RDF21 - Richmond Dance Festival Program

RDF21- Richmond Dance Festival Letter from the Director

As I sat down to write this, the enormity of the year that we have been through struck me on a deeply personal level, and I just want to say from the jump how proud I am to be an artist, to work for an organization like Dogtown, and the resilience our industry has shown over the past year.

Photo by Gianna Grace Photography

Given the social and economic distress that has arisen from the pandemic, the need for the arts has seldom been greater, yet many arts businesses are shuttered due to health and safety concerns and governmentmandated restrictions on public gatherings.

According to data from the Americans for the Arts,

41 percent of nonprofit arts organizations surveyed were open as of early November 2020, while 59 percent remained closed. As the “return to normalcy” begins, arts organizations are looking to reengage with audiences and visitors in physical spaces.

Dogtown is thrilled to be hosting our second in-person performance since February 2020 with the opening of RDF21.

Richmond Dance Festival is one of the main programming initiatives of Dogtown Dance Theatre, supporting the organization’s mission to be a home for all independent artists. RDF supports established and rising choreographers and dance film artists, providing them with an opportunity to present their work to a live audience. This festival gives independent artists the ability to avoid the typical obstacles to performance, such as production and marketing costs, while offering the privileges of performing in front of a diverse audience from all parts of the Richmond community.

At the heart of Richmond Dance Festival are the local dance artists that build the dance community in Richmond. We are thrilled to present 10 Richmond artists in this years’ festival. RVA dancers have proven their resilency and determination to keep the community vibrant and active, despite the challenges this past year has brought. The RVA dance community is so diverse, and this years’ festival truly shines a light on all that RVA dance has to offer!

Dogtown has remained committed of our mission to support independent dance artists in a myriad of ways. We are grateful that we have been able to continue to do this despite the everything we have gone through during the past year. Thank you for joining us these two weekends, and ENJOY THE SHOW!

RDF21- Richmond Dance Festival Dogtown Dance Theatre presents Richmond Dance Festival June 11-12,18-19 2021 Weekend One

Karar Dance Company Eric Rivera Dogwood Dance Project RADAR Julianna Raimondo Moniek van der Kallen [FILM] Ajna Tribal Belly Dance Human Landscapes Dance Botis Seva & Ben Williams [FILM] Luisa Innisfree Martinez & Kayla Xavier Sven Niemyer [FILM] Sayaw! Diversity

Weekend Two

Leah Glenn Dance Theatre Trybe Dance Collective Jonah Haber [FILM] Baran Dance Sri Sai Dance Academy Cameron Kostopoulos [FILM] Jenna Beardsley CLAVES UNIDOS Sara Hook Charli Brissey [FILM AWARD WINNER] Company | E

RDF21- Richmond Dance Festival Affected Karar Dance Company Choreography: Kara Robertson Performance: Amy Mulder and Haley Wall Music: Original Score by Ryan Davis Costumes: Damion Bond En el Vació Choreography: Eric Rivera Performance: Alisha Agrawal Music: “Una palabra” by Carlos Varela and Contrastes (La Periferia Feat. Renzo Baltyzzi

by Damian Verdun Costume: Johann Stegmeir Explores the sense of urgency we may feel about returning to the normalcy of the past or jumping ahead to a time when today’s roadblocks are behind us. when you are looking, what do you see? [FILM] Dogwood Dance Company Choreography: Joanna Chocklett with collaboration from performers Direction & Edting: Joanna Chocklett Performance: Nicole Foley, Paige Honbarrier, Julianne Kannan, Ashley Kisamore, Mary Manzari, Ilana Puglia, Jason Sandahl, Josie Slade, Chloe Atno-Shelton Music: “Epilogue” by Olafur Arnaulds constantly categorizing, & comparing - identifying. taking in the world - the figures in front of us - & responding. & how often do we look? how often do we see?

Collective Fortitude RADAR Choreography: Megan Rivero Performance: Laura Gorsuch and Kara Priddy Music: “Outro” by M83 Originally performed in 2016 as part of an evening length work entitled beingHUMAN, this piece examines the powerful experience of human connection and the profound complexities inherent in relating to others.

Fiscal Relations (2018) Choreography: Julianna Raimondo Performance: Emily Amey, Kristen Bolger, Julia Pasquale, Sophie Witmer Music: “Between Water and Wind,” by Colin Stetson Exhale [FILM] Direction: Moniek van der Kallen Performance: Alicia Verdú Macián

weekend one Tribal (Improvisational ATS Belly Dance) Ajna Tribal Belly Dance Troupe Choreography & Performance: Stephanie Wagner, Missy Moore, Lois Milone, Alicia Hagy Music: “Land Back” by A Tribe Called Red, “Trøllabundin” by Eivør “Pow Wow” by A Tribe Called Red INTERMISSION - 15 MINUTES Personal Tea Ceremony Human Landscape Dance Choreography: Malcolm Shute Performance: Alexander Short, Malcolm Shute Music: Meditation by Jules Massenet. erformed by Philharmonia Orchestra Inspired by a tour of Japan DRY ONE’S EYES [FILM] Direction: Botis Seva & Ben Williams Producer: Lee Griffiths Performance: Savanah Anais Rowe, Victoria Shulungu Two’s Too Much Choreography & Performance: Luisa Innisfree Martinez & Kayla Xavier Music: “Put Your Head on my Shoulder” by Paul Anka & “Little Story” by Janusz Wojtarowicz, Motion Trio What’s mine isn’t yours...

