Choreographer Bill T. Jones has participated in various presentations at Harlem Stage since the 1980s; in 2006, he created the Harlem Stage commission Chapel/Chapter, inaugurating the Harlem Stage Gatehouse with what The New York Times would deem the “most affecting, the most disturbing, the most powerful, and the most compassionate” dance from the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Born in 1982 out of an 11-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948-1988), the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the dance-theater world.
Jones returns to the Gatehouse to celebrate the 40 years of Harlem Stage. The evening will begin with emerging choreographer, Roderick George, showing an excerpt of his work The Missing Fruit (Adapted for Harlem Stage).
Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will premiere two “pièce d’occasion” for this two-nights only event: a short work entitled Memory Piece for Jones himself and People, Places & Things, an ancillary investigation reflecting on some preoccupations evidenced in the ongoing Curriculum series he is creating for and with the Company.
Performed by Roderick George, kNoname Artist
Performed by Bill T. Jones
Performed by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company
This program is supported, in part, by the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Diana King Memorial Fund presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation, the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance.
Artistic Director & Choreographer: Roderick George Original Music: slowdanger
Cast: Christian Whan, Dandara Amorim, India Hobbs, Maia Schechter, Nat Wilson, Nazear Brown, Nouhoum Koita and Roderick George Producer: Florent Trioux
Generously supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and YoungArts
The Missing Fruit premiered at the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park on September 22 & 23, 2023 and will be performed at Jacob’s Pillow on August 15, 2024
The Missing Fruit explores how the manifestation of racial and public health violence affects Black Americans and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities through an interdisciplinary artistic production rooted in contemporary dance. First conceptualized during the most recent #BLM protests, The Missing Fruit examines the experiences of BIPOC communities, particularly addressing their struggles to combat oppression and death, financial insecurity, and health vulnerabilities while making space for Black joy to thrive.
Bill T. Jones Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Janet Wong
AssociateArtistic Director
Conceived, Written and Performed by Bill T. Jones
Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel*
Sound by James Bennett
Projection by Janet Wong
Rehearsal footage from Degga with Bill T. Jones, Toni Morrison, and Max Roach at Aaron Davis Hall in 1995
Musical excerpt from: Cowboys to Girls by The Intruders and
Conceived and Directed by Bill T. Jones
Choreography by Bill T. Jones with Janet Wong and the Company
Performed by Barrington Hinds, Jada Jenai, Shane Larson, Danielle Marshall, Marie Lloyd Paspe, Jacoby Pruitt, Nayaa Opong, Philip Strom, and Huiwang Zhang
Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel*
Costumes by Liz Prince
Sound Created & Composed by John Oswald
Additional musical excerpts from:
I’ll Fly Away by Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues by Bob Dylan
Keep on Pushing by The Impressions
Ursonate by Kurt Schwitters
Text adapted from: Beloved & Tar Baby by Toni Morrison
*Denotes Member of the United Scenic Arts Union (USA)
Kyle Maude, Producing Director
Hannah Emerson Jernigan, Producer
Jessica Prince, Producing Associate
Megan Dechaine, Production Stage Manager
Serena Wong, Lighting Supervisor
Shay Watson, Sound Supervisor
People, Places & Things is commissioned and produced by New York Live Arts for Harlem Stage’s 40th Anniversary Season. The creation of new work by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is made possible in part by the company’s Partners in Creation: Anonymous (2), Anne Delaney, Zoe Eskin, Eleanor Friedman, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Suzanne Karpas, Ellen Poss, Jane Bovingdon Semel, in memory of Linda G. Shapiro, Slobodan Randjelović & Jon Stryker.
Support for New York Live Arts is provided by the Arnhold Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ed Bradley Family Foundation, The Brant Foundation, Inc., Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Dance/NYC, Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Marta Heflin Foundation, Alex Katz Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Alice Lawrence Foundation, Mellon Foundation, National Performance Network, New England Foundation for the Arts, One World Fund, The Poss Family Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, The Semel Charitable Foundation, Scherman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Tides Foundation.
Public support for New York Live Arts is from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council Representative Erik Bottcher, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Over the past 42 years the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has shaped the evolution of contemporary dance through the creation and performance of over 140 works. Founded as a multicultural dance company in 1982, the company was born of an 11-year artistic collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane. Today, the company is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the modern dance world. The company has performed its ever-enlarging repertoire worldwide in over 200 cities in 30 countries on every major continent. In 2011, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company merged with Dance Theater Workshop to form New York Live Arts of which Bill T. Jones is the Artistic Director and Janet Wong is the Associate Artistic Director.
