E-MOVES
E-MOVES
APRIL 15–16 & 21–23 Tickets at harlemstage.org
Friday, April 15–Saturday, April 16, 2022, 7:30PM Thursday, April 21–Saturday, April 23, 2022, 7:30PM Harlem Stage Gatehouse Address: 150 Convent Avenue at West 135 Street, New York, NY 10031 Phone: 212.281.9240 ext. 19 | Website: www.harlemstage.org
@harlemstage
@myharlemstage
ABOUT THE EVENT We are thrilled to present the first live E-Moves performances in two years, due to the pandemic. For more than 20 years, our signature dance series has presented the visionary works of choreographers, dancers, artists, and musicians of color. This year’s program includes works by Dormeshia, Sydnie L. Mosley, Leslie Cuyjet (April 21 – 23 only), Du’Bois A’Keen (April 15 & 16 only), and Vinson Fraley (April 21 – 23 only). Thank you for joining us in this celebration of movement. Harlem Stage E-Moves is supported by the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. Support for the creation and development of Sydnie L. Mosley’s ‘PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells’ has been provided by Harlem Stage through its WaterWorks Emerging Artists program and is supported by the Jerome Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation and their Late Stage Stipend grant. Harlem Stage is grateful to Chelsea Factory for generously providing development and rehearsal space for E-Moves.
SHOW ORDER Sydnie L. Mosley Leslie Cuyjet (April 21-23) Du’Bois A’Keen (April 15 & 16) / Vinson Fraley (April 21 – 23) INTERMISSION Dormeshia
PERFORMERS & CREATIVE TEAM Sydnie L. Mosley, Choreographer Rebecca Gual, Dancer Jessica Lee, Dancer Candance Sumpter, Dancer Joan Bradford, Dancer Veleda Roehl, Dancer Lorena Jaramillo, Dancer (understudy) Brittany Grier, Dancer (understudy) André M. Zachery, Film Leslie Cuyjet Brandon Wolcott, Sound Designer Du’Bois A’Keen, Choreographer Fernando Trinidad III, Dancer Kingsley Ibeneche, Music Director, Dancer Vinson Fraley Dormeshia, Choreographer, Tap dancer Amanda Castro, Tap Dancer Christina Carminucci, Tap Dancer Noah Garabedian, Musical Director, Bass Christopher McCarthy, Keyboard Darrian Douglas, Drums Amanda K. Ringger, Lighting Designer
ABOUT THE WORK SPELL #5: SHE WHO COMES WITH HER OWN THINGS / WHO WALKS LIKE A LION BY SYDNIE L. MOSLEY Award-winning artist-activist and educator, Sydnie L. Mosley, is a leader in creative, social, and artistically sound work — NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio recognized her in 2017 for “using her talents in dance to fuel social change.” Through her choreographic work and dance-theater collective, Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (SLMDances), Mosley works in communities to organize for gender and racial justice. Mosley’s Harlem Stage E-Moves performance will excerpt her SLMDances project, PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells, which illuminates the power of deep sisterhood for social change through ritualistic dance-theater. The selected excerpt, Spell #5: She Who Comes With Her Own Things / Who Walks Like a Lion, pays homage to and embodies the meaning of Ntozake Shange’s name. Mosley, who developed PURPLE with a Harlem Stage Emerging Artist commission, affirms that each artist can be or do anything she wants because she has nothing to hold her back. Spell #5 features Twin by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah courtesy of Stretch Music LLC. PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells is an evening length choreopoem collaboratively devised and performed by the SLMDances collective. This is an evening length performance work for a multi-generational, femme ensemble of 12. It is iterative, based in oral & embodied herstories, centers sacred ritual, honors feedback and collective decision-making, and is inspired by the work of Alice Walker and creative processes of beloved ancestor Ntozake Shange.