Ulrichs 1867 [FILM] Direction: Sven Niemeyer Performance: Ricardo Urbina, Mark Philip, Nicolas Köhler, Stephan Brauer, Danny Penninzula, Calum Flynn, Alessio Impedovo, Miss Vader Lizm, Fr. Chastity Belt Malong Dance and Fan Dance Sayaw! Diversity Choreography: Dhol Tuason Performance: Carmina Parong, Marian Parong, Honey Lyn Savage, Jessica Savage, Divina Paquiz, Monica Pioquinto, Agnes Kirton, Belle Villanueva, Mayette Wilder, Estelita Legaspi, Joanna Esperagoza, Alice Torres, Tess Belamide, Senen Cabalfin, Ana Bella Quirolgico, Malou Say Music: Kapa Malong-Malong & Philippine tribal music and dance- Maranao and bilaan The malong is a traditional Filipino rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs. The fan dance Pagapir depicts a royal manner of “walking” among the Maranao people who live mainly around Lake Lanao.

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RDF21- Richmond Dance Festival Perceived Threat Leah Glenn Dance Theatre Choreography: Leah Glenn Performance: Kylie LeWallen, Jamal Story Music: Max Richter Marathon Trybe Dance Collective Choreography: Danielle Lyndsay. Asst. Jaedyn Cameron, Daneya Celestin, Kendall Parker, Chloe Ruffin, Mia Watkins Performance: Jaedyn Cameron, Daneya Celestin, Precious Simmons, Mia Watkins Music: “Marathon (In Roses)” by Gem Club Equinox [FILM] Director: Jonah Haber Producer: Sahil Mirchandani Performance: Susannah Haight No VFX were done for this video. All animations were created with projection mapping.

Vacancy Baran Dance Choreography: Audrey Baran Performance: Audrey Baran, Melissa Jesse, Akilah Williams Music: Nicolas Jaar How do we navigate or occupy the space and time left behind after a loss, and should we?

Kalika Stuthi Sri Sai Dance Academy Choreography: Sarada Jammi Performance: Manaswi Gonela (Friday performance), Ameya King (Saturday performance) Music: Satyagopal Tumuluri; recording by D. V. S. Sastry and team The song was written by the choreographer’s father, about the Mother Goddess, who is the embodiment of strength.

A Mother’s Soliloquy [FILM] Director & Writer: Cameron Kostopoulos Producer: Daphne Daniels Choreography: Zach Manske Performance: Kamilah Barrett-Forster, David Grannum, Asia McNair, Aurora Vaughan, Jonathan Kim, Sara Crossman, Maddie Martin, Matthew Perko, Anthony Tette, Seehon Gil Music: Prateek Rajagopal

weekend two INTERMISSION - 15 MINUTES One hundred years flicker; I kiss the Snow Choreography: Jenna Beardsley Videography: Taylor Bonadies Performance: Taylor Bonadies & Jenna Beardsley Music: “Flora”: by Elysia Crampton ft. Jeremy Rojas & “When I Rule the World” by Liz Costumes: XVARIANT R.I.P. SOPHIE desasosiego.

Direction, Choreography & Writing: Aina Lanas Performance: Aina Lanas, Irene Baeza, Tina Marti, Miriam Salvador Costumes: Luisina Sanchez Retentions CLAVES UNIDOS Choreography: Kevin LaMarr Jones in addition to Alyssa Frye and Diamond Hudson and the performers Performance: Lameka Booker, Aysha Brown, Marcia Burns, Lani Corey, Naima Lewis, Shalandis Wheeler-Smith Special thanks to VCU Dance and the Grace Street Theatre staff for being such supportive hosts as we developed this work during our residency at GST. Salad Days Choreography: Sara Hook Performance: Elliot Reza Emadian and Rachel Rizzuto Music: “Anfangs wollt’ ich fast Verzagen (At First I Almost Despaired)” by Robert Schumann The title is a Shakespearean reference to one’s youthful heyday. These performances were supported by Haas Funds from UIUC. Canis Major [FILM AWARD WINNER] Direction, Choreography & Animation: Charli Brissey CURRENT Company | E Choreography: Maddie Hanson Performance: Philip Baraoidan, Ryan Carlough, Gillian Clifford, Hannah Wojszynski Music:“Midnight” by Kyle Preston, “Behind Every Decision” Yehezkel Raz, “Dark Tension” by Kyle preston, “Hibernation” by Pete James Johnson “Current” was commissioned for Company | E’s NEXT: WARMER series.