The repertory of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is widely varied in its subject matter, visual imagery and stylistic approach to movement, voice and stagecraft and includes musically driven works as well as works using a variety of texts. Some of its most celebrated creations are evening length works including Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land (1990, Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music); Still/Here (1994, Biennale de la Danse in Lyon, France); We Set Out Early… Visibility Was Poor (1996, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, IA); You Walk? (2000, European Capital of Culture 2000,Bologna, Italy); Blind Date (2006, Peak Performances at Montclair State University); Chapel/Chapter (2006, Harlem Stage Gatehouse); Fondly Do We Hope… Fervently Do We Pray (2009, Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL); Another Evening: Venice/Arsenale (2010, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy); Story/Time (2012, Peak Performances); and A Rite (2013, Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill). The Company is also currently touring Body Against Body an intimate and focused collection of duet works drawn from the Company’s 36-year history.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER, CHOREOGRAPHER
BILL T. JONES (Artistic Director/Co-Founder/ Choreographer: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company; Artistic Director: New York Live Arts) is a multi-talented artist, choreographer, dancer, theater director and writer, has received major honors ranging from the Human Rights Campaign’s 2016 Visibility Award, 2013 National Medal of Arts to a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award and Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. Mr. Jones was honored with the 2014 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, recognized as Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2010, inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009 and named “An Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition in 2000. His ventures into Broadway theater resulted in a 2010 Tony Award for Best Choreography in the critically acclaimed
FELA!, the new musical co-conceived, co-written, directed and choreographed by Mr. Jones. He also earned a 2007 Tony Award for Best Choreography in Spring Awakening as well as an Obie Award for the show’s 2006 off-Broadway run. His choreography for the off-Broadway production of The Seven earned him a 2006 Lucille Lortel Award.
Mr. Jones began his dance training at the State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY), where he studied classical ballet and modern dance. After living in Amsterdam, Mr. Jones returned to SUNY, where he became co-founder of the American Dance Asylum in 1973. In 1982 he formed the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (then called Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane & Company) with his late partner, Arnie Zane. Mr. Jones is currently Artistic Director of New York Lives Arts, an organization that strives to create a robust framework in support of the nation’s dance and movement-based artists through new approaches to producing, presenting and educating. For more information, visit http://www.newyorklivearts.org/.
His work in dance has been recognized with the 2010 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award; the 2005 Wexner Prize; the 2005 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement; the 2003 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize; and the 1993 Dance Magazine Award. His additional awards include the Harlem Renaissance Award in 2005; the Dorothy B. Chandler Performing Arts Award in 1991; multiple New York Dance and Performance Bessie Awards for his works The Table Project (2001), The Breathing Show (2001), D-Man in the Waters (1989) and the Company’s groundbreaking season at the Joyce Theater (1986). In 1980, 1981 and 1982, Mr. Jones was the recipient of Choreographic Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1979 he was granted the Creative Artists Public Service Award in Choreography.
Mr. Jones was profiled on NBC Nightly News and The Today Show in 2010 and was a guest on the Colbert Report in 2009. Also in 2010, he was featured in HBO’s documentary series MASTERCLASS, which follows notable artists as they mentor aspiring young artists. In 2009, Mr. Jones appeared on one of the final episodes of Bill Moyers Journal, discussing his Lincoln suite of works. He was also one of 22 prominent black Americans featured in the HBO documentary The Black List in 2008. In 2004, ARTE France and Bel Air Media produced Bill T. Jones–Solos, highlighting three of his iconic solos from a cinematic point of view. The making of Still/Here was the subject of a documentary by Bill Moyers and David Grubin entitled Bill T. Jones: Still/Here with Bill Moyers in 1997. Additional television credits include telecasts of his works Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land (1992) and Fever Swamp (1985) on PBS’s Great Performances Series. In 2001, D-Man in the Waters was broadcast on the Emmy-winning documentary Free to Dance.
Bill T. Jones’s interest in new media and digital technology has resulted in collaborations with the team of Paul Kaiser, Shelley Eshkar and Marc Downie, now known as OpenEnded Group. The collaborations include After Ghostcatching
– the 10th Anniversary re-imagining of Ghostcatching (2010, SITE Sante Fe Eighth International Biennial); 22 (2004, Arizona State University’s Institute for Studies In The Arts and Technology, Tempe, AZ); and Ghostcatching – A Virtual Dance Installation (1999, Cooper Union, New York, NY).
He has received honorary doctorates from Yale University, Art Institute of Chicago, Bard College, Columbia College, Skidmore College, the Juilliard School, Swarthmore College and the State University of New York at Binghamton Distinguished Alumni Award, where he began his dance training with studies in classical ballet and modern dance.
Mr. Jones’s memoir, Last Night on Earth, was published by Pantheon Books in 1995. An in-depth look at the work of Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane can be found in Body Against Body: The Dance and Other Collaborations of Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, published by Station Hill Press in 1989. Hyperion Books published Dance, a children’s book written by Bill T. Jones and photographer Susan Kuklin in 1998. Mr. Jones contributed to Continuous Replay: The Photography of Arnie Zane, published by MIT Press in 1999. Jones’s most recent book, Story/Time: The Life of an Idea, was published in 2014 by Princeton University Press.
In addition to his Company and Broadway work, Mr. Jones also choreographed Sir Michael Tippet’s New Year (1990) for Houston Grand Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. His Mother of Three Sons was performed at the Munich Biennale, New York City Opera and the Houston Grand Opera. Mr. Jones also directed Lost in the Stars for the Boston Lyric Opera. Additional theater projects include co-directing Perfect Courage with Rhodessa Jones for Festival 2000 in 1990. In 1994, he directed Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain for The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN.
