Services documentary on the World Black and African Festival on Art and Culture in Nigeria. She collaborated on Black Women in the Arts with Kim Fields and Stephanie Mills, the Jeffrey Osborne video Borderline, and two Denver Center Media documentaries - Pamoja: A Coming Together, about the Kenyan exchange, and Dancing Along the Nile about the Ensemble’s Egyptian tour.
Her extensive awards include the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Denver Mayor’s Award, the Kennedy Center Medal of Honor for the “Masters of African American Choreography” series, the “Pioneer In Black Dance” Award by the Dynamic Dance Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, the Huntington’s Disease of America “Distinguished Leadership Award”, the “Fairfax B. Holmes Community Award” from The Denver Links, Inc., the “Unsung Heroes Mountain Award” from African-American Leadership Institute, the “Civil Rights Award of the Anti-Defamation League” (ADL), the “Building Civil Rights” award from the Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship, the Denver Metropolitan State College “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award for Service to the Community”, and the “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award” from the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver. She is an Honorary Lifetime Trustee of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, in recognition of her longtime commitment and lasting impact on the Center, and was named a “Timeless Legend” by the Denver Urban Spectrum. In 2017, she received the prestigious DanceUSA “Honor Award”. In 2021, she was named an Honorary Member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. In March 2023, Ms. Parker Robinson, along with the other four founders of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), was honored at the White House as the IABD received the 2021 National Medal of the Arts.
A member of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities”, the “Colorado 100” and the “Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame”, she received the “Thelma Hill Center for the Performing Arts Award” for outstanding achievement in the world of dance, the “Woman Owned Business of the Year” by Colorado Business and Professional Women, and the “Oni Award” from the International Black Woman’s Congress. She was nominated by Black Theatre Alliance Awards, Inc. for Best Choreography in a Music/Dance Program for “Evocation of Memory”, and is a University of Denver “Living Legend of Dance”. Ms. Robinson was chosen, along with four other “Living Legends”, as part of Dance Women/ Living Legends, honoring women who have made a positive difference in the dance over the past 30 years.
She holds an Honorary Doctorate from Denver University (1991), an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Colorado College (2003), and an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Regis University in Denver (2008). The University of Denver honored her with an Alumni Award in May of 2021. In Fall of 2021, she received the 2020 Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, Honous Causa from CU Boulder. This year, she is named as the 2024 Professor for the Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship. Ms. Robinson served on NEA panels on Dance, Expansion Arts, Arts America, and Inter-Arts panels for the USIS, and as on the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. In 1999, she was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton, and confirmed by the Senate to the National Council on the Arts, advising the Chairman of the NEA on policy and programs, reviewing and making recommendations on applications for grants. Ms. Robinson is currently 1st Vice President of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), an organization preserving and promoting dance by those of African ancestry or origin.
Since 2011, Ms. Parker Robinson has significantly returned to her greatest passion as a choreographer, creating and presenting Dreamcatchers: The Untold Stories of the Americas and the world premiere of her Romeo and Juliet, in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Her work On the Edge… Reaching to Higher Ground premiered in October of 2014 in answer to resurging racial and human rights infractions world-wide. In Spring 2017, she re-staged two works, melding classical and jazz composition with the power, passion and beauty of modern dance – Romeo and Juliet and Porgy and Bess. Fall 2017 saw the premiere of Copacetic: A Tribute to Jonathon “JP” Parker, honoring her late father. In Spring of 2018, she premiered Lark Ascending in collaboration with the Boulder Philharmonic. Her Rhapsody in Black, created in collaboration with CPRD Associate Artistic Director, Winifred R. Harris, premiered at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver. In January 2019, in collaboration with the Denver Brass, she choreographed an innovative interpretation of Bernstein’s On the Town and Spring 2019 saw a collaboration with the Colorado Ballet entitled The MOVE/ment as part of the Tour de Force series at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, she traveled to UMKC, Kansas City, to set a work on the students of CPRDE alum Gary Abbot, entitled Check Cashing Day in tribute to the jazz genius of Bobby Watson and Milt Abel. In August 2021, she premiered Standing On the Shoulders, a work commissioned by the Vail Dance Festival. September 2021 saw the debut of her work Freedom Dance, created in collaboration with jazz icon Dianne Reeves and CPRD co-founder and poet, Schyleen Qualls and in October 2021, she premiered R.I.Power, an original work commissioned by the Colorado College Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. Her newest work, Sacred Spaces?, set to an original score by Adonis Rose, Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, premiered in September 2022 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Cleo Parker Robinson continues to be dedicated to celebrating the complexities of human experience and potential through the Arts and Education. Her life-long vision of “One Spirit, Many Voices” remains strong and steadfast, expanding to welcome, embrace, and sustain all people.