BIOGRAPHIES SYDNIE L. MOSLEY CHOREOGRAPHER
Sydnie L. Mosley, artist-activist and educator, produces experiential dance works with her collective SLMDances, organizing in communities for gender and racial justice. Sydnie was recognized by NYC Mayor de Blasio for using her talents in dance to fuel social change and received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer. To develop her newest work, PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells, Sydnie/SLMDances are recipients of the Harlem Stage Fund for New Work, Mertz Gilmore Late Stage Stipend, UMEZ Mertz Gilmore Seed Fund for Dance, Hi-ARTS Sky Lab Residency, and the Black Spatial Relics Microgrant. This follows a multi-year development residency through Lincoln Center Education as the Manhattan Community Artist in Residence. Further Current Funding/Recognitions: Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund, Black Art Futures Fund, and LMCC Creative Engagement Grant. Sydnie earned her MFA in Dance from the University of Iowa and her BA in Dance and Africana Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University. Sydnie performs as a guest artist with Brooklyn Ballet, danced with Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT, and sits on the Dance/NYC Advisory Committee. Her writing has appeared in Essence, Dance Magazine, and The Brooklyn Rail.
BIOGRAPHIES REBECCA GUAL DANCER
Rebecca Gual (she/her) is an Afro-Latinx mover, choreographer, and arts administrator born and raised in Queens, New York. She holds a BFA in Performance and Choreography from California Institute of the Arts. She creates dance works in collaboration with sound designer Daniel Reyes, as gual + moves. She aims to explore involuntary emotional response, earnestness, dormant stimuli, and brutal honesty within her movement language. Her works have previously been presented at The Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, SMUSH Gallery, Ailey/Citigroup Theater, Queens Museum, and Triskelion Arts. Rebecca-gual.com
JESSICA LEE DANCER
Jessica Lee is a dance and teaching artist, arts administrator and organizer whose dance training started at Connecticut Dance School in Fairfield, Connecticut. She holds a BA in Dance and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College, where she performed works by Christal Brown, Andrea Olsen, Trebien Pollard, and worked with Penny Campbell. In NYC, Jessica teaches at BAX|Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Bay Ridge Ballet, dances with Paloma McGregor|Angela’s Pulse, and is an Organizer for PURPOSE Productions. Jessica is also a Co-Director of The Sable Project, an alternative off-grid summer artist residency in Vermont. Her artistic work and teaching practice are grounded in gender, racial, and environmental activism, fueled by the joy of movement, and dedicated to inclusive community building.
CANDANCE SUMPTER DANCER
Candance Sumpter. Her legal name is Candace, but she goes by Candance. With one typo from the nurse, the letter “n” didn’t stop her from achieving her goals. Candance attended Queensborough Community College and Hofstra University, where she got her degree in Dance Science at QCC and Dance Education. She created works in College that she performed at ACDA. Within that time she developed her love for African American History combined with dance. She has a passion for teaching youth from the classrooms to the hard pavements of Harlem. With the help of Black Women, she stands for the beauty of Black hair, mind, body, and spirit of Black Culture and loves to portray it through laughter and dance.