ARNIE ZANE (Co-Founder/Choreographer) (1948-1988) was a native New Yorker born in the Bronx and educated at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton. In 1971, Arnie Zane and Bill T. Jones began their long collaboration in choreography and in 1973 formed the American Dance Asylum in Binghamton with Lois Welk. Mr. Zane’s first recognition in the arts came as a photographer when he received a Creative Artists Public Service (CAPS) Fellowship in 1973. Mr. Zane was the recipient of a second CAPS Fellowship in 1981 for choreography, as well as two Choreographic Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1983 and 1984). In 1980, Mr. Zane was co-recipient, with Bill T. Jones, of the German Critics Award for his work, Blauvelt Mountain Rotary Action, a duet with Mr. Jones, was filmed for television, co-produced by WGBH-TV Boston and Channel 4 in London.
BARRINGTON HINDS is from West Palm Beach, Florida. He began his training at the School of Ballet Florida under the direction of Marie Hale. Hinds holds a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase College and has worked professionally with VERB Ballets, Northwest Professional Dance Project, and the national tour of Twyla Tharp’s Broadway show, Movin’ Out. In 2011 Hinds was honored as a finalist for the Clive Barnes Award for young talent in dance. He has worked with leading choreographers including Laurie Stallings, Edgar Zendejas, Sarah Slipper, Helen Pickett, Thaddeus Davis, and Cherylyn Lavagnino to name a few. Hinds has also danced with the Stephen Petronio Company and has freelanced in commercial, TV, and print work. In addition Hinds is also a choreographer and teacher. His work has been shown at Purchase College, Dixon Place, Warwick Summer Festival, Arts On Site, and The Tank. Barrington has been a Performer with the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company since 2017. You can follow him @bar_hinds and his website www.barringtonhinds.com
JADA JENAI was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked professionally with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Helen Simoneau, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, and Wyckoff Collective. Jenai earned a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, studying under Jonathan Ridel, Kyle Abraham, Kevin Wynn, and Dylan Crossman, and Jean Freebury (Merce Cunningham Change of Address). She also studied at Western Australia Academy for Performing Arts and Springboard Danse Montreal, working with Jonathan Alsberry and Shamel Pitts. Jenai attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and is a freelance model. Jada joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2021 and became company manager in 2022.
SHANE LARSON was raised in Minnesota, where he received his early training at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. He also studied at SEAD in Austria. Since living in New York City, he’s branched out to collaborate with punk musicians, film makers, improvisational music ensembles, and site-specific visual artists. He is also a multimedia video artist who makes collage-based work about memory. Shane joined the Company in 2015.
DANIELLE MARSHALL is a native of Atlanta, GA. She received her early dance training from DeKalb School of the Arts, Phusion Performing Arts Alliance, and City Gate Dance Theater. In 2019, she graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program, studying dance & Pre-Health for Physical Therapy. During her time at Ailey/Fordham, Ms. Marshall had the opportunity to perform works by her colleagues and notable choreographers such as Adam Barruch, Amy Hall Garner, and Maxine Steinman. Marshall is also a certified Horton instructor. Danielle joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2021.
MARIE LLOYD PASPE is originally from Bellingham, MA and Mississauga, Canada, currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Marie received her BFA from the Ailey/Fordham Program in 2016, studying abroad in Israel with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in 2015 and Springboard Danse Montreal in 2017. She toured with Carolyn Dorfman Dance and worked with choreographers Peter Chu, Renee Jaworski, and Rami Be’er. Her choreography, vocal work, and movement direction for stage and film were presented in the Philippines, Berlin, Israel, and across the U.S. Marie’s ongoing practices are rooted in Filipinx-American diasporic work and somatic-based healing. Paspe joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2018.
JACOBY PRUITT began his dance training in Miami, FL where he attended New World School of the Arts. He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of Dance and is a recipient of the Martha Hill Dance Fund’s “Young Professional Award”. He has worked professionally with Ailey II, Company XIV, Sean Curran Company, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet among various other freelance projects. His tv/film credits include Good Morning America, Comedy Central’s Alternatino, and the In the Heights film. Jacoby joined the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company in 2021.
PHILIP STROM is a movement artist from Washington State. While pursuing his BFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he danced in work by Crystal Pite, Sonya Tayeh, Ronald K. Brown, and Paul Taylor. Since graduating he has performed with Andrea Ward, Bennyroyce Dance, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Gabrielle Johnson + Artists, inDance (Hari Krishnan), & RyderDance. He participated in Springboard Danse Montreal’s 2018 project, performing in original works by Maxine Doyle of Punchdrunk, and Emese Nagy of MA•ZE. Philip is an Artistic Associate of Bennyroyce Royon, having staged his work at Rutgers University and assisted him in processes & teaching at The Juilliard School, Ballet Hispánico, Joffrey Ballet School, Peridance Center, and Gibney Dance. As a creator Philip maintains an ongoing choreographic research process, “Silhouette Series”, since 2019. Philip is excited to be joining the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company as a Guest Artist in 2023.
