Photo and Design: Erica Pinigis
PROGRAM
Contents Acknowledgements…………..................................2 Isthmus Dance Collective…………........................4 Choreographers........……………………………….5 Performers........……………………………….........13 Program…………………………………………......19 Production Team.........……………………….….... 25 Upcoming Events........……………………….….... 26
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Acknowledgements
The Isthmus Dance Collective would like to thank Dane Arts and Evjue Foundation for contributing to fund this event. IDC would also like to thank our generous private donors and all of the volunteers who worked to bring this performance to you. If you are interested in making a financial contribution or if you are looking for volunteering opportunities, please visit our website www.isthmusdancecollective.org/contribute
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Land Acknowledgement As members of the Isthmus Dance Collective, we recognize that we live, work, and dance on stolen Native land. We recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. We acknowledge the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land: Primarily the HoChunk, as well as the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Myaamia, Sauk, Meskwaki, Peoria, and Kiikaapoi people who were forcibly removed from the region. “To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long standing history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol.” –http://www.lspirg.org/knowtheland
You can read more about land acknowledgement and find out what land you occupy on https://native-land.ca 3
About the Isthmus Dance Collective Isthmus Dance Collective (IDC) aims to provide greater access to dance opportunities on the individual, inter-organizational, and community levels in ways that are sustainable for the artists and high impact for the arts community in the Madison area and beyond. Members of IDC work cooperatively in a non-hierarchical manner to provide accessible and inclusive dance education and outreach, performances, and to promote dance dialogue in the community. The IDC Model The Isthmus Dance Collective is a cooperatively organized nonprofit organization. Our collective is modeled on a hybrid of several types of cooperative or collective organizational structures, primarily a consumer and a worker cooperative. IDC members contribute to the operations of the organization, monetarily and through service work.The pooling of our resources allows us to provide our member artists with better access to rehearsal space, physical training, continued education, music, insurance, and more. It also creates a space for dance artists in our community to exchange ideas, learn from each other, and push the art of dance to develop in ways that serve the betterment of ourselves, the community, and the world. As a democratically-run collective, all of our members have an equal say and an equal vote. We are dedicated to listening and to a mindset for continually re-evaluating whether all of our members are being seen and heard. This micro-culture is an important part of our decision-making, our commitment to diversity, and our desire to collaborate. 4
Featured Choreographers
Jacob Brooks El A Chicago na+ve, began his dance training in 2002 at the Chicago Academy for the Arts under the instruc+on of Randy Duncan, Guillermo Leyva, Sandra Kaufmann, and the late Anna Paskevska. In 2006, he aFended Columbia College Chicago's modern dance program under the direc+on of Margi Cole, Jeff Hancock, Carrie Hanson, and Emily Stein. He later on became an appren+ce for Gus Giordano Dance and Luna Negra Dance Theater. He also aFended Ballet Chicago under the intense training of Daniel Duel and Patricia Blair. Jacob has been a guest ar+st for such companies as, the West Indian Folk Dance Company, Momenta, Ballet Chicago, Chicago Fes+val Ballet, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Les Ballet Grandiva, Madison Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and San Diego Opera. He is currently School Director of Madison Ballet. 6
