2022 Spring Concert ⎜"Equinox" ⎜Cleo Parker Robinson Dance⎜May 6, 7 & 8

Dear Patrons, Family, and Friends: Welcome to our Spring 2022 concert “Equinox” as we celebrate this time of renewed spiritual, emotional, and physical awareness in community with friends, family, colleagues – and with Mother Earth.

The concept of the Equinox, the perfect balance between light and shadow that takes place in both Spring and Autumn, has been a pivotal element in cultures around the world from the earliest times. The Spring Equinox signaled the time of renewal, planting, growth, and birth, while the Autumn focused on preparation for rest and contemplation as communities settled into a time of quiet. This search to attain a state of physical, spiritual, and emotional balance is a place of spirit that musicians, dancers, poets, storytellers, and artisans have been aware of for thousands of years.

This Spring, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) has truly achieved a heightened sense of renewal and rebirth. The Ensemble has returned to national touring, and a myriad of performances across the state, as have Cleo II and our Youth and Junior Youth Ensembles. We are delighted to begin a significant project, “SACRED SPACES?” through a grant provided by the Ford Foundation and SCFD, collaborating with artists to share stories previously left largely untold. The initial part of this significant work in progress is being shared with you this weekend, as renowned poet and spoken word artist, Esther Belin, and photographer Dr. Chip Thomas, create a digital installation that speaks of the Diné (Navajo) people of The Four Corners region. Our own Associate Artistic Director, Winifred R. Harris, has created a new work “Ethos” in collaboration with this first phase of the project, implementing excerpts of Ms. Berlin’s poetry. This first phase will continue to expand, while the second phase of this project will premiere in the Fall, in collaboration with Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

We are also delighted to welcome Robert Moses of KIN, who came to Denver to set a work on the Ensemble. The result of that whirlwind visit is “ForFourIn6”, reflecting the brilliance of a choreographer and four equally brilliant dancers creating a stellar work in just six days!

We have been in a place of absolute creative joy and energy….

But the shadow has also come, the deepest shadow possible. Tom Robinson, my beloved for over sixty years, my dear husband with whom I would have shared our 52nd Anniversary on May 30, made his transition on April 4, 2022 at 12:50 am, with our son Malik and I at his side, after a full day prior of ceremony and celebration with drumming and storytelling, affirming family, crying tears of sorrow, hugging and holding one another so that our Tom could SOAR to join the Ancestors. In EVERY

aspect of his life, Tom was dedicated to serving others. The same year we were married, Tom became one of the co-founders of CPRD and was resolved to provide the organization with a strong financial foundation and a permanent home. He accomplished both, and I’m so PROUD to stand on his shoulders of EXCELLENCE, DIGNITY, PRIDE and HUMILITY. Tom touched so many through his kindness, wisdom, and generous heart. Countless numbers of you have reached out to us in love and support. We are proud to continue Tom’s legacy because of each of you. Your outpouring of love has lifted us.

The legacy of Tom Robinson is certainly represented in this concert, as we celebrate him through dance, imagery and spoken word. It is so wonderful that renowned poet and CPRD co-founder, Schyleen Qualls, will share her incredible words about him, and that the iconic Dianne Reeves will lift her voice with improvisations in his honor.

Just as Tom would want, this historic 51st ANNIVERSARY SEASON, the mission and vision of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance remains strong through the leadership of our Executive Director, Malik Robinson - and the perseverance of our Ensembles, Staff, Faculty, and Board of Directors. 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 students and audiences.

You’ll want to visit our website at www.cleoparkerdance.org to keep up on all the dates and locations where we’ll be teaching and performing.

Our 28th Annual International Summer Dance Institute (ISDI), the region’s finest summer intensive program, promises to be one of the most exciting yet. Both ISDI and our Academy of Dance, under the guidance of Director Edgar L. Page, CPRDE alumnus, continues to offer a variety of classes, with an incredible range of classes to fit all ages and abilities! Visit us for our Annual Student Showcases and Awards on May 13 and 14 at 5pm to experience a cross-section of all we offer!

Keep a close eye on our website also for details for our 12th Annual Dancing With the Denver Stars, taking place at the Hilton City Center on August 13. This year’s Gala offers some extra special surprises, so you will most certainly want to be with us! And immediately following the Gala, the Ensemble leaves on tour to Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, August 17 – 21!

This weekend as we remember our cherished Mothers and Grandmothers, the wonderful men who have stood beside them – all of our Honored Elders and Sacred Ancestors – may we all find strength in the Village of Community that sustains us all.