JOAN BRADFORD DANCER
Joan Bradford is a choreographer, dancer, teaching artist, arts administrator proudly born, raised, and still residing in The Bronx. Joan holds her BFA in Dance from LIU and has since performed works with SLMDances, MizantyMoves Dance Works, Alexandra Beller, Alethea Pace, KamrDANCE, Praevado Dance Collective, and Mise en Danse. Joan has shared her choreography at venues including Symphony Space, Triskelion Arts, Hunter College, Brooklyn School of Music, Arts on Site, Socrates Sculpture Park, Hostos Center for the Arts, BAAD! and The Knockdown Center. Joan has been in residence with Lost Dog Dance Theatre (UK) and Dancing Futures Mentor Collaborative Residency by Pepatián and BAAD! under the mentorship of Sydnie Mosley and Alexandra Beller. Currently, Joan
BIOGRAPHIES is a Creative Partner and Rehearsal Director with SLMDances, a Teaching Artist with The Bronx House, a Producer with WAXworks, a Fellow with University Settlement’s Performance Project, and Co-Chair of the Dance/NYC Junior Committee. Joanbradford.com
VELEDA ROEHL DANCER
As an educator and performer, Veleda Roehl is dedicated to movement for community and personal development. She has both published and presented her research on the positive effects of dance and movement on the parent-child bond. Recent performance collaborations include Adia T. Whitaker’s Àse Dance Theatre Collective, Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, choreographer nia love, and Grammy Award winning recording artist Kendra Foster. Behind the scenes, she’s a Creative Focus Group member for Artists/Architects of Kheperu, and co-produces The 45 Degrees Project, an inter-generational dance intensive where she also serves as a faculty member. In addition, she’s a founding member and board chair for Kibilio Community and Farm (Leyden, MA), and currently teaches dance at a public charter school serving Brownsville, Brooklyn. www.AOKblackprint.com www.kibilio.org
LORENA JARAMILLO UNDERSTUDY
Lorena Jaramillo (she/her) is a Brooklyn based dance artist. Born and raised in Mexico City, she later relocated to New York where she graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with
a major in Dance and a minor in Arts for Communities. Lorena currently dances with Mobilized Voices and NK&D/A Movement Company, with whom she has performed at Queensboro Dance Festival. Other credits include Reza Farkhondeh’s piece Obscure and Back, Juntos Collective, Semillas Collective, CoopDanza and IndoRican Multicultural Dance Project. As a teaching artist, Lorena works with Bay Ridge Ballet and Amanda Selwyn’s Notes in Motion. She is committed to the use of dance as a revolutionary practice of joy and to learning and unlearning through movement, conversation and deep listening.
BRITTANY GRIER UNDERSTUDY
Brittany Grier is an interdisciplinary teaching artist, performer, educator, as well as a cultural arts organizer. She began at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Dance Theater and continued her training, leading to a B.A. in dance, at CUNY Lehman College. Her lineage includes Youssouf Koumbassa, Marie Brooks, Esther Grant, Michael Manswell, Nicholas Leichter, and Adia Whitaker to name a few. Current collaborations are with Movement of The People Dance Company and Sydnie L. Mosley Dances. She is also the inaugural Community Arts Engagement Fellow with The Laundromat Project (April 2021-2022). Brittany’s focus is to extend embodied storytelling tools in marginalized and vulnerable communities, and center place-keeping, to build ecosystems that honor our humanity.
ABOUT THE WORK SURVIVAL FOR ALL YOUR LIFE BY LESLIE CUYJET
Choreographer and award-winning performer Leslie Cuyjet has co-directed, designed, danced, and collaborated with contemporaries, legends, and counterparts, on rooftops, in alleyways, on film, in galleries, on tour, and on the fly since 2004. Her own work interrogates those experiences, performed in various experimental and post-modern forms, through the lens of a Black body, and has been presented in venues across New York City. For All Your Life is an ongoing performance project and social experiment centered around life insurance. It explores personal and cultural histories through choreographic events and integrates text, video, and live performance. The first iteration, For All Your Life Studies (2021), a two-channel video installation at SculptureCenter in Queens, manipulated personal home videos of a swimming competition in a local pool. These images addressed a thorny relationship to my past; one that includes expressions of privilege, access, leisure, as well as survival. Later a pair of essays, published in the Walker Museums MN Artist series, dive deeper into the history of life insurance and its connection to Black bodies in bodies of water. The full work will premiere in Spring of 2023. Learn more at forallyourlife.com This work was supported through generous residency and fellowship support from Princeton University. Thank you Cynthia Oliver for your mentorship for this new work and all my wild ideas. Thank you Brandon for your trust, Mandy for your vision, and everyone at Harlem Stage. As always, thank you Mom, Dad, and Jason for your love and support.
