Photo: Julie Lucas
A feeling of Fear….A feeling of Hope
CHOREOGRAPHER: Aly Owens in collaboration with cast
PERFORMERS: Jasmin A. Rios Aguilar, Andy Anisco, Jamirelys Maldonado, Michaela Reese, Lesliet Vargas, Ava Winfrey, Rhianna Young
MUSIC: ππ (credits roll) by RM, Filter by Jennie Kim, with the IE (way up) by Jennie Kim, Afterimage by Jiwoo
SOUND DESIGNER: Daisy Yáñez
COSTUME DESIGN: Aly Owens & cast
FACULTY MENTOR: Kelsa Rieger-Haywood
Thank you to my very wonderful cast for being here through this process and also to my beautiful mentor, Kelsa. Thank you for allowing me to show a new side of myself.
INTERMISSION
this is my offering to you
CHOREOGRAPHERS: Alyson Owens and Kelsa Rieger-Haywood
PERFORMER: Alyson Owens
MUSIC: Breath (Cally D chillstep remix) by Delilah
Right Place, Right Time.
CHOREOGRAPHER: Konnie Kakridas in collaboration with dancers
Performers: Milenka Aurelio, Isabel Bastardo, Courtney Cooper, Kayla Hansen, Lizeth Hernandez, Lydia Jacobson, Adrean Maxwell, Ella Narance, Sophia Peck, Adele Roberts, Gabby Sheets, Amari Smith, Imani Smith, Diamond Turner
MUSIC: Can I Call You Rose by Thee Sacred Souls, Queens Highway by Menahan Street Band, If You Don’t Want My Love by Jalen Ngondam, Something to Do in the Future by Ebi Soda, It’s Our Love by Thee Sacred Souls
MUSIC MIX: Konnie Kakridas
FACULTY MENTOR: Dardi McGinley Gallivan
Special thanks to Dardi who has let me barge into her office multiple times this semester for help with the piece, and special thanks to my cast who helped me figure it out LOL.
CHOREOGRAPHER & PERFORMER: Rhianna Young
MUSIC: March by Lizzy McAlpine
MUSIC EDIT: Violet Czerwinski
FACULTY MENTOR: Dardi McGinley Gallivan
I wish I could’ve shown you these pieces Papa. I miss you terribly.
Did you forget about yourself?
CHOREOGRAPHER: Kayla Hansen in collaboration with dancers
PERFORMERS: Milenka Aurelio, Isabel Franchesca Bastardo, Grace Butt, Lydia Jacobson, Erica Jones, Konnie Kakridas, Shannon Lane, Sophia Peck, Gabby Sheets
MUSIC: Immunity by Jon Hopkins, Come and Get Your Love by Redbone, Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, Images Of Broken Light by Chihei Hatakeyama
FACULTY MENTOR: Bevara Anderson
Bevara and Colleen, I can’t thank you enough for helping me (and my overthinking) throughout this process!
My beautiful cast, thank you for giving me the space to be in process. Thank you for handling my idea with care and for bringing my work to life!
My dear capstone pals, congratulations on this beautiful concert! I am so proud of the three of you. You all hold a special place in my heart!
BIOS
Jasmin A. Rios Aguilar is a a Chicago based dancer with an emphasis on street styles and contemporary. Their beginning years of dance were self taught, first receiving training at Columbia in forms such as West African, Modern, Contemporary and various styles of Hip-hop. Surrounded by dance rooted in Latin/Mexican culture they have grown a love for street and commercial Hip Hop throughout their adolescent and teenage years, continuing to further their practices in and out of Chicago spaces. Their intention is to create energy and emotion through their movement.