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RDF21- artist biographies Artist biographies are listed in show order Karar Dance Company Richmond, Virginia’s Karar Dance Company is a professional modern dance company led by Artistic Director Kara Robertson, a Richmond native and VCU alumna. Since the company’s inception in 2016, Karar has grown into a collaborative conduit, providing a platform for artists from multiple disciplines to showcase their work through professional performance. Karar also creates education and development opportunities for pre professional and professional dancers throughout the state of Virginia and the nation. Karar Dance Company is the founding institution of Homegrown Choreographers which serves to promote the work of choreographers across the United States. Homegrown Choreographers hosted the virtual HOMEGROWN festival in 2020 to support US-based dance artists who experienced cancelled performances due to COVID-19. The program will institute the annual Young Dancer Mentorship in 2022. Karar launched the annual “Interview Series” in the Fall of 2020, thanks to partial support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, to inform and encourage aspiring and current dance artists on the varying paths of a career in dance; interviewees included Ryan Davis (Performer, Educator, Musician), Becky Ferrell (Director of Programs, Dance/ USA), and Jonathan Hsu (Performer, Videographer, Photographer). The “Interview Series” resumes this coming Fall 2021. The company’s education programming has included a Spring Forward Pop Up Masterclass Day, virtual field trip with the Thomas Dale High School Dance Department, outdoor workshop ACTIVATE held at Maymont Park, the 2020 Winter Workshop, and residency at the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School in Virginia Beach. The company is looking forward to hosting their Summer 2021 workshop series. Karar presented their first evening length work Circadian as part of the 2019 Dogtown Presenter’s Series, drawing inspiration from Fan Ho’s collection of photographs entitled “Hong Kong Yesterday”.

New York performances include the American Dance Guild Festival and Newburgh Illuminated Festival. Karar has also presented work in Philadelphia in collaboration with New York City’s Vanessa Long Dance Company. The company was selected from over 140 submissions to perform at the Women In Dance Leadership Conference in Chicago this coming October 2021. Currently, Karar Dance Company is creating dance film Symphonic Variations, set to César Frank’s 1885 score, in collaboration with Philadelphia-based filmmaker Torian Ugworji. Symphonic Variations is set to release in Fall 2021. Learn more about the project and the company at karardancecompany.org.

Eric Rivera A native of Puerto Rico, during his performing career, he danced with Ballet Hispanico of New York for 13 seasons, where he helped to create over 20 original works. He also performed with Minnesota Ballet as a principal dancer, Ballet Theater of Pennsylvania, Ballet Teatro Municipal de San Juan P.R., Danza Jazz de San Juan, and the European tour West Side Story. He has appeared as a guest artist in different companies such as Connecticut Ballet, Thomas Ortiz Dance, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Westchester Ballet, Bradley Shelver Contemporary Dance Theater, New England Dance Theater, and Brooklyn Ballet. Eric had the pleasure of performing choreographies of Ann Reinking, Mark Morris, José Limon, Kenneth McMillan, Margot

RDF21- artist biographies Sappington, Graciela Daniel, Kevin Wynn, Vicente Nebrada, Talley Beatty, and George Balanchine. His works have been presented by Ballet Contemporáneo de Camaguey in Cuba, EDANCO Dance Festival in the Dominican Republic, Ciudad Interior in Mexico, Dance Iquail, Ashani Dance, Convergence Ballet, Owensboro Dance Company, CSU Fullerton, University of Mississippi, Western Kentucky University, University of Richmond, Orange County College, Purchase College, Jacksonville University, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, L2 Dance Theater, ACDA Baja Region, ACDFA Gala at Little Rock, AR, NY Summer Stage, and the show They Called it Rock. His television appearances include PBS’ Setting the Stage, NBC’s 20th Hispanic Heritage Awards, Hispanic Day Parade with Brenda Blackmon, Puerto Rican Day Parade with Ernie Anastos, and the documentary “Pedro Ruiz Home Coming,” among others.

Joanna Chocklett is a Richmond native who graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. While attending JMU she danced in the Virginia Repertory Dance Company, as well as the Contemporary Dance Ensemble.

She had the opportunity to work with artists such as Faye Driscoll, Laurie Eisenhower, Derrick Evans, Mark Morris, Monica Bill Barnes, and many more. Throughout her professional life she has become passionate about dance education and accessibility.

Joanna teaches at 804 Dance Place and the Specialty Center for the Arts at Thomas Dale High School. She dances professionally with Dogwood Dance Project, and has been able to choreograph for the professional company and youth ensemble. This is her first time working in dance film, and she is continually seeking to grow and build on her creative experiences. Joanna strives to live authentically and share the joy of dance with the community around her. In her free time you can find her adventuring with her husband and 2.5 year old daughter... while awaiting the arrival of a baby boy in late June.