NAYAA OPONG is a movement artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. They graduated with a BFA from Mason Gross School of the ArtsRutgers University. Upon graduating in 2019 Nayaa joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and they are a founding member of Camille Rennie’s Company of Collaborative Artists (CoCA). Since then Nayaa has also continued to work, create, and perform with other interdisciplinary artists along the East and West coasts, including Lee Mingwei, Chien-ying Wang, Huwiang Zhang, Vinson Fraley, Shamel Pitts, BirdHouse, and Volta Collective. Nayaa is interested in the play between the extremity and the subtleties of their physical body. Through somatic practices Nayaa is committed to strengthening the union between the spiritual being and the human one. Nayaa joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2019.
HUIWANG ZHANG has been a member of the Company since 2017. He was nominated an “outstanding performer” by the Bessies (Zhang imbues commitment with focus, and connects time together through sensitized and accumulated gestures) for his performance of Our Labyrinth directed by Lee Mingwei and Bill T. Jones at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He earned his MFA from the University of Utah under the mentorship of Stephen Koester. 张慧望，江⻄九江⼈，毕业于北京舞蹈学院。
JAMES WORTH BENNETT is a freelance sound designer, engineer, and multimedia artist residing in Lenapehoking. Originally from Tsalaguwetiyi (North Alabama) he received his BFA in Theatrical Design from the University of Montevallo. He is privileged to work at New York Live Arts as the Audio/Video Manager. His sound design has recently been heard in “Untitled Ukraine Project” at the New Ohio Theatre, where he previously worked as a Technical Director on the Ice Factory Festival and more. More about him can be found at jamesworthbennett.com.
CHARLES COBBERTT III is resident in West Orange, New Jersey. Charles earned a Bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University. Previous work includes being involved in production, stage management, and prop management. Specifically taking place at progressive theater and Vanguard theater in New Jersey as well as The New Group in New York City. Charles is happily excited to become a part of another theater project after a long awaited year. He can’t wait to see what talent that the performers and staff have in order to make this performance shine.
Upon bestowing him with Canada’s highest art honor, the Governor General’s Award jury stated: “JOHN OSWALD has created an art - and vocabulary - of his own in his exceptional and innovative work as a sound artist, image alchemist, composer and media artist... Oswald’s art, while often playful, is a serious examination of basic elements. His influence on an entire generation of artists and his international reputation attest to his free-ranging spirit of innovation and exploration.” Best known as the creator of the music genre Plunderphonics, he has done, and is doing many other things. hear: https://pfony.bandcamp.com, see: https://www.youtube.com/@plunderphonics & https://vimeo.com/opropo, and a new site for movies: https://www.youtube.com/@stillnessence
LIZ PRINCE designs costumes for dance, theater and film and has had the great pleasure of designing for Bill T. Jones since 1991. Her work has been exhibited at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Rockland Center for the Arts and Snug Harbor Cultural Center. She received a 1990 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) and a 2008 Charles Flint Kellogg Arts and Letters Award from Bard College. She teaches costume design at SUNY Purchase College Manhattanville College, and Sarah Lawrence College.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
ROBERT WIERZEL has worked with artists in theatre, dance, new music, opera and museums, on stages throughout the country and abroad. He has worked with choreographer Bill T. Jones and his company since 1985. Projects include Blind Date, Another Evening: I Bow Down, Still/Here, You Walk?, Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land, How To Walk An Elephant, and We Set Out Early… Visibility Was Poor. Other works with Bill T. Jones include projects at the Guthrie Theatre, Lyon Opera Ballet, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, the Welsh dance company Diversions, and London’s Contemporary Dance Trust. Robert has also worked with choreographers Trisha Brown, Doug Varone, Donna Uchizono, Larry Goldhuber, Heidi Latsky, Sean Curran, Molissa Fenley, Susan Marshall, Margo Sappington, Alonzo King and JoAnn Fregalette-Jansen. Additional credits include national and international opera companies, Broadway, and regional theater. Mr. Wierzel is currently on the faculty of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and The Yale School of Drama.
JANET WONG was born in Hong Kong and trained in Hong Kong and London. Upon graduation she joined the Berlin Ballet where she first met Bill when he was invited to choreograph on the company. In 1993, she moved to New York to pursue other interests. Ms. Wong became Rehearsal Director of the Company in 1996, Associate Artistic Director in August 2006 and Associate Artistic Director of New York Live Arts in 2016.
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
MEGAN DECHAINE is a New York City based stage manager originally from Washington State. She graduated from Western Washington University with a B.A. in Theatre. Selected credits include: the American Dance Festival, Sleep No More, Mimi Garrard Dance, Jody Oberfelder Projects, Sara Juli, Bellingham Repertory Dance, and Kuntz and Company. Megan joined the Company in 2022.
PRODUCER
HANNAH EMERSON JERNIGAN currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. She completed her BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2011, and moved to New York City shortly after being awarded the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowship at the Lincoln Center Institute. Choosing to remain in the northeast, she has held arts administrative positions at New York Live Arts and The Yard. Hannah joined Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2014 as Company Manager and now serves as a Producer for New York Live Arts.
PRODUCING DIRECTOR
KYLE MAUDE graduated from Drake University with a B.F.A. in Theatre. She has worked with Ballet Tech/Feld Ballets New York, The Royal Ballet School of London, Buglisi-Foreman Dance, and Lesbian Pulp-o-Rama! Ms. Maude joined the Company in 2003 and served as the Company’s Production Stage Manager for ten years, then Director of Producing and Touring for three years before becoming Producing Director for New York Live Arts in 2016.