BIOGRAPHIES LESLIE CUYJET
CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCER Leslie Cuyjet is a performer, choreographer, and writer. She is mostly known for her work as a performer working with a range of artists that include Will Rawls, Juliana F. May, Cynthia Oliver, Jane Comfort, David Gordon, Anohni, NARCISSISTER, Kim Brandt, Niall Jones, and a canary torsi/Yanira Castro among many others. She examines personal and dance histories to guide an ongoing interdisciplinary process, one that is research-intense and pulls from the rigor and principles of dance and performance. Recent honors include Princeton Hodder Fellow, Movement Research Resident Artist, MacDowell Fellow, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts’ Grants for Artists. Cuyjet has been supported by residencies at Movement Research, Center for Performance Research, Yaddo, Marble House Project, New Dance Alliance, and MacDowell; for presentations in New York at The Shed, The Kitchen at Queenslab, MoMA PS1, and Center for Performance Research. She is co-editor of the Movement Research online publication, Critical Correspondence, and a co-founder of the Authentic Movement collective, Duvet.
BIOGRAPHIES BRANDON WOLCOTT
SOUND DESIGNER
Brandon Wolcott is an NYC-based sound designer and composer. At The Shed: Dragon Spring, Phoenix Rise; With 600 Highwaymen: The Record, The Fever. Off-Broadway: Counting Sheep (3LD); Dance Nation, The Profane (@Playwrights Horizons) Venus, Everybody, Signature Plays (Signature Theater); Coriolanus, Hit the Wall (Barrow Street); Kill Floor (LCT3); The Nether (Lortel nomination, MCC); Good Person of Szechwan, Titus Andronicus (Public Theater); Habeas Corpus, Kiss the Air (Park Avenue Armory). Collaborations with Marina Abramovic, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Faye Driscoll, Nicolas Jaar, Elizabeth Streb, Woodshed Collective, Jane Comfort, Red Bull, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb and many more...
ABOUT THE WORK TRUTH BE TOLD… BY DU’BOIS A’KEEN
Multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, producer, writer, and filmmaker Du’Bois A’Keen is a true Renaissance spirit. His choreography and film work have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Dance Magazine, and Opera Wire. With a mission to carve out space, advocacy, and opportunity for Black people, A’Keen’s creativity and vision are a driving force in the world of music, film, and dance. Truth Be Told…, A’Keen’s debut choreographic work at Harlem Stage, is a socio-political vignette examining good and evil and love and loss. Join us while A’Keen takes us on a journey of poetry in motion and sonic saturation. Truth Be Told… Is a socio political vignette examining good & evil…love & loss. It is a zoom in on the in between. The grey. The flux. The messy middle. Through choreographic frameworks and improvisation we are taken on a short journey through the middle…as we are enveloped in the sonic experience of live and pre-recorded sound bites, shouts and melodies that awaken and arrest us. Haunting is the physical poetry of the in between.
BIOGRAPHIES DU’BOIS A’KEEN CHOREOGRAPHER
Du’Bois A’Keen is a proud husband and father: an accomplished choreographer, producer, published author and filmmaker: a true renaissance spirit. He is the CEO and Creative Director of A’KEEN BRAND; a modern creative agency and production company. A’KEEN Brand’s core principle is THINK. BE. LIVE...KEENLY! Du’Bois is also the Founder of THE TUESDAY THING aka T3 a global net that works; made up of creatives, artists, entrepreneurs, and business owners from around the globe. Du’Bois is on faculty at NYU teaching Dance Repertory and Entrepreneurship, and he also serves on several boards supporting companies across the for profit and nonprofit sectors. As a dancer/ singer he has performed with Daniel Schynder, Karen Slack, Criag Harris, Alex Ketley, Carl Flink, Jawole Zollar and other notable artists and companies. During his work as a touring and performing artist, he began to pivot and expand his work and resume as Branding & Marketing Strategist/Consultant for companies like UBW Contemporary Dance Company, Vitae London and 7Names ArtHouse; Later, transitioning him into the roles of Choreographer, Producer and Director for Film and Television. A’Keen’s choreographic and film work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Dance Magazine and Opera Wire. He is an IFP Screen Forward Lab Fellow for the 2017 cohort. In 2018 he Co- produced, directed and performed for the award winning film anthology series CAMPFIRE POETRY MOVEMENT SERIES. He made his Operatic Debut, also in 2018, as the Choreographer and Guest Artist of Charlie Parker’s YardBird with the Arizona Opera. He is a 2018 NYTV Featured Artist, 2019 choreographer and producer for FOX NETWORK’s
BIOGRAPHIES DANCE SQUAD and 2020 guest Choreographer for OPERA on TAP. He can be seen on ALL ARTS TALKS and ALL ARTS AT HOME digital series. Du’Bois is on faculty at NYU teaching Dance Repertory and Entrepreneurship as he also A’Keen serves on several boards supporting companies across the for profit and nonprofit sectors. He is a partner with Calling All Creators and a Director/Producer with Untold Production. A’Keen thoroughly enjoys collaborating and working interdisciplinarily across the industries of film, music and dance. He looks forward to continued growth and success nationally and internationally, alongside his beautiful daughter and wife/life partner, Camry Vonyaé A’Keen.