Aubry Dalley Aubry is an independent choreographer and dance teaching ar+st with a BA in Dance Educa+on from Brigham Young University (Magna Cum Laude). She is currently a member of Isthmus Dance Collec+ve in Madison, Wisconsin. Her teaching experience spans public and higher educa+on including Brigham Young University where she was the Assistant Director for Contemporary Dance Theatre. While working in K-12 educa+on, Aubry directed the dance program as well as chaired the Performing Arts Department at a public high school. Aubry has served as the associate director of Oquirrh West Project and has been honored to choreograph for the Utah Metropolitan Ballet, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Regalia, Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, BYU’s Contemporary Dance Theatre and danceEnsemble, ON SITE mobile dance series, UVU Summer Concert, the Young DanceMakers, the ACDA Gala, Li Chiao-Ping SEED Fes+val, Oquirrh West Project, and the Shi`ing Gears Dance Fes+val. Her work has won awards in the Rocky Mountain Choreography Fes+val, Utah's Shakespearean Fes+val, Provo’s Take Two Choreography Compe++on, Utah Regional Ballet’s Choreography Design Compe++on, and the Alfred Lambourne Prize. Grants awarded include a 2020 Li Chiao-Ping SEED Fes+val Grant and Art for Uncertain Times Grant through the Center for LDS Arts. Aubry’s freelance performance work includes Scratch Dance and interac+ve and site specific shows such as Dance Engine and ONSITE mobile dance series. Aubry was a presenter at the 2021 Na+onal Conference for the Na+onal Dance Educa+on Organiza+on. 7
Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez Juan Carlos began his dance training in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he studied under several teachers including Carmen Sandoval, Lucila Arce, Helen Hoth, and Alex Zybin. He later studied at the San Francisco and Pacific Northwest Ballet schools and was offered an appren+ceship with the American Fes+val Ballet at age 17. He then returned to Guadalajara where he danced with Ballet de Cámara de Jalisco before joining the Spokane Ballet as a soloist. In 1989, he joined the Eugene Ballet Company as a soloist and rose through the ranks to become a principal dancer. He has also performed as a principal dancer with Charleston Ballet Theater, and Ballet Idaho. He has toured interna+onally throughout Mexico, United States, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia and Taiwan. Juan Carlos has worked with renowned ar+sts including Christopher Aponte, Toni Pimble, Jill Eathorne Bahr, Lisa de Ribere, Elisa Monte, Beth Corning, Lynne Taylor-CorbeF, David Berkey, Pascal Riult, and Mar+n Løfsnes. In 1997, Juan Carlos returned to college to study physics and computer science at Boise State University while performing with Idaho Dance Theater. He later earned a Ph.D. in physics from University of Guadalajara and currently works for the Wisconsin IceCube Par+cle and Astrophysics Center at UW-Madison. In 2007, Juan Carlos returned to the stage, exploring other forms of dance including contemporary, modern, Mexican folklore, and flamenco, performing with a number of local groups. 8
Erica Pinigis Erica started dancing as a teen then went on to receive her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. A`er gradua+ng, she produced and choreographed “Ooh La Lounge: An Evening of Dance and Jazz” at the Suburban World Theater and the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. She was curated by the Red Eye Theater for her collabora+on with Erinn Liebhard: Lulladreams and Insomnimares, and was an Ar+st in Residence at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Arts. Erica has performed in Madison and Minneapolis with the Kanopy Dance Company, Peel and Core Dance Company, University Dance Theater, Zenon Block E performance group, the Eclec+c Edge Ensemble, and Marylee Hardenbergh’s Global Site Performance. Erica migrated to the Bay Area where she was a company member of Facing East Dance & Music, Paco Gomes & Dancers, the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble, Slick Babble Dance Project, H2O Dance, and Bianca Cabrera’s Blind Tiger Society. Erica completed her MFA in performance and choreography at Mills College and was honored with the E.L Wiegand award for excellence in performance and choreography. Since returning to Madison, Erica and several colleagues founded the Isthmus Dance Collec+ve, a non-profit coopera+vely run organiza+on that supports dance ar+sts. 9
Liz Sexe Liz Sexe’s work as a movement ar+st is grounded in the belief that performance is a mode of sharing perspec+ve through embodied experience. In 2019 she received the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts Edna Wiechers Arts in Wisconsin Award where she produced Un+tled: for the sake of progress which was performed at Madison and Tomah. In 2016 Sexe self produced and performed in TWO: exploring duos where seven choreographers created works exploring the idea of duo. “Self-producing such an ambi+ous show might be a risky proposi+on, but the community-building spirit propelling this project means that Madison (WI) gets an excellent glimpse into the modern dance scene.” (Isthmus) Sexe is grateful for this spirit in the Isthmus Dance Collec+ve! Her choreographic work has also been featured at Arts on Site in New York City, the World Dance Alliance Fes+val in Hawaii, UW-Madison, Danceworks in Milwaukee, WI, and UW-Eau Claire. She has toured both regionally and na+onally with Li Chiao-Ping Dance Company and Marlene Skog and Dancers. Find out more at lizsexedance.com or @lizsexedance