I’m Andy Anisco and I’ve been doing solo performances for school talent shows ever since I was a little kid, and dance has always been my passion. Dance has helped me gain confidence, make connections, and to be myself. Before I had a hard time making friends because I was shy and couldn’t fit in that well with other students. Ever since I became a student at College of Lake County (CLC) and joined the dance department, it changed me a lot because I met a lot of good teachers and choreographers that inspired and helped me be open and able to share my talent. I was able to choreograph for the Fear No Arts show at CLC and make connections with other dancers. I even put together a dance crew called Illusion Fusion and we’ve been performing at showcases. I’m a dance teacher at Jack Benny Center and I teach 6-11 years old. After I graduated from College of Lake County, I transferred to Columbia College Chicago to keep studying dance and follow my passion. I did my first dance battle event at the B-Series, and I was Top 32 to battle. Ever since that, I have made connections with students and other dancers in Chicago. I was excited to do my first solo performance at Student Performance Night and just do what I love. My goal as a dancer is to gain more teaching and performance experience and find a path in dance wherever it will be.
Milenka Aurielo, a Chicago native, has been dancing for approximately nine years. They graduated from the Chicago High-School for the Arts (ChiArts) in 2019 and is now a Second year student working to earn their BFA in dance with a focus in dance teaching and improvisational dance.
Sophie Daker is a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago. She has been dancing for 17 years, training in various styles growing up. Sophie has a passion for challenging work and performance with the influence of Contemporary, Jazz and Modern forms.
Kayla Hansen, a senior BFA Dance major and Education minor at Columbia College Chicago, is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Her early training comes from Rhoads Academy of Dance, Senn Arts Dance Company, and Southport Performing Arts Conservatory. She has also worked with various companies including, Gus Giordano, Joel Hall Dance Center, Still Inspired, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She has choreographed multiple works that combine her contemporary and improvisational training with her humanistic and emotional approach to movement. These works have been showcased at venues such as, The Athenaeum Theatre, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, and The Edge Theater.
Lizeth Adaly Hernandez is 20 years old. She is a dancer and woman who emigrated from Quito, Ecuador to be able to fulfill her dream of being a dancer and getting her work and effort to be valued. She is always focused on being empathetic with people and loving to her loved ones. She is trying every dance style and learning a lot so she can travel and teach in another places.
Lydia Jacobson is a Chicago-based dancer and dance maker. From her beginnings in Ballet, Jacobson went on to Columbia College Chicago to study various modern, West African, Hip Hop, and improvisational techniques. Her choreographic works, Memento Mori and CATASTROPHE were presented on the Dance Center stage. Jacobson graduated in May of 2024 and continues to research dance post-grad.
Erica Jones, a third year Dance major at Columbia College Chicago, was born and raised in the Chicago. She has been training in professional dance for over 10 years and has a passion for Communications/Journalism. As Erica continues to develop a dance career and advance her writing skills, she opens her heart to more opportunities around the world.
Konnie Kakridas, a Chicago native, discovered her passion for dance early while training at Forevermore Dance & Theatre Arts. She is pursuing her BFA in Dance at Columbia College Chicago, graduating in the Spring of 2025! Konnie has studied under esteemed mentors and trained in Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, West African, Umfundalai, and more. Known for her narrative artistry, she has performed at Harvest and Delve Dance Festivals and has had the privilege of showcasing her choreography on Columbia’s Dance Center stage. Passionate about teaching, she also works with both senior citizens and children, striving to make dance inclusive, impactful, and accessible within the Chicago dance community.
Shannon Lane is pursuing her BFA in Dance as a junior at Columbia College Chicago. She started dancing at the age of 7 in her hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, training primarily in Ballet and Modern techniques. She is currently teaching dance at both the Academy of Movement and Music, where she honed her skill, as well as the Park District of Oak Park, where she first started Ballet. She plans to continue teaching dance and performing as she develops her training in Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary.
Jamirelys “Jamie” Maldonado, originally from the vibrant island of Puerto Rico, is a dedicated undergraduate student at Columbia College Chicago passionately pursuing a major in Dance. With over five years of experience as a self taught dancer, Jamie is currently immersed in a diverse range of dance styles, including the elegance of Ballet, the powerful rhythms of West African dance, the expressive movements of Modern, and the dynamic energy of Hip Hop. Driven by a deep love for movement, Jamie anticipates a long and fulfilling journey within the world of dance.