FERNANDO TRINIDAD III DANCER
Fernando Trinidad III was born in 2002 in Condado, Puerto Rico. In 2011, he began his training at Raskin Dance Studio in Kissimmee, Florida. While training at RDS he also attended the Osceola County School for the Arts (OCSA), where he graduated in 2020. He has trained intensively in various styles such as contemporary, hip-hop, ballet, acrobatics, and more. He is currently in his second year of attendance at New York University. He is pursuing a BFA in Dance as a member of the Tisch School of the Arts.
KINGSLEY IBENECHE MUSIC DIRECTOR, DANCER
Kingsley Ibeneche is a Nigerian American performing artist based in South Jersey with a focus in music & dance. Kingsley has worked with notable acts and has been featured on various publications and platforms such as, Travis Scott, James Blake, Halsey, SNL, GAP, NIKE, The FADER, Paste Mag, okayafrica, NPR, afropunk, and SOFAR. Enticed by using his creative engines to highlight social change, Ibeneche focuses his performances on connecting the African people with the African diaspora through the performing arts.
ABOUT THE WORK RESTING IN THE SPIRIT BY VINSON FRALEY
The New York Times calls Fraley “a guiding force.” Fraley’s E-Moves debut at Harlem Stage features his new solo work, Resting in the Spirit, where he guides us through an expression of movement pointing to what it means to embody sensations that oscillate between constriction and freedom. This work probes into the heart of what it means to embody sensations that oscillate between constriction and freedom. Weaving a collage of movement languages and sounds, this song and dance is an inner-play on how the performer perceives his place in the world. I ask, what work does it take to finally find rest and sense of belonging to a place? How do fragments of human condition form a landscape that questions how we relate to space, and choose to move through the world.
BIOGRAPHIES VINSON FRALEY
CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCER
Vinson Fraley was born in Statesville, North Carolina and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his formal training in voice and drama at DeKalb School of the Arts. He started dance at the age of 14 at DanceMakers of Atlanta. Fraley received his BFA in dance from NYU Tisch in 2015. During his final year of college he became a member of Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M (Abraham.In.Motion) and later joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2017. Vinson has been a frequent collaborator with Carrie Mae Weems. He collaborated with Sterling Ruby and the Metropolitan Museum for the In America: A Lexicon of Fashion exhibition. Fraley teamed up with artist Janet Biggs in a work made for Arts at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). He was a part of Damien Jalet and Kohei Nawa’s latest production Planet [wanderer] which premiered at the Théâtre National de Chaillot. Vinson has also performed at Frieze Art Fair under the direction of Stephen Galloway. He is currently working alongside international choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith on her new creation. Most recently Vinson debuted a duet he created for himself and Sara Mearns at the Joyce Theater. He has had the opportunity to present solo works in the US, Germany, and France. This past summer he debuted a new work at The Watermill Center. Vinson’s choreography and movement direction have been seen in videos by Calvin Klein, Serpentwithfeet, Vogue, Nike, and Pattern Beauty. Vinson contributed an original music composition for the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company’s newest work titled Afterwardsness. His work has been written about and featured in various publications including The New York Times, Interview Magazine, has appeared on the cover of V Magazine, I-d Magazine, Highsnobiety, Document Journal, Dance Magazine.