OUR MISSION & VISION
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE – INSPIRING MOVEMENT!
Soon to celebrate its 54th Anniversary Season, Cleo Parker
Robinson Dance is an international performing arts and educational institution rooted in African American traditions and the Diaspora, dedicated to excellence in providing crosscultural performances, and enrichment programs - empowering all our communities by cultivating healthy mind, body, and spirit development for intergenerational students, artists, and audiences. Viewing dance as a universal language of movement that transcends boundaries of culture, class, and age, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is committed to honoring diversity and inclusiveness throughout the global community. CLEO
Located in Denver’s Historic Five Points District 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, Colorado 80205
Ph # 303 295 1759
Schyleen Qualls, co-creator & co-founder of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, is an actor, writer, producer and filmmaker. During CPRD’s first decade, Schyleen co-directed the administration, performed poetry in the ensemble’s concerts, and served on the board of directors -- helping to lay a foundation for the world renowned dance company and arts institution. A highlight of her years with CPRD was FESTAC ’77, aka the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. A month-long gathering of 17,000 artists of African descent from 55 nations, it was the largest reunion of people from the African Diaspora ever to take place. Schyleen wrote and narrated the film Family Reunion -Americans at FESTAC, which has been shown in 74 countries. In the early ‘80s, Schyleen moved to New York City and produced a one-woman show of poetry which she toured to hundreds of college campuses. Inspired by her travels to over sixty countries, she has given keynote presentations on global citizenship at national and international conferences, including the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing. Recognizing her decades-long track record of creating innovative and socially conscious educational entertainment, she was awarded the Harvard University Foundation Medal for her “contributions to American Performing Arts and Race and Intercultural Relations.” Director of the capital campaign for the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco — the first major museum of its kind in the world — she helped to raise $19 million for the museum, which opened in 2005.
President and CEO of Arkeon Entertainment, she is currently producing a feature film, Running the Line with filmmakers Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Steve Krone. Her nonprofit organization, Arkeon Productions, is creating a show for planetarium theaters featuring astronauts and space scientists of color. In 2023, Arkeon Productions co-hosted two global art events, including one in Lagos, Nigeria, which brought together Black art collectors, educators and executives from the United States, the United Kingdom and across Africa.
Recently Schyleen collaborated with Cleo Parker Robinson and Dianne Reeves in creating a new work, Freedom Dance, which they premiered at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
A Denver native, Schyleen lives in San Francisco with her husband Dr. Ronald B. Brown, a leading expert in DEI.
OPENING PROCESSIONAL Drum Call and Response
Musicians Bataki Cambrelan, Koffi Toudji
Dancers
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Cleo II
WELCOMING REMARKS from Cleo Parker Robinson
HONORING THE ANCESTORS Libation Ceremony
Griot Carol Watkins Ali (May 10, 11) Rev. Dr. Valerie Jackson (May 12)
Music “Breath” Sweet Honey in the Rock
Dancers
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Cleo II
VANGUARDS OF THE DREAM
RECALL, RECLAIM, REJOICE
Written and performed by Schyleen Qualls
Music “Passion” One Giant Leap “Ma Do Nar” (Captain Planet remix) Los Chicarrons
Dancers
CALLING ALL SISTERS
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Cleo II
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Junior Youth and Youth Ensembles
Written by Ruby Dee / Per formed by Schyleen Qualls
FOUR WOMEN
Written by jazz singer, composer, pianist and arranger Nina Simone, “Four Women” was released on the 1966 album “Wild Is the Wind”. It tells the story of four African American women, each representing an African American stereotype in society. Thulani Davis of The Village Voice called the song “an instantly accessible analysis of the damning legacy of slavery, that made iconographic the real women we knew and would become.”
Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson
Music
Nina Simone
Dancers Jasmine Francisco “Aunt Sarah”
Samiyah Lynnice / Lauren Slaughter “Saffronia” Caeli Blake / Gabriela Maduro “Sweet Thing” Ralaya S. Goshea “Peaches”
POEM FOR A LADY WHOSE VOICE I LIKE (A Tribute to Nina Simone)
Written by Nikki Giovanni / Performed by Schyleen QuallsExcerpts from ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE PART 2: 48 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM – World Premiere 2002
American choreographer, writer, director and filmmaker, David Roussève, has created a significant catalogue of works addressing issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Told from the perspective of three different women, “One Nation Under a Groove Part 2” revolves around the deaths of the four little girls who perished in the Birmingham AL church bombing of September 1963. This work focuses on the hours of Saturday evening, September 14, Sunday morning, September 15, and the subsequent hours and days. In the hours after the bombing, this horrific event triggered the first major nationwide awareness of the Civil Rights Movement in our country.
Choreographer
Music
David Roussève
The Temptations / Smokey Robinson / Tina Turner
Voices David Roussève, Cleo Parker Robinson
I Fragments of My Memory
Voices David Roussève, Cleo Parker Robinson
The Grandmother Kayla Massey
Duet Gabriela Maduro, Michael Battle
Dancers Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Melvin Sutton
II A Fool in Love
Music
Tina Turner
Duets Caeli Blake, Devrae Jefferson Jasmine Francisco, Lamar D. Rogers
Dancers Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Melvin Sutton
III Precious Days
Soloist
IV The Way You Do the Things You Do
Music
Jasmine Francisco
The Temptations
Dancers Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Melvin Sutton
V Ooh Baby Baby
Music Smokey Robinson
Duets
Dancers
VI Like Any Other Sunday
Ralaya S. Goshea, Lamar D. Rogers
Caeli Blake, Devrae Jefferson
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
Voices David Roussève, Cleo Parker Robinson
Soloist Gabriela Maduro
VII Ball of Confusion
Music The Temptations
Quartet
Dancers
Michael Battle, Corey Boatner, Devrae Jefferson, Lamar, D. Rogers
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
VIII The Child In the Purple Robe
Voices
PEACE IS A HAIKU SONG
David Roussève, Cleo Parker Robinson
Written by Sonia Sanchez / Performed by Schyleen Qualls
WHEN WET CAME TO PAPER World Premiere 1992
The work is a tribute to those who have passed on and those that are far from me/us. In joy we celebrate. The work is based on a poem that I wrote when Curtis Frazier passed and I was missing my friends. Curtis was part of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and one of my first dance partners. The work is a moving poem. It is also a letter as I’ve moved around the globe and the connections that have been created and the people forever in our lives.
Choreographer Winifred R. Harris
Music Praise
Original costumes Linda Bough and Winifred R. Harris
Soloists Corey Boatner, Samiyah Lynnice
Trio
Caeli Blake, Ralaya S. Goshea, Gabriela Maduro
Excerpts from “SPIRITUAL SUITE”
Inspired by Ms. Cleo Parker Robinson’s childhood experiences in the gospel churches of Dallas, Tx., and dedicated to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the iconic work “Spiritual Suite” was created by Ms. Robinson in memory of John Whalen Parker Jr., her brother who passed at the age of 19.