Adrean Maxwell’s dance journey began at Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church through praise and liturgical dance. At age 8, he began African dance training with Ton Ko-Thi Children’s Ensemble and Ko-Thi Dance Company, studying under masters like Youssouf Koumbassa and Mbemba Bangoura. In 2014, he expanded his training in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, and Jazz at TBEY Arts Center, and later joined Dynamic Dance under Tisiphani Mayfield. A graduate of Milwaukee High School of the Arts with a double major in Vocal and Dance, Adrean studied under Raymond Roberts, Dean Drews, Sandra Jordan, and Roxanne Kess. He is currently completing his BA in Dance at Columbia College Chicago and has performed as a Company Artist with Muntu Dance Theater. His studies have taken him across the U.S., focusing on dance traditions from Guinea, Senegal, and Mali. Adrean’s choreography blends African Diasporic traditions with Western concert styles, rooted in spirituality, community, and identity. His growth is guided by mentors including Ferne Caulker Bronson, Tisipani Mayfield, Desmond Cotton, Chancie Cole, Regina Perry-Carr, Idy Ciss, and Imania Detry. As a performer, teacher, and choreographer, Adrean has worked with TBEY Arts Center, Signature Dance Company, Danceworks, Lincoln Center of the Arts, Winifred Haun & Dancers, and See Chicago Dance (Dance Month Kickoff 2025). His work has also been presented at Columbia College Chicago’s Dance Center through Student Performance Night, Choreographic Projects, and the 2025 Faculty Concert.
Ella Narance is freshman at Columbia College Chicago pursuing her degree in Dance and Arts Management. She has been dancing for 14 years, training in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, West African, and Improv. In 2019, she was picked by Jessica Starr to train with various professionals in the industry around the US. Since then she has devoted her life to doing what she loves and teaching others to love dance as well.
Aly Owens, originally from Warsaw, Indiana, began her dance journey at Debra Collier’s School of Dance. Now based in Chicago, Aly is a student at Columbia College Chicago, where she has had the opportunity to both present her own work and perform in a wide variety of styles. Her training includes everything from Second lLne and Hip Hop to Umfundalai and Modern dance, allowing her to develop a versatile movement vocabulary and a passion for artistic expression.
in dance auditioning for companies, becoming a commercial dancer, performer, and choreographer.
Imani Smith is a dynamic and versatile dancer, choreographer, and movement artist whose work seamlessly blends creativity, self-expression, and a deep love for the art of dance. From an early age, Imani was drawn to the rhythms of the world around her, finding joy in the freedom of movement and the way it connected her to others. born and raised in Chicago Illinois. She is currently a Senior at Columbia College Chicago majoring in Dance with a minor in Education. Training in Ballet, Modern, West African, Contemporary, and many more styles, she focused on building and strengthening her technique with every style she comes across. Through their journey, Imani continues to explore the power of movement as a tool for healing, and connection, striving to share her passion for dance and movement.
J Stephens (they/them) is a performer from Buffalo, New York and a recent Columbia College Chicago graduate having received a B.A. in Dance. They have a background in musical theatre, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and Contemporary. Currently J’s corporeal research is driven by an interest in the intersection of Modern/Contemporary aesthetics and various street styles. Due to this melting pot of inseparable stylistic embodied knowledge, J strives to represent a mix of movement styles rooted in their ability across various dance forms.
CJ Triche, whose training began in Seattle, Washington, is a second year student at Columbia earning a BFA in Dance. CJ is trained in multiple styles and is expanding that range at CCC.
Diamond Turner is an extremely talented and wellrounded dancer from the Southside of Chicago, IL. She has been dancing for almost 10 years now and has been trained in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, West African, and even Ballroom dance. She is a dancer who’s very passionate about the artistry of the craft, as she uses dance as an outlet for self-expression!
My name is Lesliet Vargas. I am from Nashville, Tennessee and a freshman at Columbia. I’ve been dancing since the age of 5 in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, HipHop, Jazz, and Latin dancing. I love teaching and sharing my passion with others and I hope to continue spreading it.