Megan Rivero started dancing at an early age. She pursued her studies at Radford University and earned a B.F.A in Contemporary Dance. While at RU, she performed in various concerts, participated at ACDF, studied abroad and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Megan also attended multiple festivals including Summer Stages and studied with many artists including David Dorfman and David Parker and the Bang Group. She has danced with d a n a h b e l l a DanceWorks, Loose Change, Denia Dance, Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble and RADAR. Currently, Megan works for World of Dance Fitness.

Julianna Raimondo (she/her) is a DMV-based dancer, choreographer, and educator.

She graduated from James Madison University (’20) magna cum laude, receiving her B.A. in Dance with a minor in theatre. During her undergraduate career, Julianna attended the JMU Contemporary Dance Intensive in London, England. She also travelled to Durham, NC and New York City to work for and train with The American Dance Festival. Julianna has worked with professional artists including DanceWorks Chicago, Matt Pardo, Emily Cargill & Dancers, and Urban Bush Women. She currently dances with The Company at MC3 based in Annapolis, MD and UpRooted

RDF21- artist biographies Dance based in Washington DC. She recently worked for the Marketing & Archives Department at Dance Place, and is currently the Director of Programming at the Maryland Cultural & Conference Center (MC3). Julianna is ecstatic to be back at Dogtown, as she has fond memories of performing and teaching here with JMU’s Virginia Repertory Dance Company. She wants to thank her fellow JMU dancers (who are also her best friends) for being ready and willing at the drop of a hat to get this piece to the stage once more. Go Dukes!

Moniek van der Kallen is a director and choreographer, living and working in the Netherlands. Moniek studied film at Utrecht University and has been an avid dancer since her childhood. In her work she combines her passion for both film and dance.

Ajna Tribal is Richmond’s Virginia’s own professional American Tribal Style® belly dance company. This is a unique improvisational dance form that appears amazingly synchronized. Given each dancer’s intensive training in the language of this dance style, the energy of the present moment flows seamlessly amongst the dancers. What the audience experiences is an extraordinary expression of the strength, beauty, and pride in the feminine. This art form, combined with Ajna Tribal’s distinctive costuming and adornment brings magic to the stage. Ajna Tribal performs on a national level as well as being resident artists at Dogtown Dance Theatre.

Malcolm Shute Human Landscape Dance was founded in 2006, and has since brought contact choreography around the world. Specializing in artist partnerships, Human Landscape Dance has given performances, held workshops, and shot video footage in Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as cities across the US and Canada. Noted for “…ingenious choreography and staging...” by the Washington Post, the dances of Artistic Director Malcolm Shute are characterized by intimate portraits of people experiencing fundamental shifts in their lives and relationships: growing together, growing apart. Human Landscape Dance uses touch to communicate, bodies molding together in successive waves to create a pastiche of experience. Each project unites body and environment: in Kyoto, they danced on tatami mats in a Buddhist temple; in Santa Fe, through a carved sandstone cave. Their dance videos have twice been honored in the Gala Showing at the Contact Dance International Film Festival. Shute has led workshops in contact improvisation and Laban Movement Analysis in many nations.

Botis Seva is a dance artist, choreographer and director working within the realms of contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip hop based in the United Kingdom.

Botis Seva is entrenched in hip hop dance theatre but experiments with form, structure and theatrics to reinvent choreography. Borrowing techniques from film, text, art and other dance languages, Botis’ focus is on making a difference and using his autobiographical experiences to drive narratives.

Luisa Innisfree Martinez From NYC- Baltimore- Richmond Luisa Innisfree Martinez is a mover, dancer and baker. Her choreography has a heavy focus on women’s

RDF21- artist biographies characteristics and mannerisms; she uses comedy in dance to enlighten certain situations and behaviors. Props are also an integral component to Luisa’s work.

While she is fascinated with how space can be manipulated by a dancer in vacant space she is even more intrigued with creating a tangible object which disrupts that dancer’s space.

Sven Niemeyer is a German movement director and choreographer. Besides his work for stage (Musicaltheater), Film and TV, he produces dance-short-films. His first film COLD (2017), about (postnatal) depression, won several awards cross the globe.

ULRICHS 1867 is his third work and second collaboration with DOP Markus Kopeke. www.svenniemeyer.com Dhol Tuason is originally from the Philippines and migrated as a nurse to the US in 1982. She has worked at the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Cardiac Surgery ICU for over 36 years. She is currently active in other nursing professional organizations and is a current Board member of the Philippine Nurses Association of Richmond Virginia. Aside from Nursing, Dhol’s passion of dancing remained a key part of her life even when she was in the nursing profession. She danced professionally with the Latin Ballet of Virginia for 14 years and has current certification in Zumba and Piloxing. In 2017, she founded Sayaw! Diversity, a not for profit, volunteer Philippine cultural dance group promoting the Philippine culture as well as collaboration with other groups in the area. The group is very diverse in age, gender, origin of birth in the Philippines and each member contributes to the success of the group. She maintains both the artistic director and choreographer of the group. The group has performed in and out of Virginia and like many groups halted by the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, Dhol used the virtual platform to teach dance classes and exercise classes primarily for health promotion. She was recently awarded the 2020 Nurse of the Year Award from Virginia Nurses Association Foundation for health promotion initiatives during the pandemic.