With Peace and Blessings,

Cleo Parker Robinson is founder and artistic director of the 51-yearold Denver-based Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD), encompassing the renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE), Cleo II (her 2nd company), a Youth Ensemble, an Academy of Dance, an International Summer Dance Institute, a 240-seat theatre, and multiple community engagement programs nationally and internationally.

A master teacher/choreographer and cultural ambassador, she and CPRDE have performed nationwide, throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and the African continent, with recent international tours in 2019 to Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico.

Ms. Parker Robinson’s numerous accolades include the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence (1974), Denver Mayor’s Award (1979), induction into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (1989) and the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame (1994). She holds Honorary Doctorates from Denver University (1991), Colorado College (2003), Regis University in Denver (2008), an Alumni Award from University of Denver (2021), CU Boulder (2021), and is an Honorary Member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (2021). In 2011, she was voted an Honorary Lifetime Trustee of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, in recognition of her lasting impact on the Center. She is also an honoree of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. In June 2017, she received the prestigious DanceUSA Honor Award and in September 2017, the Randy Weeks Arts Leadership Award from the Denver School of the Arts.

Ms. Robinson has served on NEA panels on Dance, Expansion Arts, Arts America, and Inter-Arts panels for the USIS, and for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts as well as other national task forces, boards, and committees. In April 1999, she was appointed by then-President William Jefferson Clinton, with Senate confirmation, to serve for four years on the National Council on the Arts, a 14-member panel advising the Chairman of the NEA on agency policy and programs, reviewing and making recommendations on grant applications.

Since 2011, Ms. Parker Robinson has returned to her greatest passion as a choreographer, creating Dreamcatchers: The Untold Stories of the Americas and the

world premiere of Romeo and Juliet, in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. On the Edge… Reaching to Higher Ground (October of 2014) addressed resurging racial and human rights infractions world-wide. She re-staged two works (Spring 2017), melding classical and jazz composition with modern dance – Romeo and Juliet and Porgy and Bess. Copacetic: A Tribute to Jonathon “JP” Parker (Fall 2017) honored her late father. Lark Ascending (Spring 2018) was a collaboration with the Boulder Philharmonic. Rhapsody in Black, a 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 set a work on CPRDE alum Gary Abbot’s UMKC students, 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 Freedom Dance, created with jazz icon Dianne Reeves and CPRD co-founder and poet, Schyleen Qualls and in October 2021, she premiered R.I.Power, commissioned by the Colorado College Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. April 2022 saw the premiere of her newest commissioned works for Motown and More, in collaboration with the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus.

HIS LEGACY CONTINUES BECAUSE OF YOU

Thomas E. Robinson Sunrise 12.15.1945 · Sunset 4.4.2022

Tom touched so many lives through his wisdom, kindness and generous heart. We feel that same spirit returning to us through your love and support.

With gratitude and deep appreciation!

Peace and Blessings, &

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 to found 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. She has been on faculty at numerous universities and studios nationwide, including Cal Arts (her alma mater), Cal State Los Angeles and Spelman College. Having been on staff at the Dallas Black Dance Theater and the Colorado State Ballet, she has now returned to the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and the Ensemble as the Associate Artistic Director.

OUR MISSION & VISION CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE – INSPIRING MOVEMENT!

Currently celebrating its 51st Anniversary Season, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is an international performing arts and education institution rooted in African-American traditions, dedicated to excellence in providing cross-cultural instruction, 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 PARKER ROBINSON DANCE Located in Denver’s Historic Five Points District 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, Colorado 80205 Ph # 303 295 1759 | Fx # 303 295 1328 www.cleoparkerdance.org CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ACADEMY Edgar Page 303 295 1759 x16 / Edgar@cleoparkerdance.org DEVELOPMENT Hillary Harding 303 295 1759 x12 / Hillary@cleoparkerdance.org CLEO PARKER ROBINSON FACILITY RENTALS Matisse McKnight 303 295 1759 x11 / Matisse@cleoparkerdance.org EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH Shelby Jarosz 303 295 1759 x10 / Shelby@cleoparkerdance.org BOOKINGS and TOURING Mary Hart 303 295 1759 x20 / Mary@cleoparkerdance.org

Esther G. Belin “My expression is a liberation functioning as a contrived reality boxed into Indian.”