SOUND SUPERVISOR
LESHAY “SHAY” WATSON has been a recording and live sound engineer since 2012. Graduated from the Institute of Audio Research in 2015, since graduation she has had the privilege to work at some amazing venues like Apollo Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Shed, Barclay Center, PlayStation Theater, Lehman College. She has also worked with many popular artists and on TV shows like Showtime at the Apollo, Kelly Clarkson, 2021 Heisman, Wildin Out, Law and Order SVU, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and many more.
LIGHTING SUPERVISOR
SERENA WONG is a Brooklyn-based freelance lighting designer for theater, opera, and dance. Her designs have been seen at New York Live Arts, Danspace, Irondale Arts Center, and Jacob’s Pillow. She is the resident lighting designer for New York Theatre Ballet and enjoys beekeeping and bread baking.
Artistic Leadership
Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director
Janet Wong, Associate Artistic Director
Executive Leadership
Kim Cullen, Executive Director/CEO
Alexandra Burke, Chief of Staff
Board of Directors
Stephen Hendel, Co-Chair
Richard H. Levy, Co-Chair
Helen Haje, Vice Chair
Slobodan Randjelović, Vice Chair
Alan Marks, Treasurer
Aimee Meredith Cox, Secretary
Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, Ex-Officio
Kim Cullen, Chief Executive Officer Ex-Officio
Bjorn Amelan
Sarah Arison
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Charla Jones
Colleen Keegan
Darnell L. Moore
Amy Newman
Randy Polumbo
Ellen M. Poss
Matthew Putman
Jane Bovingdon Semel
Ruby Shang
Catharine R. Stimpson
Board Emeritus
Derek Brown
Terence Dougherty
Eleanor Friedman
Programming, Producing, and Engagement
Kyle Maude, Producing Director
Hannah Emerson Jernigan, Producer
Jessica Prince, Producing Associate
Production
Chanel Pinnock, Production Manager
Leo Janks, Lighting Manager
James Bennett, AV Manager
Megan Dechaine, Production Stage Manager
Tricia Navigato, Assistant Production Manager
Creative Director
Bjorn G. Amelan
Community Engagement & Education
Bianca Bailey, Community Engagement and Education Manager
Communications
Tyler Ashley, Director of Communications
Hannah Seiden, Communications Manager
Augustus Cook, Digital Marketing Manager
Liliana Dirks-Goodman, Graphic Designer
Pentagram, Pro-Bono Branding
Development
David Archuletta, Chief Development Officer
Nina Ha, Development Manager
Julie Davis, Special Events & Donor Engagement Manager
Felix Reyes, Institutional Giving Associate
Front of House
Taylor Adams, Front of House Assistant
Julia Antinozzi, Ezra Mitchell, Jailyn Phillips-Wiley, Sabrina Herbosa-Reyes, Calley Luman, Cove Haselton, Campbell Ives, Paulina Meneses, Jessy Crist, Johnny Mathews, Ishmael Gonzales, Anna Ticknor, Cristina Moya-Palacios, Salma Kiuhan, Front of House Staff
Finance
Nupur Dey, Director of Finance
Manathus Dey, Finance Associate
Human Resources
ADP TotalSource
Operations
Gregory English, Operations Manager
Marcus Retegues, Facilities Coordinator
Adalid Nunez-Mendoza, Custodial Assistant
Randjelović/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist
Miguel Gutierrez
Legal Services
Lowenstein Sandler, PC, Pro-Bono Counsel
New York Live Arts is an internationally recognized destination for innovative performance and humanities programming, offering audiences access to art and ideas by creatives notable for their conceptual rigor, formal experimentation and active engagement with the sociopolitical and cultural currents of our times. Led by world-renowned artist Bill T. Jones, New York Live Arts supports artists at all stages of their careers through residencies, commissions, and artist services. It also serves as home base for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, which has been creating groundbreaking work for over forty years.