She has recently been appointed as Chair of the Socio-cultural Committee of the University of Santo Tomas Alumni Association International, her nursing alumni to continue health promotion and wellness to fellow alumni, friends and family. Her passion for health promotion as a nurse continues not only in the acute setting of the hospital but to the community. Her love of the arts and dancing allows for work life balance and self-expression. And as what is true: Nursing is an art!

Leah Glenn received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Choreographic Theory and Production from Southern Methodist University as well as her Teacher’s Certification in Labanotation from Ohio State University. Ms. Glenn received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Management from Goucher College. While there, she performed as a soloist for artist-in-residence, Gary Masters, and was a member of the PATH modern dance company. Ms. Glenn has also received extensive training from Jacob’s Pillow, the Chautauqua Institute and has worked with the Philadelphia Dance Company where she trained with Milton Meyers and Denise Jefferson.

RDF21- artist biographies Prior to teaching at William and Mary Ms. Glenn was Assistant Professor and Head of Dance at Hampton University for two years. While at Hampton, she directed the Terpsichorean Dance Company and established the first African American chapter of the National Dance Association’s Nu Delta Alpha Honor Society. Her choreography has been presented by William and Mary, Hampton University, the Maryland School of Ballet and Modern Dance and Colonial Williamsburg. Her reconstructions of Pearl Primus’ Bushasche Etude, the Parsons Etude, the Limon Etude, Anna Sokolow’s Rooms Etude and Donald McKayle’s Rainbow Etude have been presented by William and Mary. She has also reconstructed the Rainbow Etude at Southern Methodist University, Old Dominion University and Hampton University. Her most recent collaboration was a reconstruction with Paul Taylor Dance Company member, Parisa Khobdeh on Taylor’s work entitled, The Word. In addition to her original work and historical reconstructions, Glenn also co-choreographed Journey of Destiny, the retelling of the settlement of Jamestown, which was part of the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Celebration. Several of her most recent works have been presented at the annual International Association for Blacks in Dance Conferences. Her company, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, presented its most recent concerts on the Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in May 2016 and the Dance Place in May of 2017 and August 2018. In addition to being an Associate Professor of Dance at William and Mary, she is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Leah Glenn Dance Theatre (LGDT).

Trybe Dance Collective Founded in 2020, The Trybe Dance Collective serves as a safe space where emerging fine artists and choreographers can explore and hone their crafts, while nurturing their love for dance. Through personalized training, dedicated instruction and a holistic curriculum, the Teaching Artists of The Trybe Dance Collective aim to guide and challenge creatives while molding them into breakthrough fine artists. Dancers who join The Trybe can expect a rigorous, goal specific training program and mentorship with specialized guidance towards a dancer’s path. Dancers can take confidence in knowing that their Teaching Artists, with over 30 plus years of teaching, choreography and performance experience, are equipped with the tools, education and network in order to get dancers to their next level.

Jonah Haber is a director mostly and a cinematographer sometimes. His work has been featured in Toronto Men’s Fashion Week, the NFFTY Film Festival, the Austin Music Video Festival, the Los Angeles Music Video Festival, and a bunch more His most recent narrative endeavour, Midnight Marathon has screened at dozens of festivals and has won awards all over the world. After a successful festival run, the film was picked up for distribution by Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST to be released worldwide on Feb 18th 2020. He has been commissioned by clients like Microsoft, Fiverr Inc., VIA Rail, Dropbike Inc., and Crowdriff. Jonah’s music video Glow reaped over 600,000 views in 2 days and was featured on Petapixel, Colossal, and Exclaim!. Other projects he’s worked on have garnered hundreds of millions of views cumulatively.

RDF21- artist biographies Audrey Ipapo Baran is a Filipina-American dance performer, maker, and educator based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds a MFA in Dance from Hollins University and a BA in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance. She also serves on the faculty of Charlotte Ballet Academy and is the founder / artistic director of contemporary dance company Baran Dance. Audrey has presented work through Sites in the City, FEMMEfest, the National Dance Educators Organization Conference, Bill Evans Somatic Dance Conference, the North Carolina Dance Festival, Tobacco Road Dance Productions, Triangle Dance Project, Ladyfest CLT, Charlotte Dance Festival and numerous self-produced productions. She was a selected choreographer for Charlotte Ballet’s Innovative: Direct from the LAB 2021, the 2019 UNCC Department of Dance Distinguished Alum, an inaugural recipient of the Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts and Science Council, and has received recognition for her work from the Movies by Movers Festival, Charlotte Emerging Dance Awards, and Carolina Arts & Theatre Awards.