Ash Williams is a dancer and performer from Oregon. They have studied with various organizations such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Common Conservatory/Commemoration, The Umfundalai Community and Open Space. They are currently working towards achieving their BA in Dance at Columbia College Chicago and on track to graduate in December 2025. After graduating, Ash plans to pursue a career with a touring dance company continuing to study various genres.
Ava Winfrey is a second year Dance Major at Columbia College Chicago born and raised here in Chicago. She has been dancing since she was three years old, and has trained various forms of dance (Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop to name a few). Ava is forever and always grateful to do work in and outside of the Dance Center in hopes to grow, create and share her love of dance with the world!
Rhianna Young’s early training started in Frankfort, Illinois at Braemar Dance Center, under the direction of Donnette Cannonie and Kari Jensen where she took classes in a variety of styles including jazz, hip hop, and contemporary, and competed as well. Now, she is in the final year of her pursuit of a BFA in dance at Columbia College Chicago, where she’s presented works such as Blue Lips (Spring ‘22), there’s room for all of you here (Fall ‘23), and F E M M E (Fall ‘24). She teaches and choreographs across the South Chicago suburbs for T-N-T Extreme Dance, Wish Dance Academy, and Braemar Dance Center. Rhianna focuses on contemporary forms and ideas of dance within her movement, along with the influence of the plethora of other styles she has taken.
FACULTY CHOREOGRAPHERS & MENTORS
Bevara Anderson is an unapologetic professional dance artist hailing from the Maryland Coast. Her work is an exploration of embodied resistance and raw expression, delving into the complex worlds of Umfundalai, House, and many other African diasporic means of physical communication. Her BFA from Temple University came with international acclaim, having presented her first work at the Piazza Del Popolo in Rome, Italy. Her MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign further sharpened her vision. Anderson’s choreography digs deep into the relationship between narrative and abstraction, diasporic community building, and the joy that defies oppression in the Black American experience. Her first mainstage piece premiered in November 2020 at the Tryon Festival Theater, and was a defiant triumph amid the chaos of a global health crisis—proof that no pandemic could contain her artistry. A founding member of the Katherine Smith Dance Ensemble and a core performer with Kariamu & Company: Traditions, Anderson is of the final generation of dancers to be mentored by the legendary Dr. Kariamu Welsh. She carries her legacy fiercely, embodying and teaching Dr. Welsh’s technique, Umfundalai, with the power of someone who understands that to dance is to resist, to heal, and to evolve. She carries on Dr. Welsh’s Umfundalai technique with a burning desire to push it forward, honoring its legacy while constantly reshaping it in her own image. Anderson’s dance isn’t just movement; it’s revolution and it’s resistance. Bevara Anderson now commands the stage with her own dance company, BĀLA Dance Project. The company made its explosive debut in March 2022 at the Tryon Festival Theater. They followed up with the daring, feature-length dance film A Balm of Joy: The Film, a visceral exploration of movement and resistance in collaboration with her film company Maji Films. When she’s not making waves with BĀLA, Anderson is igniting minds as an Assistant Professor at Columbia College Chicago, where she continues to challenge the limits of dance, teaching the next generation how to break, bend, and rebuild the rules.
Dardi McGinley-Gallivan serves as the Associate Director of Dance and specializes in Pedagogy and Modern Technique. Dardi is a founding member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak Dance Company, performed for Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, and Colleen Halloran Performance Group. She received the Louis Sutler Prize for the Arts as an undergraduate and a Ruth Page Award in Chicago for Performance. Dardi has a long history of teaching residencies for Antares Danza Contemporenea in Hermosillio, Mexico. She received her BA in Art History with
DANCE CENTER PRODUCTION TEAM
BFA CAPSTONE CONCERT COORDINATOR: Colleen Halloran
MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR: Jane Jerardi
STAGE MANAGER: Joyy Norris
LIGHTING DESIGNER & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Giau Truong
Colleen Halloran is an adjunct faculty member in the Dance and Theatre Departments where she teaches Choreography, Advanced Topics in Dance, Screen Dance and Sound Design, and Foundations in Theatre. A choreographer, filmmaker, and educator in Chicago, Colleen is intrigued by the intersection and manipulation of movement, image, and story to arrive at a collective “whole”. She has been awarded numerous grants for her dance choreography and her films have screened in Japan, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Atlanta and Chicago. Her feature screenplays have been finalists for The Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Quarterfinalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. Colleen has been on faculty at Columbia College Chicago since 1997.