I Roll Me Through the Rushes (1985)
Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson
Music Chaka Kahn
Soloist Caeli Blake
Dancers
Devrae Jefferson, Gabriela Maduro, Lamar D. Rogers, Sadie Sandoval (May 11, 12) Lauren Slaughter, Cleo II
II The Women Gather
III Mary Don’t You Weep (1984)
Written by Nikki Giovanni / Per formed by Schyleen Qualls
Performed at Morehouse College in 1986 for the inaugural celebration of Dr. King’s Holiday
Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson
Music Eric Gale
Preacher Corey Boatner
The Three Mary’s Jasmine Francisco, Ralaya S. Goshea, Samiyah Lynnice
IV To My Father’s House (1970)
Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson
Music
Edwin Hawkins Singers / Voices of East Harlem
Preacher Corey Boatner
Witness Ralaya S. Goshea
Deacons
Michael Battle, Devrae Jefferson, Lamar D. Rogers
Deaconesses Caeli Blake, Jasmine Francisco, Samiyah Lynnice, Gabriela Maduro
Choir
William Davis, Kayla Massey, Sadie Sandoval (May 11, 12) Lauren Slaughter, Melvin Sutton, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Youth Ensemble
Congregation Cleo II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Junior Youth and Youth Ensembles
Program selections, order, and casting are subject to change without prior notice. Audio / video recording of any type, on any type of device, is not permitted without prior written approval from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.
WINIFRED R. HARRIS
Associate Artistic Director
Ms. Harris, choreographer, artist, teacher, and community activist has created a significant body of work with a strong balance of technical prowess and gestural expression. Having trained under Cleo Parker Robinson, she danced professionally for ten years with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble before moving on to Dallas Black Dance Theater and a solo stint in New York and abroad. In October 1991, she relocated to Los Angeles, CA, founding her own award-nominated contemporary modern dance company. In recognition of her dedication and commitment to underprivileged youth, Ms. Harris received several awards from the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles for her teaching efforts within that community. Having served on faculty at various universities and studios nationwide, including Cal Arts (her alma mater), Cal State Los Angeles and Spelman College, she returned to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in 2010 as Ensemble Rehearsal Director and became Associate Artistic Director in 2014. A number of her innovative works are part of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble’s repertoire.
MICHAEL BATTLE
Ensemble Member
A native of Detroit, MI, Mr. Battle began his dance training at Detroit School of the Arts at the age of 14. In 2009, he joined the Lula Washington Dance Theatre as a company member, and in 2019, joined Ronald K. Brown/ Evidence, A Dance Company as a company member. Mr. Battle has traveled to China, Russia, Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italyperforming works by nationally and internationally acclaimed choreographers worldwide. He has performed with Grammy Award Winning and Nominated artists Kamasi Washington, Meshell Ndegeocello, Terence Blanchard, Aurturo O’Farrill, and Jody Watley. After guesting with the Ensemble in 2022, he is now in his second season as an Ensemble member with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.
CAELI BLAKE
Ensemble Member
From the DC Metropolitan area, Ms. Blake began her formal training at BalletNova Center for Dance in Arlington, VA. She attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Washington DC) under the tutelage of Charles Augins, Sandra Fortune-Greene, and Katherine Smith. She has studied with various company institutions including Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem at the Strathmore, and Jazz & Contemporary at Joffrey Ballet. Ms. Blake graduated from Southern Methodist University, with a BFA in Dance Performance and BS in Education & Human Development. While a full-time student at SMU, she danced with B.Moore Dance. She has performed in works by Robert Battle, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff, Bridget L. Moore, Silas Farley, Nicole Clarke-Springer, among others.
COREY BOATNER
Ensemble Member
Growing up in Hammond IN, Mr. Boatner trained in multiple dance techniques at the Hammond Academy for the Performing Arts. An alum of Indiana University, he performed there in notable works including Kyle Abrahams Radio Show, Jose Limon’s Psalm, Andrea Millers Spill, Jerome Robbins Fanfare, and the original restaging of Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe and Rennie Harris’ Home. He has also toured professionally with Elizabeth Shea Dance in Philadelphia and New York and performed overseas with Norwegian Creative Studios. After one season as an apprentice, Mr. Boatner is now in his fifth season as a Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble member.