Audrey is also a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and thrives on sharing her love of movement and mindfulness throughout the Queen City and beyond. Baran Dance is a professional contemporary dance company based in Charlotte, NC. Founded by artistic director Audrey Ipapo Baran in 2012, we create dances that make you feel, think, possibly cry, and maybe even laugh. Baran Dance is known for collaborating with local musicians and artists through multimedia movement experiences, seamlessly blending bold physicality with thoughtful artistry. Baran Dance performs in galleries and bars, on stages and sidewalks, and is dedicated to creating accessible and exciting work available for wide and diverse audiences.

Sarada Jammi was introduced to dance by Shantha Balagopalan in Dhanbad, India. She was initiated into Kuchipudi dance at the Kuchipudi Art Academy under Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam in the true gurukulam style, living in his home. She later moved to Kuchipudi Kalakshetra, Visakhapatnam, a branch of the Academy, and developed as a solo performer under the mentorship of Hari Rama Murthy and N. N. V. Satyabhanu. While primarily working as a dance educator in Singapore as well as in the Richmond area, she has also choreographed solo and group pieces, both for original musical compositions and for existing South Indian classical musical works. Her choreographies use the dynamic gestural language of Kuchipudi dance to explore philosophical and social themes, and feature both the expressive emotions and rhythmic interplay typical of the form. Sri Sai Dance Academy is an institution dedicated to learning, understanding and fostering interest in the classical art form of Kuchipudi. It was founded by Sarada Jammi, a patient and dedicated teacher with over three decades of teaching experience. Sarada focuses on developing technical perfection, theoretical understanding and, most importantly, passion for the art form.

Cameron Kostopoulos is a current student at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, set to graduate in 2021. Originally from Dallas, Texas, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his interest in experimental filmmaking and visual storytelling. Throughout

RDF21- artist biographies his education, he has worked primarily as a director and cinematographer, and has worked across a range of mediums including short films, interactive films, VR/AR technologies, and projection mapping installations. He hopes to write and direct dramatic content that blends narrative story structures with experimental elements.

Jenna Beardsley Born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., jenna beardsley is a movement and multimedia artist currently based in Richmond, VA (located on the lands of the Powhatan people). jenna attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dance and Choreography department, graduating amidst the COVID-19 crisis in May 2020 with honors, holding both an Outstanding Choreographer award and the Bobby Chandler Award for Theatre. During their time at VCU, jenna studied from the likes of Scott Putman, Autumn Proctor, Eric Rivera, Trebien Pollard, Jenna Riegel, André Zachery, MK Abadoo, and Dr. Gaynell Sherrod along with many other valued guest artists and faculty. Additionally, jenna has deepened their performance research through a multitude of workshops and intensives including Sidra Bell’s MODULE, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal’s i, abject: queer objectives, or the art of ma(s)king dances, and Johnnie Cruise Mercer’s Homecoming Residency. jenna has performed professionally with the likes of Era Dance Co, Eric Rivera, and Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene, and their choreographic work has premiered around the DMV, most notably at Dance Place’s Exquisite Frame showcase in the fall of 2020 and Richmond Dance Festival in the summer of 2021. Currently, jenna is a creative fellow with TheRedProjectNYC, under the direction of Johnnie Cruise Mercer, an administrative partner with the local Dogtown Dance Theatre, and teacher of movement at various local venues. jenna is a multifaceted dance and arts professional synthesizing their many passions alongside and in conversation with their arts community. As a choreographer, jenna creates performance work that centers the queer, trans experience in reflection, joy, ecstasy, and abundance. they synthesize experimental influences from all spheres of art, music, fashion, philosophy, culture, and personal experience to create work that is investigative, curious, and intuitive. jenna curates utopic environments that bring people together into inquisitive, fantastical spaces of suspended time to experience community, inquiry, and ecstasy. The personal, the historical, and the political converge and inform the creation process, inspired by both philosophical texts and the embodied experience that animate them. jenna deconstructs and recontextualizes theories and experiences into queer, meditative spaces that dream of collective futures. Working entirely process-based, jenna constantly evolves and extrapolates the self as a microcosm of the larger collective consciousness. Trance, repetition, time tracking, long duration change and evolution studies, and improvisational experiences are utilized to create loops in time and timelessness, making the act and product of creation both reflective and futuristic.

Aina Lanas Dancer, choreographer and creator in constant development and movement. Her interest in the arts begins with painting, continues with music and later focuses on dance, combining the latter with photography over a period of 3 years.

RDF21- artist biographies Characterized by her versatility and ease of adaptation, Aina has been experimenting in different styles and fields of urban and contemporary dance over the last 20 years.

In the field of afro-descendant dances, learned between USA, France and Senegal, she has been interested in competition, freestyle, choreography and more specifically in stage creation.Her clear interest in aesthetics and her training in photography has led her to direct numerous short video-dance films with videographer Marc Costa and with great dancers from the Spanish scene.She has given workshops all over the peninsula as well as in Central America although she prefers the creative process to teaching. Sporadically he works for the music industry, TV, advertising and / or brands.