New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011
+1 212 691-6500 / Fax: +1 212 633-1974
www.newyorklivearts.org
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM · ADAM W. SADBERRY
ALEXANDER DAVIS · AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE
BERTHA HOPE
BOBBY MORGAN
BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE COMPANY
BORA YOON
CARL HANCOCK RUX
DAFNIS PRIETO
CAMILLE A. BROWN
CHLOE DAVIS
DANIEL FETECUA
CRAIG HARRIS
DAVID VALBUENA
DJ SABINE BLAIZIN (OYASOUND)
FLOR DE TOLOACHE
FEI-FEI
GEORGE EMILIO SANCHEZ
HANNAH LEMMONS AKA LEMMONS
JAMES BLASZKO
JOSÉ JAMES
JASON MORAN
JOYA POWELL
KALÍ RODRÍGUEZ-PEÑA
LUCIANA SOUZA
MARY PRESCOTT
MAYTE NATALIO
IAN ISIAH
JOANNE BRACKEEN
JUEL D. LANE
KIMBERLY NICHOLE
MALEEK WASHINGTON
MATTHEW WHITAKER
MICAH THOMAS
NORA CHIPAUMIRE
PABLO MAYOR’S FOLKLORE URBANO ORCHESTRA
PATTY ORTIZ
RICKEY TRIPP
RODERICK GEORGE
RONALD K. BROWN/EVIDENCE
SHANTELLE COURVOISIER JACKSON
SUN HAN GUILD
VIJAY IYER
TAMAR-KALI
YASSER TEJEDA
STEW
URBAN BUSH WOMEN
YUNIYA EDI KWON
KNONAME ARTIST is a Berlin-founded, now New York City-based company created in 2015 by Roderick George. kNoname Artist is a collective that strives to use art as a form of protest and healing method to find agency. The company invests in reflecting the times, both past and current events, and using the culture of origins as a vessel for creative expression. The knowledge of division created by colorism, class, and social-economic differences provoked the mind of George, yet also with joy and hope to motivate the growth of kNoname Artist. The mission of this multidisciplinary company is to gift its spectators’ evocative stories told through raw, percussive, and fluid movement interspersed with dialogue and humor. The iterative and evolving vision for the company melds dynamic movement, music, and scenic landscapes into experiential works exploring themes of queerness, blackness, and human rights. kNoname Artist has performed at festivals such as Festival Quartiers Danses, Suzanne Dellal, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Zurich Tanzhaus, Hollins University, New York Live Arts, Pavillon Noir| Ballet Prejlocaj, Sophiensæle Festspiele, Pocantico Art Center, and Fall for Dance North/NIGHTSHIFT.
RODERICK GEORGE was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He has trained at Ben Stevenson’s Houston Ballet Academy, The Alvin Ailey School, and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). George was a bronze winner of the Youth American Grand Prix in 2005 and a YoungArts Winner and Presidential Scholar of the Arts in 2003. He has danced for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Basel Ballet/Theater Basel, Göteborgs Operans Danskompani, and The Forsythe Company. In addition, he has performed the work of choreographers such as Marie Chouinard, Peeping Tom, Jorma Elo, Jacopo Godani, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylian, Sharon Eyal, Ohan Naharin, Benoit Swan-Pouffer, and Richard Wherlock. In 2012, George. was a part of the Emerging Choreographer Series for the Youth American Grand Prix and an Emerging Choreographer for Springboard Danse Montréal in 2013. In addition, he has been commissioned by dance companies, institutions, and festivals, including Bodytraffic, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Festival
Quartiers Danses, Suzanne Dellal, Zurich Tanzhaus, Pavillon Noir| Ballet Prejlocaj, Ballett Basel, L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre and Fall for Dance North/ NIGHTSHIFT. Most recently, George was a YoungArts Fellow Winner Awardee for the 2021-2022 season. In Jan 2024 he created Venom, a piece commissioned by Gibney as part of the organization’s DoublePlus program in collaboration with New York Live Arts.
NAZEAR BROWN, signed to Clear Talent Group New York, is an emerging dance artist from New Bern, North Carolina. He was apart of the inaugural class of the CLI Conservatory and subsequently joined their company for the 2022-23 season working with; Teddy Forance, Mike Tyus, Micaela Taylor, Spenser Theberg, Ethan Colangelo, Jermaine Spivey and more. Nazear is now based in New York, and having met choreographer Roderick George through DanceLab NYC, recently performed his new work “Venom” at Gibney DOUBLEPLUS curated by Kyle Abraham.
NAT WILSON (they/he) is a Brooklyn-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Their formative training was in ballet and in 2016, they joined Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, where they had the opportunity to perform and teach around the world, including China, Peru, South Korea, and India. In January of 2020 they moved to New York City to pursue a freelance career. Since then, they’ve worked in both New York and Los Angeles, performing with YYDC, kNoname Artist/Roderick George, More Fish Dance, and ate9 dANCE cOMPANY, as well as creating their own work. They are currently becoming certified in Yue Yin’s FoCo technique and are always happy to connect with audiences via Instagram through the handle @natattax.
MAIA SCHECHTER grew up in Glen Rock, PA, where she began dancing at the age of 3. She received a BA in Dance at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she was awarded the Linehan Artist Scholarship. In 2018, she relocated to New York City to apprentice with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. In 2019, she transitioned into freelancing working with choreographers like Andy Blankenbuehler, Reed Luplau, and Lauren Lovette. Maia has performed live for companies like Coca-Cola and events like The Met Gala. In 2022, she joined the cast of Disney’s The Lion King: The Rafiki Tour and traveled for 14 months across North America. Currently, Maia is dancing with BocaTuya Dance and kNoname Artist in New York City and is represented by Clear Talent Group.
CHRISTIAN WHAN, a Detroit native, is now living and working in the heart of New York City’s performing arts scene. He is signed with United Talent Agency and graduated from the Steps on Broadway conservatory program in 2023. His professional work includes three impactful cycles with Dance Lab New York, where he collaborated with nine choreographers including Roderick George. Other professional work includes commercials for the brand anthropologie and workshopping new works for future shows with choreographers including Karla Puno Garcia, Jess LeProtto, Elena Vazintaris, Robert Vail, and Voltaire Wade-Green.