JASMINE FRANCISCO
Ensemble Member
Originally from Houston, Tx , Ms. Francisco began her training at the Fine Arts Magnet School, originally called Johnston Middle School, under Jesse Woodcock and graduated from The High School of Performing and Visual Arts as a dance major under the directions of Luanne Carter and Janie Carothers in 2012. She continued her education and received her Bachelors of Fine Arts 2016 from Point Park University while having an esteemed repertoire from Jessica Lang, Terrance Marling, Troy Powell, Bennyroyce Royon, Garfield Lemonius and MADBOOTS. In her sophomore year of 2010, her student choreography project Tales of Courage was chosen to be featured at ACDA for the University. Six months after graduating from Point Park, she joined the Lula Washington Dance Theater in Los Angeles, CA for two seasons performing works by Kyle Abraham, Donald Bryd, Rennie Harris, Christopher Huggins and David Roussève. In the summer of 2018, Ms.Francisco moved to Denver, CO to begin her journey with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She is now in her seventh season as an Ensemble member, serving also as the Children’s Director for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Academy.
SAMUEL GAINES Jr.
Ensemble Member
Originally from Washington, D. C., Mr. Gaines began his dance training at Divine Dance Institute and trained under scholarship at Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pneuma Dance Project, and in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2020, he received his BFA in Dance and Business Management at Goucher College. Mr.Gaines has performed as a company member with Dance Iquail!, Sound Xpressed, and Contemporary West Dance Theatre. Additionally, he performed in productions of Mary Poppins, Wonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Tuacahn Amphitheater and performed in the original cast for the very first musical in Saudi Arabia, presented by the Royal family. He is now in his second season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.
RALAYA S. GOSHEA
Wardrobe Mistress / Ensemble Member
Born in Detroit, Ms. Goshea trained at the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts and Oakland University, receiving her BFA. She has performed with the Brown Dance Project, Patterson Rhythm and Pace, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, SMAGDance Company and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC). After being a member of Cleo II, she is now in her thirteenth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, serving also as Wardrobe Mistress for both the Ensemble’s local performances and national / international touring.
DEVRAE JEFFERSON
Apprentice to the Ensemble
A native of Atlanta, GA., Devrae “DJ” Jefferson is now in his first season as an Apprentice to the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. He began his training in the Magnet Program for Visual and Performing arts at Tri-Cities HS where he focused on all genres of dance. With a special affinity for ballet, he attended summer programs including Metropolitan Ballet Theater and Lines Contemporary Ballet. Having furthered his training, he subsequently received a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem NC. Mr. Jefferson has performed with Ballethnic Dance Company and Dallas Black Dance Theater Encore. With extensive experience in coaching gymnastics and teaching a variety of dance techniques, he first joined Cleo Parker Robinson Dance as a guest artist for the holiday production Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum before becoming an Apprentice to the Ensemble.
SAMIYAH LYNNICE
Ensemble Member
Samiyah Lynnice is a Florida native. She began her training at Academy of Ballet Arts and Artz 4 Life Academy, Inc. in the Tampa Bay Area, Fl. Miss Lynnice is a graduate of New World School of the Arts and has a BFA in dance from The Hartt School in Hartford, CT. She toured the United States as a principle dancer with DunDu Dole West African Ballet in her youth and starred in the Chocolate Nutcracker as ‘Claire’ and ‘The Dream Princess”. She has performed works by Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Doug Varone, Norbert DeLaCruz, Donald McKayle, Manuel Vignoulle, Brian Arias, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Amalia Viviana Basanta Hernandez, and Katherine Dunham. Her sophomore year of college, she performed at the Joyce Theater during the Jose Limon International Dance Festival. She has performed with Anita Baker for The Songstress tour, at the American Dance Festival premiering the commissioned work Resist by Micaela Taylor in 2019, and the Vail International Dance Festival where she premiered Standing on the Shoulders by Cleo Parker Robinson in 2021. A Princess Grace award nominee, Ms. Lynnice is currently in her seventh season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.
GABRIELA MADURO
Ensemble Member / Props Mistress
Originally from Fremont California, Ms. Maduro began her dance training at Yoko’s Dance and Performing Arts Academy and Nor Cal Dance Arts. She has attended Summer Intensives with the Ailey School, the Martha Graham School, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance. While at UCI, she was honored to perform as part of the distinguished Donald McKayle’s Etude Ensemble. She has performed works by Donald McKayle, Martha Graham, Darshan Singh Bhuller among others. Upon graduation, Ms. Maduro joined Cleo II, and after one season as an apprentice, joined the Ensemble, where she is now in her fourth season.