Always motivated with the creation and the interdisciplinary mix, Aina is constantly looking for new information and teachers to feed her knowledge. The last 4 years her development has gone hand in hand with the study of different feminisms, queer culture and artistic expressions of the LGBT communities of African descent. She currently directs her own project: Cia Aina Lanas. Her incessant career makes her a reference of urban/contemporary dance in Spain.

Kevin LaMarr Jones Beyond the social constructs of race, religion, gender, and ability, Kevin LaMarr Jones is living proof that dance and music can unite the world. Since graduating with a B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University and B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Richmond, Jones has become a graphic designer, dancer, choreographer, and producer based in Richmond, Virginia. Jones’ dance portfolio includes work as a company member with the Latin Ballet of Virginia, as well as the founder and curator of CLAVES UNIDOS, a community-based dance company. Through his work with CLAVES UNIDOS, Jones connects community members in Richmond, Virginia to cultures around the globe using dances and music from the African Diaspora as a vehicle. The centerpiece of this work is a free, weekly community dance class (African Roots Reunion) that Jones has led since 2011 where he channels some of travels and experiences into a kinetic world tour that transcends the spiritual and the secular.

Mr. Jones began cultivating embodied dance knowledge at his “first studio,” his parents’ long-standing night club, Meljo’s Restaurant in Freeman, Virginia, where he would take over the turntables and the dance floor during off-hours to create dances inspired by Soul Train broadcasts, his favorite music videos, and the birth of Hip Hop. He credits this opportunity, to explore movement independently from a young age, as the foundation for both his creative aesthetic and his anti-biased approach to dance.

He began connecting his own ways of moving to a global-African dance awareness in the mid-1990s when as a UR student, he discovered the music of salsa band, Bio Ritmo, the music of reggae band, Awareness Art Ensemble, and the live performances of African dance company, Ezibu Muntu. Jones studied West African dance with Sister Faye Walker and Judy Lynn Edwards. He stirred his passion for flamenco through teachers such as Ana Ines King, Anna Menendez, Antonio Hidalgo Paz, Miguel Vargas, and other renowned artists through travels to New York, Washington DC, Jerez de la Frontera, Madrid and Seville. He has studied Afro Cuban dances with Ifé Michelle Milligan (Orisha), Alberto Limonta Perez (Rumba) and other leading

RDF21- artist biographies instructors in workshops between Miami, Washington, D.C., New York, and Barcelona.

He has studied salsa and partner dancing with artists including Edwin Roa, Steve Greene, Boris Karabashev, and Yamil Boo. In 2006 & 2007 he delved into community engagement through arts with the Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute in Brooklyn, NY. In 2015, he performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, with one of his Bomba Afro-Puerto Rican dance mentors, Isha Renta, as an invited artist with Semilla Cultural. Since 2016, he has engaged with a community of multidisciplinary, trans-Atlantic scholars as they work to uncover and acknowledge the African influences on Spanish and Portuguese arts and cultures through a series of global conferences initiated by K. Meira Goldberg. Most recently, he is enjoying an active collaboration with a growing global collective of Black flamenco artists.

In 2019, he was awarded the Community Dancer Award for the inaugural RVA Dance Awards in Richmond, Virginia. He serves as a member of the board of directors for Dogtown Dance Theatre where he also creates and stages dance work.

Sara Hook (www.sarahookdances.com) is a performer, choreographer and educator who actively promotes the synergy between the professional and academic arenas of dance. Her diverse performing career includes touring the world with Nikolais Dance Theater, dancing for Martha Graham luminaries Pearl Lang and Jean Erdman, and being a frequent guest artist/collaborator with David Parker and the Bang Group. Her choreography has been produced in numerous New York City venues (Dance Theater Workshop-now NYLA, Danspace, Dixon Place, Symphony Space, DanceNowNYC’s Series at Joe’s Pub of the Public Theater etc.), in venues across 25 American states, and in the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Ecuador, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Both her work and teaching focus on questions about dance history, gender expression and identity, and the role of somatic exploration in meaningmaking. Hook holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, an MFA from New York University, and a certification as a movement analyst from the Laban Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. She has toured widely as a guest artist and been an adjudicator for numerous American College Dance Conferences.

She has taught at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Princeton University, Paul Taylor Dance Company Summer Intensives, and the Bates Dance Festival. Currently she is Professor of Dance at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where she won the College of Fine and Applied Arts Excellence in Teaching Award in 2010 and the campus award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring in 2020. Her service to the field includes being a founding member of The Pink Ribbons Project, Dancers in Motion Against Breast Cancer. Hook’s aim (in all her roles) is to be a good role model/ citizen, helping to create opportunities for other dance artists, and to make work that both honors our artistic forebears and enlivens our experience of contemporary culture. Hook’s performers, Elliot Reza Emadian and Rachel Rizzuto are both recent MFA graduates of UIUC. Elliot Reza Emadian (www.elliotreza.com) is a gendernonconforming interdisciplinary artist, teacher, and scholar and a Richmond Dance Festival alum! Rachel Rizzuto is a writer (Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher magazine), choreographer, performer, and teacher.