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Marlene Skog A na+ve New Yorker, holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Arizona, and is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of WisconsinMadison. She worked in Sweden for fourteen years as dancer, teacher and choreographer, directed an interna+onal dance company and founded and established Uppsala Dansakademi, for dance arts. Skog developed a professional dance program approved by the Professional Dance Board of Sweden and supported by the State. Her contemporary ballet work prompted collabora+on with prominent Swedish choreographer, Birgit Cullberg. Skog choreographed for several official cultural events including the Interna+onal Arts Fes+val – Norway, Scandinavian Cultural Conference, and Interna+onal Women’s Conven+on at Uppsala University. Her awards include the Peoples University Cultural Prize, Gosta Knutsson Cultural Award and NordBanken’s Cultural Award. At the University of Arizona she was recognized with the Crea+ve Achievement Award and Green Valley Concert Associa+on Fellowship Award in Choreography. She is recipient of the 2018 Dis+nc+on Award presented by Wisconsin Dance Council. Skog’s work has been performed na+onally and interna+onally, including King’s Palace Edinburgh Scotland, Guadalajara México, Vancouver B.C., Manoa HI, Chicago IL, CharloFe NC, Tallahassee FL, NYC, with Madison Ballet and across the Midwest. Her work addresses the enduring ques+on of what it means to be human and is purposeful in its strong synthesis of movement, music and message. 11
Amy Slater has lived in the Madison area since 2011. An Iowan by birth, she earned her undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Between her degrees, she spent 8 years in Minneapolis performing, choreographing, and teaching dance. She performed with the Christopher Watson Dance Company for seven seasons as well as with several independent choreographers in the Twin Ci+es. Her work has been shown at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a part of the American College Dance Associa+on’s na+onal conference. Amy has been a guest ar+st at the University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University, and St. Olaf College. She has also presented work in the Minnesota Fringe Fes+val and the Dances at the Lakes Fes+val in Minneapolis, MN, and with DanceWorks and Dane Arts Dance Arts in Wisconsin. Amy has been a dance educator since 2006 and currently teaches dance technique and composi+on at UWWhitewater in the Theatre/Dance department. 12
Performers
Cynthia Bachhuber has been around the Madison dance scene long enough to have performed the Nutcracker in the Oscar Mayer theater at the Civic Center. She later earned a degree in Dance Performance & Choreography from Hope College. In New York, Cynthia worked for the Trisha Brown Dance Company while dancing and choreographing for the Metro Movement Project and cultivating her love of libraries through volunteering at the New York Library for the Performing Arts. Cynthia returned to Madison to pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Studies and danced with Kanopy Dance and Li Chiao Ping. Now she's working on adding "dancer" back into her roles in addition to librarian, wife, and mom. Lily Edgar began her dance training at the Beaver Dam Dance Academy. In 2010 she transferred to the School of Madison Ballet, and was promoted to company apprentice in 2018, and officially joined Madison Ballet’s professional company during the 2019/2020 season. Lily has performed in many productions with Madison Ballet, some of her favorite featured roles being Ballerina Doll Soloist and Mirlitions Duet in The Nutcracker. She has also attended summer programs on merit scholarships at Ballet Chicago and Milwaukee Ballet. Nicole Golownia is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and trained in jazz and contemporary at Impact Performing Arts Center. She recently graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Certificate in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying under faculty including Li Chiao-Ping, Collette Stewart, and Michelle Ramos. Nicole performed in Aubry Dalley’s piece for the Isthmus Dance Collective’s 2021 Shifting Gears Bike Path Dance Festival as well as Dalley’s dance film “Un/fixing Perspectives (again)”.