ABOUT THE WORK RHYTHM IS LIFE BY DORMESHIA
Both a seasoned and award-winning tap dancer, choreographer, and instructor, Dormeshia brings a new work to Harlem Stage, Rhythm Is Life. Previously commissioned by New York City’s Little Island, this new project explores the grooves, moments, breaths, and pulse of life. Through a series of sonic explorations, Dormeshia creates a kaleidoscope of choreography that both moves with the collective pulse of life and invites individuals to find their own groove. Performed by a magnetic group of tap dancers and a live band, Rhythm Is Life is a meditation, a voyage, and above all a celebration of life. I am a tap dancer and choreographer who strives to push tap dance forward while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of this amazing art form. My work often begins with a thought, a theme, or a focus; in this case, the theme is rhythm [of life]. Next, I envision the overall sound, the feel, and the artists who will best bring it to reality, then I create the work. I enjoy the choreographic journey, but I also extend the opportunity for dancers and musicians to express themselves as individual artists; giving them space to be vulnerable, and to connect with each other as well as the audience, oftentimes taking improvised solos. As a choreographer my goal is to create work that is meaningful and fulfilling for the dancers and audience members alike, and more importantly, always honor the dancers that came before me.
BIOGRAPHIES DORMESHIA CHOREOGRAPHER
Dormeshia is a dynamic tap dancer and choreographer who is known for setting high standards in the world of tap dance. She began studying the form under the instruction of Paul and Arlene Kennedy in California at the age of three. She went on to perform in Rome, Italy at the Tip Tap Festival at the age of eight. Shortly after, Dormeshia made her debut on Broadway at age 12 in the musical revue Black and Blue with legends Jimmy Slyde, Bunny Briggs, and Lon Chaney to name a few. She also joined the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Bring in da’ Noise, Bring in da’ Funk on Broadway and internationally as the only female tap dancer. Dormeshia has accumulated many accolades over the past several decades, including a Doris Duke Artist Award in the dance category, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, Dance Magazine Award, a Bessie Award, the Princess Grace Statue Award, and the Astaire Award for Best Female Performer for her featured performance in Broadway’s After Midnight. Originally commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow, Dormeshia’s first full length choreographic work, And Still You Must Swing, debuted to sold-out audiences at Jacob’s Pillow, and was recognized by the New York Times as the “Best of Dance for 2016” and again in 2019 after its New York debut at The Joyce Theater. As creator, producer, and director some of Dormeshia’s community projects are Ladies in the Shoe Tap Conference(creator, producer), Tap Family Reunion (co-director) and the Jacob’s Pillow Summer Tap Program (co-director). Over the course of 11 years, Dormeshia was the tap dance instructor to Michael Jackson. She is currently one of 5 dancers representing Tap dance in the Forever Collection of U.S. Postage Stamps.
BIOGRAPHIES AMANDA CASTRO
TAP DANCER
Amanda Castro is a Puerto Rican-American multidisciplinary artist rooted in rhythm. Most recently seen in Chasing Magic by Ayodele Casel and The Mayor of Harlem by Jason Samuel Smith, Derrick Grant, & Dormeshia, Castro is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts where she studied under Glen Eddy of Nederlands Dans Theatre and Andre Tyson from Ailey Company. An active founding member of the all female percussive trio Soles of Duende and once principal dancer of the renowned company, Urban Bush Women, she’s starred in musical theater productions such as Singing In the Rain in the role of Kathy Seldon, Jared Grimes’ 42nd Street, “atomic” performances as Anita in Glimmerglass Festival’s West Side Story (NYT ‘18) and Lyric Opera of Chicago, among others. Amanda continues to pursue the journey of deepening her practice as a rhythmic storyteller and remains a vessel for the stories that push humanity forward.