ESTHER G. BELIN is an urban Indian, born at an Indian Health Service hospital in Gallup, New Mexico and raised in the greater Los Angeles area. When recently asked how she became a writer, she explained, “writing was a coping mechanism.” Belin has been using writing to cope with the everyday microaggressions of racialized trauma, oppression and general ignorance about Indian tribes and people in the United States. She has two poetry collections, “From the Belly of My Beauty”, and “Of Cartography”, both published by the University of Arizona Press.

She and three others edited an anthology of Navajo Literature, “The Diné Reader”. While Belin is primarily a writer, she frequently collaborates with others on interdisciplinary projects. Collaborations between Belin and Chip Thomas are rooted from Navajoland, Diné bikeyáh, and manifest from conversations about art, cultural landscape and racial healing.

Belin is a faculty mentor in the Institute of American Indian Arts Low-Rez MFA program. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and lives on the Colorado side of the 4 corners region.

Chip Thomas Dr. Thomas is a photographer, public artist, activist and physician working between

Monument Valley and The Grand Canyon on the Navajo nation since 1987. He coordinates the Painted Desert Project – a community building project manifesting murals across the

Navajo Nation, painted by artists from all over the rez + the world. These murals reflect love and appreciation of the rich history shared by the Navajo people back to Navajo people.

As a member of the Justseeds Artists Co-operative, he is part of a community of like-minded, socially engaged artists. His large-scale photographs appear on the roadside, on the sides of houses in the northern Arizona desert, on the graphics of the Peoples Climate March, Justseeds and 350.org carbon emissions campaign material.

He was a 2018 recipient of a Kindle Project gift and in 2020 was one of a handful of artists chosen by the UN to recognize the 75th anniversary of the UN’s founding. Artists were

chosen to generate work that “contributes to the envisioning and shaping of a more resilient and sustainable future.

It is hoped that this work will amplify and accelerate implementation of the UN Global Sustainability Goals with a focus on communities and climate action.”

Robert Moses Choreographer, Writer and Composer, Robert Moses has created over 100 varied works for his renowned dance company, composing many of their sound and narrative scores.

He has choreographed for dance, opera, and theater including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Opera, Olympic Arts Festival, Ailey II, Philadanco, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Cincinnati Ballet, Eco Arts, Transitions Dance Company of the Laban Center in London, African Cultural Exchange (UK), Bare Bones (UK), Oakland Ballet, New Conservatory Theater, Los Angeles Prime Moves Festival (L.A.C.E.), Moving People Dance, and Robert Henry Johnson Dance Company.

He has taught throughout the US, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Cal State Long Beach, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Goucher College, University of Texas, Stockton University, University of Nevada, and University of South Florida. His work explores topics ranging from oral traditions in African American culture, contemporary urban culture, and the complexities of identity, to the simple joys and expressive power of pure movement. He has worked collaboratively with numerous artists and organizations, including Terence Marling, Latanya d. Tigner, Julia Adam, Margaret Jenkins, Alonzo King, Sara Shelton Mann, Joanna Haigood, Carl Hancock Rux, SoVoSo, Marcus Shelby, Keith Terry, Frank Boehm, Will Power, Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble, Bill Morrison, Ann Galjour, David Worm, Kid Beyond and Youth Speaks.

As a master teacher, Moses has taught world-wide, including International Festival of Contemporary Dance “Espuma Cuanatica” (Ensanada, Mexico), International Dance Festival, “Crossing Bodies” (Tijuana, Mexico), OPEN LOOK St. Petersburg International Dance Festival, and Serendipity Arts Festival (Kolkata, India).

A returning guest artist at the Northwest Dance Project, he has also mentored with Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange (CHIME). He conducted movement and performance workshops internationally for artists of African descent with State of Emergency Limited in the United Kingdom.

In 2005, Moses was named Stanford University Choreographer-in-Residence and Artistic Director of the Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stanford University. Formerly a Professor of Practice at Santa Clara University from 2018 to 2019, he is currently the Melody and Mark Teppola Presidential Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Dance and Theater Studies at Mills College in Oakland, CA.

DIANNE REEVES DIANNE REEVES, five-time Grammy winner, is acclaimed as the pre-eminent jazz vocalist

in the world. As a result of her breathtaking virtuosity, improvisational prowess, and unique jazz and R&B stylings, she received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three

consecutive recordings – a Grammy first in any vocal category. Featured in George Clooney’s six-time Academy Award nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck”, she won the Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for the film’s soundtrack.