RDF21- artist biographies Charli Brissey is an interdisciplinary artist, scholar, and teacher who works choreographically with various technologies and materials. This primarily includes bodies, cameras, objects, instincts, language, and ecosystems. They are invested in movement practices to illuminate the role of the nonhuman in formation-practices of self and material environment, and turn to interspecies ecologies to challenge distinctions between nature and culture. They have been creating performances, installations, experimental videos, and written scholarship for over fifteen years, and have been presented in various galleries, conferences, film festivals, and performance venues nationally and internationally. This includes the National Queer Arts Festival (San Francisco, US), Movement Research at Judson Church (NYC, US), The Eye Film Institute (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Dance on Camera at Lincoln Center (NYC, US), Center for Performance Research (NYC, US), Vancouver Queer Film Festival (Vancouver, BC), Zurich Moves! Dance Festival (Zurich, Switzerland), Paris International Feminist Film Festival (Paris, France), The Arts in Society Conference (Budapest, Hungary), Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (Seattle, US), Queer Publics Symposium (Urbana, US), International Conference on the Image (Berkeley, CA), and several others. Brissey’s work has been funded through various University grants as well as Yellowhouse NYC, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship, Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts. They received a BFA in Dance & Choreography and an MFA in Kinetic Imaging from Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as a second MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Brissey is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dance at the University of Michigan, where they teach courses in physical practice, composition, dance and new media, and interdisciplinary seminars on the intersection of art and ecology.

Company | E is a DC-based repertory dance company focusing on international artistic and cultural exchanges and local dance education. We strive to use dance and its supporting art forms to bridge cultural divides and speak to the critical issues of our time while using dance education to serve those who are the future of our growing cultures and evolving cultural diplomacy. Founded in 2011, Company | E aims to live out the overarching “E” words that our company was named for: ecology, equity, excitement, energy, education, engagement, and so many more.

At home, we have been commissioned six times by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, partner with Washington Performing Arts in school-time arts education programming, and run our own school for dance, The Movement Center. Internationally, we collaborate with artists in dance, music, and performance art through the Diplomatic Missions of the world and U.S. Department of State, creating evening-length programs from Israel, Spain, Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, and many others, and representing American art and culture in parts of the world where Americans are rarely seen. Through it all, we are crossing borders and sharing experiences with artists, audiences, and students of all backgrounds and walks of life.

RDF21- staff & crew DOGTOWN STAFF AND STAGE CREW Artistic & Executive Director

Jess Burgess

Program Manager LaWanda Raines Marketing Manager

Lesley Schott

Technical Coordinator Kaylin Corbin Lighting Designer

Jess Burgess

Videography Taylor Bonadies

Jenna Beardsley Video Editing Taylor Bonadies Photography Michael Keeling Dave Parrish Stage Managers Kenzy Warren Desmin Taylor Backstage Crew & Box Office Erika Belcher Kassandra Rosas

Dogtown- thanks to our supporters Dogtown would like to thank the following donors for their support during such a difficult year. Their support made our reopening efforts a possibility so we could continue to serve the artists of the Richmond community.

Wesley Scott Ashton Kimberley Bacon Carole Barber Beverly Bennett Susan Burger Jess Burgess Jessee Caleb Joy Carlton Charities Aid Foundation of America Tracey Clevenger Madigan Cochran Robert Comerford Brian Connelly Cultureworks, Inc. Arcadio Diaz-Quinones Verlinda Dority Stephanie Doswell Peggy Duvall E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation Pamela Emmons Sean Farney Constance Ford Tiffany Franks Pamela Gamlin Scott Garka Genworth Foundation Jennifer Ruggerio Gorman Theresa Harmon Holly Henty Tim Herrmann Elaine Hinckle Scott Johnson Katie Jones Eleanor Kaiser

Mike Keeling Lorra Kurtz Kathryn Lagos Justin Laughter Legend Brewing Co Mark Lerman Jacqueline Manzer Emily McDonough Kiersten Mullins Shane O’Hara Taryn Payne Robert Petres Mark Press Patsy Garritty Prunkl Bonnie S Radden Julianna Raimondo Earl Raines Samantha Renneker Richard F Rinehardt RiverFront Investment Group Caroline Ryan Claudia Ryan Jason Sandahl Ameigh Schwartz Ronald Lee Shelton Nannette Shor Nick Sollog Ann Williams Steveson Derek Tatum The Community Foundation of HarrisonburgRockingham

The Julia & Tunnicliff Fox Charitable Trust The Walmart Community Grants Team Anja Thomas Tom Topinka Katherine Trammell Thomas Turpin Judy Ware Samuel Warrick Gail Williams Jerry Williams Sandra M Wood Evelyn K Zak Mayzie Zechini

Dogtown Dance Theatre presents

RDF21

Richmond Dance Festival

June 11 & 12, 2021 June 18 & 19, 2021 Dogtown Dance Theatre Available on DOGTOWN STREAM June 26, 2021 dogtown.vhx.tv

Eric Rivera- Photography by Beau Austin