CHRISTINE CARMINUCCI
TAP DANCER
Christina Carminucci, born and raised in New Jersey, is an NYC based tap dancer. In her youth, she trained as a multidisciplinary dancer at a local studio, seeking out further tap dance training at BDC, STEPS, and ATDF (Tap City Youth Ensemble). While earning her BBA in Arts and Entertainment Management at Pace University, Christina was fortunate enough to study extensively under the mentorship of Derick K Grant. Recognized as one of Dance Magazine’s 2022 “25 to Watch”, she can always be found performing, choreographing,
producing or teaching. The Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program alumna has appeared in works by many of today’s greats, including Dormeshia and Michelle Dorrance (Dorrance Dance). Over the years she has had the opportunity to perform at acclaimed venues including The Joyce Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Chicago Jazz Showcase, and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). “Nucci” also worked internationally as an ensemble member of Christopher Erk’s Tap Factor on board the #1 rated cruise ship in the world, the MS Europa 2 of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Inspired to develop her own voice, Christina co-produced her first jazz and tap dance collaboration, “On That Note”, at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Teatro Sea, and Don’t Tell Mama cabaret club in NYC. Shortly following, the Mare Nostrum Elements 2019 Emerging Choreographer debuted her first self-produced show “When the Smoke Clears” at the Triad Theater also in NYC (2019). Most recently, Christina launched “The Solidarity Series”, an ongoing live performance experience dedicated to both furthering the development and increasing the visibility of improvisational tap dance as it relates to jazz music. Passionate about sharing her love and knowledge of the art form, she teaches regularly at Steps on Broadway in NYC and at various workshops around the country and world.
NOAH GARABEDIAN MUSICAL DIRECTOR, BASS
Bassist and composer Noah Garabedian seeks the human connection in the collaborative aspects of art, and is informed by the folkloric traditions and stories. He holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from The University of California Los Angeles and a Master’s of Music Performance from New York University. Noah is a 2022 Calouste Gulbenkian In View Grant recipient; 2021 Fellow for Creative Armenia/AGBU; 2016 Fulbright Specialist Grant recipient; 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition finalist; 2007 finalist for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz graduate program; 2006 John
BIOGRAPHIES Coltrane National Scholarship recipient. Additionally he is a two-time Arts Envoy Grant recipient with the US State Department where he performed and taught throughout Asia and the Middle East. In October 2020 he premiered a commission from the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College, entitled “The Tragedy of Hate.” As an educator Noah has worked with Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Jazz For Young People program, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, NYU, and The New School. He has performed and toured with numerous artists including Ravi Coltrane, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Andy Milne, and Kris Davis.
CHRISTOPHER MCCARTHY KEYBOARD
Hot House Jazz Magazine has described Chris McCarthy as “one of the most imaginative and impressive voices on the New York jazz scene.” Since arriving in New York City in 2016, Chris McCarthy has made a name for himself as one of the scene’s most in demand young sidemen. He steps into the foreground as a bandleader with the release of his 2020 Ropeadope Records debut, Still Time To Quit. The album features the New York super group Takuya Kuroda, Michael Blake, Sam Minaie and Jongkuk Kim. McCarthy’s debut album has been praised as a “big step forward for McCarthy, an auspicious label debut that bodes well for the future” by Glide Magazine and was prominently featured on Spotify’s Jazz X-Press Playlist. Originally from the Seattle area, McCarthy was introduced to jazz at Roosevelt High School. He followed his passion for the genre to New England Conservatory, where he graduated with honors. While in Boston, McCarthy was a regular member of both Jerry Bergonzi and Jason Palmer’s working bands. In 2017 he released his debut album Sonder, which All About Jazz described as: “a very promising release, and hopefully the first of many for this broad-minded and adventurous keyboardist.” That same year saw the release of Jason Palmer’s At Wally’s Vol. 1, featuring McCarthy on keyboard. Other recent projects include vibraphon-
ist Sasha Berliner’s acclaimed album Azalea, (2019), trumpeter Tony Glausi’s My Favorite Tunes (2020) and a collaboration with vocalist Clotile Rullaud funded by the French American Jazz Exchange. The international jazz scene will continue to hear from McCarthy for years to come.