LAMAR D. ROGERS
Ensemble Member
Mr. Rogers is a performer and choreographer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Having graduated from The Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, he later earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. During his college career, he toured and performed with Eleone Dance Theatre under the direction and mentorship of Shawn-Lamere Williams. He has trained at various institutions throughout the Philadelphia area as a scholarship student attending Koresh School of Dance, DCNS Summer Dance Intensive and the Rock School for Dance Education. Following graduation, he joined the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) as a full-time company artist. He has performed works by Sidra Bell, Kyle & Dinita Clark, Merce Cunningham, Ulysses Dove, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Helen Simoneau, Rennie Harris and other acclaimed choreographers. He now joins Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for his third season with the Ensemble.
SADIE SANDOVAL
Apprentice to the Ensemble
Originally from Sarasota, FL. Ms. von Wood began her earliest classical ballet training under the direction of Wilmian Hernandez. At age fourteen, she joined the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School Conservatory under the direction of Ariel Serrano. Having participated in Summer Intensives with The Ailey School, Joffrey Ballet School, Sarasota Ballet School, and The Carreno Dance Festival, she later graduated from The Ailey School Certificate Program in New York. While touring with the Ailey Student Performance Group, she performed works by Ray Mercer, Carlos Dos Santos, Jr., and Earl Mosley. Upon graduation, Topaz joined Cleo II, was an apprentice to the company for one season, and is now in her second season as an Ensemble member.
LAUREN SLAUGHTER
Apprentice to the Ensemble
A Colorado native, Ms. Slaughter began dancing at a local competitive studio in Aurora CO before moving to St. Louis for college. There, she attended Washington University where she expanded her training to include Modern and West African and received her Minor in Dance. She performed for three years with the Washington University Dance Collective (a modern dance company) and worked with multiple MFA candidates on their thesis projects. In her time at the school, Ms. Slaughter performed works by TingTing Chang, Diadie Bathily, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, and Dana Tai Soon Burgess. Following graduation, she returned to Colorado and was a member of Cleo II before becoming an Apprentice to the Ensemble.
Cleo Parker Robinson Founder / Artistic Director
Producer / Director / Choreographer
Winifred R. Harris Associate Artistic Director
Rhetta Shead VP of Theatre Operations
Production Director / Stage Manager
Cedric D. Hall Cleo II Rehearsal Director
Jessica Horton Youth Ensemble Director
Jasmine Francisco Children’s Ensemble Director
Heidi Patterson Costume Design
Deborah Powell Costume Design
Ralaya S. Goshea Wardrobe Mistress
Gabriela Maduro Props Mistress
Gabriella Shead Assistant Stage Manager
Trey Grimes Technical Advisor
Conor Morford Technical Director
Anastazia Coney Lighting Designer
Eli Lynch Technician
Jody Gilbert Playbill Design
Mar y Hart Playbill Editor
Amelia Dietz-Rowe Media Design
Micah Bursh Group Sales Coordinator
David Andrews Archival Videographer
Mar tha Wirth CPRD Photographer
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Cleo Parker Robinson Founder / Artistic Director
Malik Robinson Executive Director
Rhetta Shead Vice President of Theatre Operations
Hillary Harding Vice President of Development
Shelby Jarosz Vice President of Educational Programs
Tohbias Juniel Director of Advocacy and Engagement
Mar y Hart Director of Booking and Touring
Isaac Tafoya Comptroller
Amelia Dietz-Rowe
Micah Bursh
Marketing Manager
Marketing Communications Specialist
Kollin Payne Grants Manager