Jane Jerardi serves as the Media/Technology Coordinator for the Dance Center, providing video documentation for both the Presenting Series and its academic programs. As a part of its faculty, she teaches video for dance and choreography courses. In her role, she has documented and edited over 250 performances, workshops, and events, providing essential documentation to artists and adding to the Dance Center’s leading, regional archive of materials dating from 1980 to the present. An artist working in the media of performance, choreography, and video installation, her work has been presented at galleries and theaters in Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC.
Joyy Norris is a writer, creator, creative consultant, and arts/film programmer. She works as a Creative Contractor with organizations, productions, individual creatives and small businesses to realize their creative visions and put them into practice. She has worked as Cultural Arts Coordinator for the City of Evanston where I fostered the arts in Evanston by developing relationships with artists and arts organizations by networking and professional development and granting opportunities. She has worked as a Co-Producer and Artist Facilitator with Soham Dance Space, Operations and Programs Manager with Sisters in Cinema, Assistant Director and Production Manager with RMB Studios, Programming Associate with Chicago International Film Festival, Interim Theatre and Performing Arts Program Manager with the University of Chicago’s Arts and Public Life Initiative, and Operations Manager for the Rebuild Foundation. She serves on the Advisory Board for Chicago Made Shorts, a Member of Mezcla Media Collective and a former Committee Member with the Chicago International Film Festival Black Perspectives Committee. She received an B.A. in Cinema Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.F.A in Documentary Media from Northwestern University.
Giau Truong is a versatile artist and technologist whose work spans performance, design, fabrication, and technology. Over a decade ago, he served as a teaching artist at StoryCatchers (formerly Music Theatre Workshop), where he managed programs and taught set design, construction, storytelling, script writing, etc. In this role, he created transformative educational experiences for teens at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville, fostering creativity and engagement among incarcerated youth. Giau has also designed and fabricated environments for diverse events, ranging from theatre performances to pop-up events, enhancing audience engagement through interactive technology. In his art practice, Giau focuses on creating spaces that explore human behavior within environments, offering unique, transformative experiences. He co-founded Axis Lab, an arts and architecture community organization in Uptown, Chicago, focused on urban design, culinary curating, and arts education. Axis Lab advocates for the ethical development of immigrant and refugee communities. Amidst the pandemic, Giau pioneered initiatives at Links Hall to foster collaborations between technologists and artists, devising virtual performances that captivate and engage audiences remotely. He previously worked at Links Hall as the Technical Director and Associate Curator before joining the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago as its Technical Director.
IN MEMORIAM
Shirley Mordine (1936–2025)
A visionary force of nature, Shirley Mordine founded the Dance Center in 1969 (the same year she started her dance company), launched the Dance Presenting Series in 1974, and led Dance at Columbia College Chicago until 1999. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, colleagues, and the many students and artists she inspired throughout her remarkable career. Shirley’s legacy lives on in every dancer who trains at the Dance Center and in the vibrant creative spirit that animates our community.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE AND DANCE
Columbia College Chicago’s School of Theatre and Dance, provides students with hands-on experience to ignite passion and develop professional skills to launch careers on and off stage. The School of Theatre and Dance produce approximately 40 productions a year, giving students multiple opportunities to perform, dance, design, produce, choreograph, direct, and stage manage.
Interim Director, School of Theatre and Dance
Jimmy Noriega
Associate Director of Dance
Dardi McGinley Gallivan
Associate Director of Theatre
Wendi Weber
ABOUT THE DANCE CENTER
Within the School of Theatre and Dance and home to the academic Dance program and the Dance Presenting Series,, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago values embodied human expression and nurtures an expansive understanding of dance from the established to the experimental.