Ms. Reeves has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz

Orchestra. She has also recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Ms. Reeves was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first vocalist to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall. She worked with legendary producer Arif Mardin (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin) on the Grammy winning “A Little

Moonlight”, an intimate collection of standards featuring her touring trio. When her holiday collection “Christmas Time is Here” was released, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, “Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously;

this is one of the best jazz Christmas CD’s I’ve heard.” In recent years Ms. Reeves has toured the world in a variety of contexts including “Sing the Truth”, a musical celebration of Nina Simone which also featured Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo.

She performed at the White House on multiple occasions including President Obama’s State Dinner for the President of China as well as the Governors’ Ball. Her most recent release

“Beautiful Life”, features Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway and Esperanza

Spalding. Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, “Beautiful Life” won the 2015 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

Ms. Reeves is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music and

the Juilliard School. In 2018 the National Endowment for the Arts designated Reeves a Jazz Master – the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists.

Schyleen Qualls Co-founder of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Schyleen Qualls is a native of Denver, Colorado.

After living in New York City in the late ‘60s and working at the legendary Negro Ensemble Company, she returned to Denver with the dream of helping to shape the city’s Black arts scene.

After meeting Cleo -- and producing the ensemble’s first major concert and television show

– the two joined forces to build a world-class professional dance company. For nearly a

decade, Qualls co-directed the administration of the company with Cleo and Tom Robinson

and performed poetry in all the company’s productions. As the Ensemble’s only non-dancer, she eventually made the difficult decision to return to New York City where she produced a one-woman show. Acclaimed for its poetry and personal narratives on global citizenship,

The Last Word has been featured on hundreds of campuses. She was awarded the Harvard

University Foundation Medal for her “contributions to American Performing Arts and Race and Intercultural Relations.”

Qualls continues her decades-long track record of creating innovative and socially conscious programming as an actor, writer, producer, and filmmaker. She lives in San Francisco where

she is president and founder of Arkeon Entertainment. Currently she is an executive producer – along with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Oscar-winning producer Charles Wessler -- of a feature film based on her forthcoming book, Running the Line.

Over the years, Qualls has remained close to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and continues to

occasionally perform with the company, including on a tour of Egypt. She’s grateful to be joining her beloved friend once again in her familiar role as poet.

A TRIBUTE TO THOMAS EDWARD ROBINSON Processional The call to the Ancestors and the pouring of Libation is an African ritual of heritage, an offering to honor the Creator, our Sacred Ancestors, and all those who are present and not present, as well as the earth that sustains us. A similar ritual is observed in cultures world-wide, particularly for a great leader such as Tom Robinson – husband, father, grandfather, son, athlete, coach, teacher, official, and co-founder of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

Remembering Tom

Cleo Parker Robinson Schyleen Qualls

DANCE AS RITUAL (World Premier 2008) Based on Dunham technique, as taught by Pearl Reynolds Choreographer Music Lighting Design The Elder Yanvalou Twins The Houngan (Priest) The Hounsi (Initiates) Damballah (Serpent Deity) Dancers

Theo Jamison Traditional African Trey Grimes Davry Ratcliffe Caeli Blacke, Topaz von Wood Christopher Page-Sanders Caeli Blake, Tyveze Littlejohn, Topaz von Wood Davry Ratcliffe Emma Cory, Rashad Crane, Tyveze Littlejohn, Sadie Sandoval, Lauren Slaughter

ETHOS (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Premiere 2022) Recognizing power in the word, in community and emotion, this work in progress is a tribute to the grace and power that we receive when we lay our authentic selves on the altar of life. This collaboration pays tribute to communities, the recognition of rebirth and rebuilding. For it is up to us as a people, to chart our course and actions to honor a human existence. – Winifred R. Harris “Ethos”, implementing the spoken word of Esther Belin and the imagery of Chip Thomas, is the initial phase of “SACRED SPACES?”, a two-part project funded primarily by the Ford Foundation, Denver Ballet Guild and SCFD. This project focuses on stories that have remained largely untold due to marginalization, racism, and fear.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance acknowledges and honors the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples on whose ancestral lands we now stand.