DARRIAN DOUGLAS DRUMS
Jackson, Mississippi native Darrian Douglas has fashioned a successful music career with jazz groups throughout New Orleans and New York City. At age 11, Darrian began studying music at the Academic and Performing Arts Center under Dr Perry Combs and several other inspiring music educators, including Alvin Fielder, London Branch and Chad Anderson. These musicians played a huge role in his early development and would also serve as his mentors. In 2008, Darrian moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he took over the drum chair in Ellis Marsalis’s quartet. He stated, “I love playing with Mr Marsalis; he allowed me to grow and explore the music without consequence.” Darrian continued to play with Ellis until his departure from New Orleans in December 2012. Darrian is a rising star, drummer, composer, and bandleader of The Session, a group of unique characters he shared the bandstand with while playing in Jason Marsalis’ vibe quartet. Darrian has performed in over 30 festivals worldwide. He has also performed at renowned venues such as The Kennedy Center, Herbst Theatre, Saenger Theatre, Aladdin Theater, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Snug Harbor, Smoke Jazz Club, and Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse. He has shared the stage with Wynton Marsalis, Victor Goines, Irvin Mayfield, Godwin Louis, Jazzmeia Horn, Brianna Thomas, Joe Temperley, Germaine Bazzle, Jessie McBride, Bob Cranshaw, Bria Skonberg and Ellis Marsalis. Darrian has recorded with Ellis Marsalis (Live at New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011), Greggory Agid (Mystery Blues), The Session (This Is Who We Are), Sam Zeanah Band (self-titled), Bria Skonberg (TBA), Christina Perez (self-titled), and Regeneration Brass Band (Body and Soul).
OUR SUPPORTERS
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.
ABOUT HARLEM STAGE 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 nearly 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.
Board of Directors Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President Jamie Cannon, Vice President Michael Young, Secretary Mark Thomas, Treasurer Stefany Bergson Angela Glover Blackwell Jamila Ponton Bragg
JoAnn K. Chase Patricia Cruz Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Trevor Gale Jenette Kahn LaChanze Sapp-Gooding Tamara Tunie
Administration Staff Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO MANAGEMENT Eric Oberstein, Managing Director DEVELOPMENT Shamar Hill, Director of Development Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development Julia Marrero, Development Associate PROGRAMMING Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic Director/Curator-in-Residence Yunie Mojica, Programming Manager MARKETING Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer BOX OFFICE Daniel Im, Box Office Manager PRODUCTION Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production Randi Rivera, Production Stage Manager Clarence Taylor, Lighting Operator Orlando Alvarado, House Audio Engineer David Barrett, Julio Collado, Chris Homenick, Lighting & Audio Deck Crew OPERATIONS Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations Lamont Askins, Operations Assistant Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE Ncheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors Michelle Blankenship, Principal Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior Accountant CONSULTANTS Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY) Claudia Kaufman, Insurance Digital Video Services—BriGuel Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C. —Lisa Davis Itelagen, IT Consultant Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Madison Consulting Group, —Matt Laurence Manchester Benefits—Greg Martin Marc Millman Photography Digital Video Services —Jess Medenbach PR Canvas Public Relations & Marketing RL Stein Group—Robyn L. Stein Development Consultant The Whelan Group Incorporated —Charles Whelan USHERS Miriam Hernandez, Chloe Wilson, Robert Gibbins, Brenda Hernandez, Nobar Deleon, Toma Carthens