Centering pluralism, the Dance Center aims to be a nucleus for innovation and creativity—on stage, in the classroom, and beyond.
By partnering with local, national, and international dance artists dedicated to transforming the field, the Dance Presenting Series offers live performances and other shared opportunities for students, faculty, artists, and audiences to connect, witness, research, experiment, practice, imagine, and grow.
We cultivate an environment and culture that prioritizes respect for self and others, and advances an anti-racist, equitable, and just society.
THEATRE FACULTY
Faculty
Paul C. Amandes
Michael Anthony Brown
David Castellanos
Mikhail Fiksel
Nelli Fritjofson
Heather Gilbert
Julie Granata-Hunicutt
Sami Hussain Ismat
Anne M. Libera
Frances Maggio
Jimmy Noriega
Grace Overbeke
Susan Padveen
Jaqueline A. Penrod
Michael Pogue
Wilfredo Rivera
Brian Shaw
Stephanie L. Shaw
Kendra Thulin
Amy Toruno
Richard L. Walker
Wendi Weber
Albert N. “Bill” Williams
Dr. John Williams
David Wooley
Adjunct Faculty
Brittany Price Anderson
Carson G. Becker
Karen L. Berger-Nolte
Rachel L. Bunting
Jeremy Michael Cohn
Enneressa Davis
Ariane Dolan
David Fiorello
Lillian D. Francis
Marc William Frost
Susan Gosdick
John Charles Green
Jeffrey D. Griggs
Norman B. Holly
Nicole E. Jasper
Dawn R. Jones
Lori J. Klinka
Laura Sturm Lain
Timothy McCain
John T. McFarland
kClare McKellaston
Ashley Neal
Clare L. Nolan
Scott Olson
James Adolfo Payne
Janice P. Pytel
Aaron M. Reese-Boseman
Grant R. Sabin
James A Sherman
Catherine Slade
Elizabeth Swanson
FRIENDS OF THE DANCE CENTER
The Dance Center gratefully acknowledges its donors for their generous support.
$1,000 AND ABOVE
Taylor and Carrie Olivia Adams
Bonnie Brooks
David Colburn
Pamela Crutchfield
William Hunt
Marcia Lazar and Alan Amos
Elizabeth Liebman
Susan Manning and Douglas Doetsch
Kathleen Miles
D. Elizabeth Price
$500-999
Ellen Chenoweth
Melynda Lopin
Robert Mrtek and Marsha Mrtek
Susan J. Stall
Shawn Wax
$250-499
Nancy Church and Charles Jett
Amor Kohli
Jamey Lundblad and Bill Melamed
Shunda McGriff
Susan F. Rossen
$100-249
Anonymous
Bernadette Casey
Dr. Kurt Christoffel
Margi Cole
Andrea Edwards
Peter N. and Susan F. Gray
Nancy Juda
Arnold and Carol Kanter
Maggie Kast
Philip Martini
Thomas and Shirley Neiman
Stephen Roy and Lloyd Kohler
Judith Sagan
Clyde Whitaker
$1-99
Charlotte and Alan Bath
Dr. Bob
Nakeya Boyles
Rhonda Clower
Nancy K. DeDakis
Paul E. Fisher
Lisa Gonzales
Colleen Halloran
Orchid Hill
Dawn Renee Jones
Dardi McGinley Gallivan
Mildred Matos
Pamela Hoffman McNeil
Alberto Mendoza
Evemarie Moore
Bette Rosenstein
Dr. Elaine Sachnoff
Elizabeth J. Smith
Emily Stein
Mary Beth Van Dyke
This list includes gifts received through May 1st, 2025. If you have donated since then, thank you and look for your name in the next program!
To become a Friend of the Dance Center, please visit dance.colum.edu/donate
DANCE CENTER SPONSORS
The Dance Center is a member of Dance/USA, See Chicago Dance, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, and the American College Dance Association.
Athletico is the exclusive provider of physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports medicine, athletic training, work rehabilitation, and massage therapy for the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.