Choreographer Music Poetry Images Lighting Design Costume Design Dancers

Winifred R. Harris Native American (Sioux) / Sacred Spirts / Dead Can Dance Esther Belin (Excerpts read by Schyleen Qualls) Chip Thomas Trey Grimes Winifred R. Harris Corey Boatner, Jasmine Francisco, Samiyah Lynnice, Gabriela Maduro, John e. Roberts

EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Excerpt from “Check Cashing Day” (World Premiere UMKC 2019 Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble Premiere 2021) Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Choreographer Music Dancers

Cleo Parker Robinson Bettye Miller & Milt Abel Chloé Grant Abel and Christopher Page-Sanders

TARA (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance World Premiere 2013) “Tara” is a Sanskrit word which translates as “crossroads” and is also the name of the Buddhist Goddess for the Mother of Liberation, whose Divine wisdom exists in all of us as intuition or inner guidance.

Choreographer Kun Yang Lin Original Music Cory Neal Costumes Joey Santos Original Lighting Milton Tatum Soloist Ralaya S. Goshea (Lauren Slaughter / Emma Cory) Dancers Jasmine Francisco, Tyveze Littlejohn, Samiyah Lynnice, Gabriela Maduro, Davry Ratcliffe, Lauren Slaughter / Sadie Sandoval KUN-YANG LIN is Artistic Director of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers & Founder of CHI Movement Arts Center. He has performed throughout Europe with Transitions Dance Company and in the U.S. with Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Kevin Wynn Collection, Paula Josa-Jones, Janis Brenner & Dancers, Doris Humphrey Repertory Dance Company and the Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, where he also served as Associate Artistic Director. Called “an extraordinary dancer” (New York Times), “theatrical visionary…outstanding choreographer and compelling performer.” (Philadelphia Inquirer), Kun-Yang was named in 2009 by the Painted Bride Arts Center as an “Artist of the City” for his outstanding contributions to the arts and culture of Philadelphia. His work has been performed by numerous professional companies, universities and high schools.

His choreography has been part of the curricula at Taiwan National University of the Arts, SUNY Buffalo and Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES) Performing Arts Academy.

Mr. Lin has been on the faculty of The Yard, H.B. Actor’s Studio, Peridance International Dance Center and The Limon Institute. Since 2003, he has been a Professor at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music & Dance in Philadelphia.

INTERMISSION

FORFOURIN6 (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance World Premiere May 2022) I am more than excited to be here making my first work on this incredible company of extraordinary dancers and artists. This is a gift both to me and to the community. After so long away, so long not being in the studio, and creating so many dances remotely online, the process is more personal for me now than maybe it’s been in a while...that I get to spend time in a room with other people working things out. The process for me is not only an intellectual exercise in trying to get to an end-product but the way in which you work with others, in an effort to enliven their experience and my understanding of our experience together. – Robert Moses Choreographer Music Dancers

Robert Moses These Beautiful Vamping Beasts Chloé Grant Abel, Corey Boatner, Yoojung Hahm, John e. Roberts SOLO REFLECTIONS

BY DIANNE REEVES

SALOME’S DAUGHTERS (World Premiere 1998 / Re-staging 2006) “In the original myth, Ishtar (the ancient goddess of love and fertility) restores life. In the Bible’s version, Ishtar’s namesake, Salome, takes life and is associated with death.

From history, it’s clear that the “Dance of the Veils of Ishtar” (later known as the Dance of Salome) was rewritten in the Bible and its meaning reversed to elevate men and denigrate women. This work captures the original meaning of women in life, in dance, identifying their beauty, their power, and their magic. In this process of resurrection, each veil represents one element of life (previously stripped from women) and each dancer represents one veil – Soul, Faith, Love, Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth. As the world was created in seven days, I recreate the world for women with seven veils (another parallel to the systematic way in which the portrayal of women was altered by manipulating different aspects of sacred stories). Throughout this incarnation, we bring forward the spirit of Salome and through this, bring back the true place of women.” – Nejla Y. Yatkin

Choreographer Music Voices Sound Arrangement Lighting Design Costumes The Seven Veils of Life Veil of Soul Veil of Faith Veil of Water Veil of Fire Veil of Wind Veil of Earth Veil of Love

Nejla Y. Yatkin A. R. Rahman & Lelonek Kamilah Levens & Nejla Yatkin Mike Merrick (Denver Center Media) Keith W. Rice Lara Kirksey

Chloe Grant Abel Jasmine Francisco Samiyah Lynice Caeli Blake Topaz von Wood Gabriela Maduro Lauren Slaughter* * Cleo II

NEJLA YATKIN An award-winning and critically acclaimed choreographer, Ms. Yatkin is a 2018 Drama Desk Award nominee, a 3Arts Award fellow and a Princess Grace Choreography recipient. Originally from Germany, she brings a luminious and transcultural perspective to her creations. Her focus is regularly drawn to the role that memory and history serve in constructing identity, causing and resolving conflict and transforming cultural tensions into deep, authentic moments of human connections.