Victoria Shead Johnston
Senior Academy Manager
Kylie Straub Academy Manager
Amandine Aubertot
Michael Battle
Gabriela Maduro
Kayla Massey
Trey Grimes
Academy Administrative Assistant
Academy Administrative Assistant
Academy Administrative Assistant
Academy Administrative Assistant
Technical Advisor
Conor Mor ford Technical Director
Anastazia Coney
Senior Technician
Patricia Smith OnTarget Public Relations
ARTISTIC STAFF
Winifred R. Harris Associate Artistic Director
Cedric D. Hall Cleo II Rehearsal Director
Jessica Horton
Jasmine Francisco
Youth Ensemble Director
Junior Youth Ensemble Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gwen Brewer, Chair
Cleo Parker Robinson *Founder / Artistic Director
Malik Robinson, Executive Director
Tyrone Gant, Treasurer | Debbie Herrera, Vice Chair | Shale Wong, Vice Chair
Lisa Levin Appel / Toni Baruti / Christopher Cardenas / Darryl Collier / Tim Davis
Demesha Hill / Lisa Hogan / Eric Itambo / Kelli Kelly / Robert Thompson
J. Matt Thornton / Alfred Walker / Jennifer Wozniak
EMERITUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judge Raymond Dean Jones J.D.*
Chairman Emeritus
Les Franklin
Helen Franzgrote
Marceline Freeman
Henry Lowenstein
Nancy McClosky
Dawn Nakamura-Kessler
Edmond “Buddy” Noel *
Schyleen Qualls Brown *
Tom Robinson *
Lester Ward Faye & Reggie Washington
* Founding members of the Cleo
Board of Directors
Parker Robinson DanceSpecial thanks to the Ensembles, Board of Directors, Sponsors, Donors & Foundations, Education Partners, Administrative, Artistic & Technical Staff, Youth Ensembles, Musicians, Guest Artists, Faculty, Students, Parents, and Volunteers of
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE and
LEGACY: Opening the Way
We also thank the following for their extraordinary support of this production.
David Andrews
Brother Jeff Cultural Center
Pat Brooks
CBS Colorado KCNC4
Colorado Community News / Life On Capital Hill
Colorado Public Radio / Denverite
Dance Media / The Dance Edit
Denver Gazette / N. P. Report (J. Moore / J. Davidson)
Denver Post
Greater Park Hill News
Lisa Kennedy (Arts Journalist)
Kristen Nelson-Steinhoff
Stan and Chris Obert
Reina Parker and Family
Malik and Vianey Robinson
The Parker and Robinson Families
RED Magazine (Metro State, University of Denver)
Rocky Mountain PBS / KUVO 89.3FM
Schyleen Qualls
Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD)
The Shead Family
Theresa Peoples
Visit Denver
Daryl Walker
Leslie Sue Parker Wallace
Westword
Letitia Williams
Stephanie Wolf (Arts Journalist)
In memoriam
Tom Robinson
Harry Belafonte, Julie Belafonte
Jonathon “JP” Parker, Martha Parker, James Wallace
Marceline Freeman, Robertta Freeman, Carl Bourgeois
Abuelita Olga Gonzalez, Jaime Gonzalez, Bro. Ansar El Muhammad
Thedora Jackson, JorgeAyn “Jay” Riley
Cleo Parker Robinson / Founder and Artistic Director
Winifred R. Harris / Associate Artistic Director
POET AND SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
Schyleen Qualls
THE CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ENSEMBLE
Michael Battle / Caeli Blake / Corey Boatner / Jasmine Francisco
Samuel Gaines Jr. / Ralaya S. Goshea / Devrae Jefferson* / Samiyah Lynnice
Gabriela Maduro / Lamar D. Rogers / Sadie Sandoval* / Lauren Slaughter*
*Apprentice to the Ensemble
CLEO II
Cedric D. Hall – Director
Katie Carothers / Williams Davis / Adrian Dominguez / Kayla Massey
Zinnia McKenna** / Melvin Sutton / Jasmine Valencia**
**Apprentice to Cleo II
THE YOUTH ENSEMBLE
Jessica Horton – Director
Amirah Bryd / Marisa Buck / Rhylee Dixon / Ximalma Gonzales-Robinson
Meneka Hickock / Carlen Holmes / Bella Lockhart / Eloise Peoples
Constanza Reyes Atencio / Violet Sterling
THE JUNIOR YOUTH ENSEMBLE
Jasmine Francisco - Director
Moriah Bass / Mission Buckley / Gianna “Gigi” Garcia / Elizabeth Hyer
Chloe James / Phoebe Lapham / Amelia Nelson-Steinhoff / Eliana Yelpaala
THE MUSICIANS
Bataki Cambrelan
Koffi Toudji