DANDARA VEIGA, from Alegrete-RS, Brazil, started her dance training at Social Project Primeiros Passos and then received a scholarship at Escola de Danca Ballerina. She furthered her studies at Studio Margarita Fernandez in Argentina, Opus Ballet in Italy, Annarella Academia de Ballet e Danca in Portugal, and continued with a scholarship at The Ailey School in 2016. Veiga spent six years (2017-2023) with Ballet Hispanico, earning acclaim for her role as “Eva Peron” in “Dona Peron” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa in 2022, praised by major publications like The New York Times. In 2023, she was featured on Dance Magazine’s January issue as one of “25 To Watch.” Currently, she performs with the Metropolitan Opera, Site Specific Dances, and other freelancing projects in New York City.
INDIA HOBBS began training at The Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center. In 2013, Hobbs joined The Chicago Academy for the Arts class’17. During India’s time at The Academy, she performed works set by Brian Brooks, Jonathan Alsberry, and Stephanie Martinez. Following her completion at CAA, Hobbs continued her training at The Boston Conservatory. While at The Conservatory, India performed choreography by Loni Landon, Catherine Coury, Martha Nichols, and Mark Morris. In 2021, Hobbs received her BFA in Contemporary dance. While living in NYC, India has had the fortune to perform in the 2021 Open Call Exhibition at The Shed, work with art collective Haus of PVMNT, led by Christopher Kinsey and Maggy Costales, as well as, KnoName Artist, directed by Roderick George. In 2022, Hobbs joined GALLIM, where she continues to perform a variety of Andrea Miller’s repertoire all throughout the city. Hobbs is honored to have performed in theaters like the Chelsea Factory, Joyce Theatre, amongst many others throughout the East coast.
NOUHOUM KOITA is a Japanese and Malian dance artist from Brooklyn, NY. He started his training at the National Dance Institute. Koita then went on to train at LaGuardia Arts High School and the Juilliard School. He is also an alumni of MOVE|NYC|‘s Young Professionals Program under the direction of Nigel Campbell and Chanel DaSilva. In 2020, Koita was named a National YoungArts Finalist at the Gold Award level, and a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He has performed with Aszure Barton and Artists, kNoName Artist, TRI314 Multidisciplinary Visual Performances, and GALLIM. Koita has performed works by Trisha Brown, Roderick George, Ohad Naharin, Shamel Pitts, Aszure Barton and Andrea Miller.
FLORENT TRIOUX first graduated with a Master’s in Art Administration & Projects Management at the Sorbonne University before working with Olivier Dubois Company at the National Choreographic Centre of Roubaix. In March 2015 Flo moved to London and joined Sadler’s Wells as a Producer & Tour Manager. For more than 6 years, he produced, and toured high-profile productions collaborating with world renown artists including William Forsythe, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Pina Bausch Foundation and Sting. In June 2023 Flo relocated to NYC and continue working closely with Sadler’s Wells as Tour Manager in the US. He also started new collaborations with Pomegranate Arts and Roderick George.
taylor knight and anna thompson are co-founding artistic directors of slowdanger, a multidisciplinary performance entity utilizing movement, found material, integrative technology, electronic instrumentation, and vocalization to produce performance work since 2013. Based out of Pittsburgh, PA slowdanger synergizes mediums, utilizing ritual practice to delve into circular life patterning including effort, transformation, and death. They have been featured in/by Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” (2018), MoMA, The Kennedy Center, The Warhol Museum, Usine C, and more. They are 2022 awardees of the NPN Creation Fund and NEFA/National Dance Project.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.
Harlem Stage’s Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
On the occasion of Harlem Stage’s 40th Anniversary milestone season, we are pleased to offer a series of livestream performances this Winter/Spring 2024, available to our donors. As part of our $40 for 40 campaign, your donation of at least $40 to Harlem Stage will give you access to livestream these amazing performances. Learn more at harlemstage.org/40for40
E-Moves
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Saturday, April 20 | 7:30PM
WaterWorks Established Artist Commission
Tamar-kali—The Swann
Carl Hancock Rux, Libretto Saturday, May 4 | 7:30PM
Friday, May 3 – Saturday, May 4 | 7:30PM
WaterWorks Established Artist Commission
Tamar-kali—The Swann
Carl Hancock Rux, Libretto
Composer, vocalist, and performing and recording artist Tamar-kali presents performance excerpts from The Swann — an opera she is developing about the life and times of William Dorsey Swann, the first known person to identify as a “queen of drag.”
SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
ON & ON: JOSÉ JAMES
SINGS BADU
SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS
LATIN MUSIC SERIES
PABLO MAYOR’S FOLKLORE
URBANO ORCHESTRA
OCTOBER 13 – 14, 2023
E-MOVES
RONALD K. BROWN/ EVIDENCE
OCTOBER 20 – 21, 2023
CRAIG HARRIS
TONGUES OF FIRE (in a harlem state of mind)
OCTOBER 27, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS
LATIN MUSIC SERIES
DAFNIS PRIETO
FEATURING LUCIANA SOUZA CANTAR
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
IN THE COURT OF THE CONQUEROR BY GEORGE EMILIO
SANCHEZ IN COLLABORATION WITH VISUAL ARTIST PATTY ORTIZ
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS
LATIN MUSIC SERIES + CARNEGIE HALL CITYWIDE FLOR DE TOLOACHE
DECEMBER 1, 2023
UPTOWN NIGHTS
LATIN MUSIC SERIES
YASSER TEJEDA & DJ SABINE BLAIZIN (OYASOUND)
DECEMBER 9, 2023
WATERWORKS EMERGING ARTISTS SHOWCASE
FEATURING SHANTELLE
COURVOISIER JACKSON, HANNAH LEMMONS AKA
LEMMONS, BOBBY MORGAN, MARY PRESCOTT & KALÍ RODRÍGUEZ-PEÑA
JANUARY 11–13, 2024
E-MOVES
URBAN BUSH WOMEN’S HAINT BLU
JANUARY 26, 2024
UPTOWN NIGHTS
IAN ISIAH + KIMBERLY NICHOLE
FEBRUARY 16, 2024
UPTOWN NIGHTS: CONVENT TO WYTHE yuniya edi kwon +
SUN HAN GUILD
MARCH 1 – 2, 2024
ETERNAL SPIRIT: VIJAY IYER & FRIENDS
CELEBRATE THE MUSIC OF ANDREW HILL
MARCH 8, 2024
UPTOWN NIGHTS
AN EVENING OF CHAMBER
MUSIC PRESENTED WITH SUGAR HILL SALON & CONCERT ARTISTS GUILD
MARCH 9, 2024
UPTOWN NIGHTS: CONVENT TO WYTHE BORA YOON & R. LUKE DUBOIS AT NATIONAL SAWDUST
MARCH 22 – 23, 2024
STEW
HIGH SUBSTITUTE FOR THE DREAD LECTURER: BARAKA JONES IN DUB
MARCH 29 – 30, 2024
WATERWORKS ESTABLISHED ARTIST COMMISSION
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE banyan seed
APRIL 19 – 20, 2024
E-MOVES
BILL T. JONES/ ARNIE ZANE COMPANY
APRIL 26, 2024
PIANOS FOR DUKE
REIMAGINED: FEATURING
JASON MORAN, ABDULLAH
IBRAHIM & FRIENDS
APRIL 27, 2024
PIANOS FOR DUKE
REIMAGINED: FEATURING
JASON MORAN, ABDULLAH
IBRAHIM & FRIENDS
BENEFIT CONCERT
MAY 3 – 4, 2024
WATERWORKS ESTABLISHED ARTIST COMMISSION
TAMAR-KALI THE SWANN
MAY 17 – 18, 2024
E-MOVES
nora chipaumire
ShebeenDUB
JUNE 3, 2024
HARLEM STAGE
40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
JUNE 14 – 15, 2024
E-MOVES
CAMILLE A. BROWN & GUESTS: BLACK JOY
FEATURING WORKS BY
CAMILLE A. BROWN, CHLOE DAVIS, JUEL D. LANE, MAYTE NATALIO, RICKEY TRIPP & MALEEK WASHINGTON
Lead support for Harlem Stage’s 40th Anniversary Season is provided by the Mellon Foundation.
Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas.
For 40 years our singular mission has been to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning, and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts.
We fulfill our mission through commissioning, incubating, and presenting innovative and vital work that responds to the historical and contemporary conditions that shape our lives and the communities we serve.
Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President
Jamie Cannon, Vice President
Michael Young, Secretary
Mark Thomas, Treasurer
Angela Glover Blackwell
Jenna Bond
Jamila Ponton Bragg
JoAnn K. Chase
Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO
Eric Oberstein, Managing Director
Shamar Hill, Director of Development
Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development
Julianna Friedman, Development Manager
Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic Director/ Curator-in-Residence
Sarah McCaffery, Programming Manager and Associate Curator
Maurice Ivy, Programming Associate
Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing
Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer
Adrienne Gomez, Box Office Manager
Jordan Carter, Education & Community Engagement Manager
Bethany Cintron, Education & Community Engagement Associate
Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production
Clarence Taylor, Lighting Operator
Orlando Alvarado, Audio Engineer
Saul Ulerio, Video Operator
Julio Collado, Audio Crew
David Barrett, Deck Crew
LaChanze
Patricia Cruz
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
Jenette Kahn
Channing Martin
Rebecca Robertson
Tamara Tunie
Blair Washington
Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations
Lamont Askins, Operations Associate
Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
NCheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors
Jake Lee, Partner
Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior Accountant
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/ Claudia Kaufman, Insurance
Arts Education Consultants:
Sobha Kavanakudiyil, Sierra Ray & Wendy Rojas
Blake Zidell & Associates, Public Relations
Briguel, Digital Video Services
DAS, IT Consultant
Derrick Saint Pierre/Snugg Studios, Digital Video Services
Intrepid Digital, SEO Services
JCA, Inc.: Database Consulting
Jess Medenbach, Digital Video Services
LCM/247, Digital Video Services
Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants
Madison Consulting Group, Matthew Laurence
Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin
Marc Millman, Photography
Robyn L. Stein, Rl Stein Group, Development Consultant
Charles Whelan, The Whelan Group Incorporated
Toma Carthens, Nobar De leon, Andy Garcia,
Julian Norales, Miriam Hernandez, Marlon Moncrieffe, Brenda Hernandez