She has danced as a principal with numerous companies in Germany (Fountainhead Tanz Theater, Dance Butter Tokyo and Pyro Space Ballet [1992-1995]) as well as the United States (Cleo Parker Robinson [1996-1999] and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company [1999-2000]). She was critically acclaimed for her performance of Stravinsky’s “Firebird” with the Colorado Symphony under the direction of Marion Alstop and choreographed by Cleo Parker Robinson. Since 2000, Ms. Yatkin has been choreographing to critical acclaim both nationally and internationally for noted companies around the world and for her own company NY2Dance company.

She has received a myriad of the most auspicious honors within the dance world. The opinion of her work is best summarized by Jennifer Dunning (of the New York Times): “(Ms. Yatkin) is a magician, telling tales and creating worlds with understated images and movement. (She) is after more than choreography.”

Program Selections, Casting, And Order Are Subject To Change Without Prior Notice.

The use of audio / video recording devices of any type (including phones and ipads) is not permitted without prior written permission from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

CHLOÉ-GRANT ABEL Ensemble Rehearsal Director / Ensemble Member A Kansas City native, Ms. Abel trained for twelve years under full scholarship at the Kansas City Ballet School. She studied in New York at the Ailey School as a Fellowship recipient, and received her BFA in Dance, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her professional career includes performances with Quixotic Performance Fusion, the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, the Owen/Cox Dance Group, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company and as an Apprentice with the Kansas City Ballet. Ms. Abel is now in her tenth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and is also Rehearsal Director for the Ensemble.

CAELI BLAKE Apprentice to the Ensemble Ms. Blake began her formal training at BalletNova Center for Dance in Arlington, VA. and attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Washington DC) under the tutelage of Charles Augins, Sandra Fortune-Greene, & 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. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, with a BFA in Dance Performance & BS in Education & Human Development, she was a full-time student at SMU while she danced with B.Moore Dance. She has performed in works by Robert Battle, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff, Bridget L. Moore, Nicole Clarke-Springer, Silas Farley, and many more. This is her first season as an Apprentice to the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

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 first season as an Ensemble member.

JASMINE FRANCISCO Ensemble Member Originally from Houston, Ms. Francisco graduated in 2012 from the High School of Performing and Visual Arts as a dance major. She subsequently received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2016 from Point Park University with repertoire from Jessica Lang, Terrance Marling, Troy Powell, Bennyroyce Royon, Garfield Lemonius and MADBOOTS. In 2010, her sophomore year, her student choreography project “Tales of Courage“, was featured at the American College Dance Association Conference. After graduating from Point Park, she joined the Lula Washington Dance Theater in Los Angeles for two seasons, performing works by Kyle Abraham, Donald Bryd, Rennie Harris, Christopher Huggins and David Roussève. In 2018, Ms. Francisco moved to Denver to join the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble where she is now in her fourth season.

RALAYA S. GOSHEA Ensemble 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 and an apprentice to the Ensemble, she is now in her tenth season with the Ensemble.

YOOJUNG HAHM Ensemble Member Born in Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Hahm first trained with the Muyoungnara academy in Ilsan, Korea, and later with the Seoul Arts High School and the Korea National University of Arts. She received 2nd prize from Tanz Olimp in Berlin, a scholarship from Alvin Ailey in NYC through her performances at the Seoul International Dance Competition.

After graduation she moved to Manhattan, training in Horton technique for a year at the Ailey school. She also performed ‘Tail Language’ by Art project BORA in Seoul, ‘LAUNCH:10’ with North West Dance Project in Portland and ‘Kodafe’ with I KADA contemporary dance in NYC. This is Ms. Hahm’s sixth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

TYVEZE LITTLEJOHN Ensemble Member After graduating in 2011 from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Mr. Littlejohn apprenticed with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Having subsequently performed with Ballet Eddy Toussaint de Montreal, Lexington Ballet, and Ballet Palm Beach (2015-2018), with leading roles in Giselle, Nutcracker, Midsummer Nights Dream, Rite of Spring, and Gatsby, he returned to The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble in 2018 and is now in his fourth season with the Ensemble.

SAMIYAH LYNNICE Ensemble Member A Florida native, Ms. Lynnice began her training at the Academy of Ballet Arts and Artz 4 Life Academy, Inc. in Tampa Bay. A graduate of New World School of the Arts, she received her Bachelor in Fine Arts from The Hartt School in Hartford, CT. Touring nationally as a principle dancer with DunDu Dole West African Ballet, she performed in the Chocolate Nutcracker as ‘Claire’ and ‘The Dream Princess”.

She has performed works by master choreographers including Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Doug Varone, and Darrell Grand Moultrie, and attended summer workshops with Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, RIOULT, and White Mountain Dance Festival. This is Ms. Lynnice’s fourth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

GABRIELA MADURO Ensemble Member Originally from Fremont California, Ms. Maduro began training in dance under the direction of Yoko Young and later joined Nor Cal Dance Arts under the direction of Tawnya Kuzia. She has studied at the Ailey School, the Martha Graham School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and the University of California, Irvine where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance. While at UCI, she was honored in 2017 to perform as part of the distinguished Donald McKayle’s Etude Ensemble. She has performed works by Donald McKayle, Martha Graham, Darshan Singh Bhuller, and Tong Wang. Upon graduation, Ms. Maduro joined Cleo II, and after one season as apprentice, is now in her first season as an Ensemble member.

CHRISTOPHER PAGE-SANDERS Guest Artist Originally from St. Louis, MO, he received his formal training from the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and is a BFA dance major from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (Conservatory of Music and Dance). He is Founding COArtistic Director of NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre.

He has danced extensively with national and international dance companies including Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, and Owen/Cox Dance Group. As a director/choreographer, he has worked with companies including The Aurora Fox Arts Center, COCAPresents, Fly North Theatricals, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (Imaginary Theatre Company), Town Hall Arts Center, Vintage Theatre Productions, and has taught / choreographed for Chapman University, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Davis Contemporary Dance Company, Deeply Rooted ECS, Denver School For The Arts, Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center, and Park Hill Dance Academy.

Currently on the Board of Directors for Vintage Theatre Productions, he is a two-time recipient of The Leni Wylliams Award from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and a two-time True West Award winner for his work on Amplify (Arvada Center) and The Scottsboro Boys (Vintage Theatre Productions). He is also a 2020 Colorado Henry Award winner for his choreography for the musical “The Scottsboro Boys” (Vintage Theatre Productions).

DAVRY RATCLIFFE Ensemble Member A Columbus, OH native, Mr. Ratcliffe first trained at Fort Hayes Performing Arts MEC under Marva “China” White (Dance Theatre of Harlem) in the Pre-Professional program.

Involved in numerous productions, he has worked with renowned choreographers including Laurieanne Gibson, Gil Dudilduo, and several of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” competitors. He spent a season with the Dayton Contemporary Dance 2nd company, while shaping a non-profit company to advance professional development and community outreach through hip hop culture. After two seasons with Cleo II, he is now in his seventh season as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

JOHN e. ROBERTS Ensemble Member A St. Louis native, Mr. Roberts first trained at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), graduating with a BFA from the University of Missouri Kansas-City (UMKC) Conservatory with an emphasis in Dance Performance and Choreography.

His training includes studies with Antonio Douthit -Boyd, Alicia Graf-Mack, and Kirven Douthit-Boyd (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre), Christopher Page-Sanders (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and Nu-World Contemporary Danse Company), Rolando Yaines (Milwaukee Ballet), Jessica Taylor (DAMAGED Dance Company), Alonzo King (LINES Ballet Company), and Gary Abbott (Deeply Rooted Dance Theater).

Mr. Roberts performed with Ballet Eclectica and COCADance and participated in numerous musical theater performances at COCA through the FOX Charitable Foundation. This is Mr. Roberts fifth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

TOPAZ VON WOOD Ensemble Member 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, and after one season as an apprentice, is now in her first season as an Ensemble member.

Cleo Parker Robinson / Founder, Artistic Director Winifred R. Harris / Associate Artistic Director THE POETS AND VOCALISTS Esther Belin Diane Reeves Schyleen Qualls THE DRUMMERS Bataki Cambrelen / John Olsson / Koffi Toudji THE CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ENSEMBLE Chloé Grant Abel - Rehearsal Director Chloé Grant Abel / Caeli Blake* / Corey Boatner / Jasmine Francisco Ralaya S. Goshea / YooJung Hahm / Tyveze Littlejohn Samiyah Lynnice / Gabriela Maduro Chris Page-Sanders+ Davry Ratcliffe / John e. Roberts / Topaz D. von Wood *Apprentice / + Guest Artist

CLEO II Emma Cory / Rashad Crane / Sadie Sandoval / Lauren Slaughter THE YOUTH ENSEMBLE Jessica Horton - Director Victoria Shead Johnston - Assistant Director Makenna Charles / Carlen Holmes / Selecia Kono / Lily and Zinnia McKenna Piper Ramirez / Sofia Saavedra / Sara Wexlar THE JUNIOR YOUTH ENSEMBLE Jasmine Francisco - Director Sydney Browne / Mission Buckley / Gianna Garcia Ximalma Gonzalez Robinson Amelia and Mackinley Nelson-Steinhoff / Eloise Peoples Estella Searfoss / Taylor Sinclair

Cleo Parker Robinson

Founder / Artistic Director / Producer

Director / Choreographer Winifred R. Harris Rhetta Shead Chloé Grant Abel Cedric D. Hall Jessica Horton Jasmine Francisco Trey Grimes Ralaya S. Goshea

Associate Artistic Director Production Director Ensemble Rehearsal Director Cleo II Rehearsal Director Youth Ensemble Director Junior Youth Ensemble Director Technical Director / Lighting Design Wardrobe Mistress

Davry Ratcliffe

Props Master

Conor Morford

Senior Technician / Sound Design

Anastazia Coney

Assistant Lighting Design / Board Operator

Jaron Van Horne

Deck Crew

Jody Gilbert

Playbill Design

Mary Hart

Playbill Editor

Amelia Dietz

Media Design

Larry Alexander

Videographer

Stan Obert

CPRD Photographer

ADMINISTRATIVE and ARTISTIC STAFF Cleo Parker Robinson Malik Robinson Rhetta Shead Hillary Harding Shelby Jarosz Tobias Juniel Winifred R. Harris Mary Hart Trey Grimes Edgar L. Page Amelia Dietz Matisse McKnight Jarrett Rashad Shel Holguin Micah Bursh Chloé Grant Abel Cedric D. Hall Victoria Shead Johnston Emma Cory YooJung Hahm Sonrisa Hubbard Xavier Russell Pat Smith (OnTarget Public Relations)

Founder / Artistic Director Executive Director Director of Administration Director of Development Senior Director of Programs and Education Director of Advocacy and Engagement Associate Artistic Director Director of Booking and Touring Technical Director Academy Director Marketing Manager Theatre Manager Programs Coordinator Education Coordinator Development Associate Ensemble Rehearsal Director Cleo II Rehearsal Director Academy Administrator Academy Administrative Assistant Academy Administrative Assistant Academy Administrative Assistant Academy Administrative Assistant Public Relations

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, Jehan Benton-Clark, Christopher Cardenas, Darryl Collier, Tim Davis, Demesha Hill, Lisa Hogan, Matthew Keeney, Tony Price, Maria Sepulveda, Robert Thompson, J. Matt Thornton, Josett Valdez, Alfred Walker, Jennifer Wozniak EMERITUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Judge Raymond Dean Jones J.D.* Chairman Emeritus Chelsye J. Burrows Michael Donegan Kevin Fallon Les Franklin Helen Franzgrote Marceline Freeman (Deceased) Rosalind “Bee” Harris Eric Hughes Renee Hurley

Henry Lowenstein (Deceased) Nancy McClosky Dawn Nakamura-Kessler Edmond “Buddy” Noel * Schyleen Qualls Brown * Tom Robinson * John Wagner Lester Ward Faye & Reggie Washington * Founding members of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Board of Directors

Special thanks to the Ensembles, Board of Directors, Sponsors, Donors & Foundations, Education Partners, Administrative & Technical Staff, Musicians, Guest Artists, Faculty, Students, Parents, & Volunteers of CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE and THE “EQUINOX” VILLAGE We also thank the following for their extraordinary support of this production

Pat Brooks CBS4 Denver Ballet Guild Denver Gazette (John Moore) Five Points Atlas (Major Morgan) The Ford Foundation Kara Goyette and Theresa Peoples National Endowment for the Arts Stan and Chris Obert Malik and Vianey Robinson

The Parker and Robinson Families Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Rhetta Shead and Family The Urban Spectrum (Bee Harris) Nejla Yatkin Leslie Sue Parker Wallace Letitia Williams

In memoriam Tom Robinson Marilyn Benson, Marceline Freeman, Robertta Freeman, Abuelita Olga Gonzalez, Jaime Gonzalez, James A. Hart, Kevin McNicholas, Jonathon “JP” Parker, Martha Parker, Ron Thornton, James Wallace