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Alyssa Jendusa. Alyssa comes from the small town of Stone Bank, Wisconsin where she started dancing at the age of four. She trained at the Milwaukee Ballet School for twelve years and attended their summer intensive program where she performed original works by a variety of choreographers including Karl Von Rabenau, Nadia Thompson, and Denis Malinkine. Alyssa received her BA in dance from Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts. At Point Park, she performed original contemporary works by the likes of Judith Leifer-Bentz and Nicholas Petrov. Alyssa has worked with Kanopy Dance Company, Scratch Dance, and Liz Sexe Dance in the Madison area. She has performed works by Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Martin Lofsnes, Sandra Kaufmann, and many others while dancing in Madison. Jenna Mao is a board certified dance/movement therapist and licensed professional counselor in Madison. She attended the University of Wisconsin and obtained her degree in psychology and a certificate in dance. Jenna connected with choreographer Liz Sexe through weekly classes and is grateful for the opportunity to perform tonight. Caitlyn Lamdin is originally from Vermont and grew up dancing jazz, hip hop, ballet and lyrical styles. At Vassar College, she was a member of the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre where she worked with Steve Rooks, Kathy Wildberger, John Meehan, and many other impactful artists and educators. After a too-long hiatus, Caitlyn refound her home in dance thanks to the incredible Seattle arts community. There, she was able to perform in and choreograph for a number of local festivals, including Full Tilt, Converge, and takePAUSE. After relocating to Madison last June, Caitlyn was lucky enough to get connected with Aubry Dalley and perform in the Shifting Gears Bike Path Festival. She also recently joined Madison Contemporary Dance as a new company member. Caitlyn is grateful for the opportunity to move and share space with so many talented dance artists in this new city. 15
Sarah Minton is an Ohio native, who began dancing at BalletMet Columbus as a student. She was able to continue her training at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School in their high school division. After high school, she went on to dance with Charlotte Ballet as a trainee and Richmond Ballet as a trainee. In Richmond, Sarah she got the opportunity to dance in the corps de ballet with the company in repertoire such as The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Who Cares?. She also enjoyed choreographing for the trainee showcase and hopes to choreograph again in the future. In 2019, Sarah joined Madison Ballet as an apprentice and is excited to continue dancing as a company member this season.
Shannon Quirk. A California native, Shannon began her training with Orange County Regional Ballet and continued her studies at UC, Irvine earning a BFA in Dance Performance. Ms. Quirk has performed lead roles in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Donizetti Variations, Elegié, Four Temperaments, Serenade, Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, Who Cares?, Diana and Acteon Pas De Deux, Christopher Wheeldon’s The American, This Bitter Earth, and W. Earle Smith’s Cinderella, Dracula, and The Nutcracker. She has had the pleasure to be a performer with Avant Chamber Ballet, Ballet Tucson, Detroit Dance City Festival, UW Madison’s Dance Department 90th Anniversary Celebration and Summer Solstice Invitational, and ICMOVEMENT Project based in Washington D.C. Shannon is a dancer as well as Ballet Master and Repetiteur for Madison Ballet. 16
Emily Shelton is from Cincinnati, OH where she trained at the Otto M Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet. She received her BA in dance and BS in physics from Case Western Reserve University, where she performed works by Larry Keigwin, Mark Morris, and Pascal Rioult. Additionally, she attended summer programs at BalletMet Columbus, Interlochen Center for the Arts, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Paul Taylor Dance Company. She performed with Verb Ballets and Ohio Dance Theatre in their production of “The Nutcracker” in December 2015. Brooke Schroeder, a 2021 Dance Bachelors of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to dance in the Madison Area with an array of local artists. Brooke has been teaching dance in the Madison community since 2018 through Performing Ourselves and now teaches at local studio, Studio Dansu. Her classes aim to guide in finding inner voice and collaboration. While at UW-Madison, Brooke also completed a 900 Hour Pilates teacher training and is now PMA certified and teaching at local studios and gyms. Brooke is always searching for ways to help others, keep moving, and connect with the community. Yu-Jhe Sun. Originally from Taiwan, Yu-Jhe Sun began his ballet training at the age of 14 in The HARID Conservatory, Boca Raton, FL. After graduating the school he began his professional career with Columbia Classical Ballet as a company artist. In Columbia, YuJhe got the opportunity to dance in repertoires such as The Nutcracker, Giselle, The Wizard of Oz, Coppelia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Le Corsaire. This is his second year with Madison Ballet.
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Alex Vrba. Wisconsin native Alex Vrba, began dancing at the age of 15 at MainStage Academy of Dance. After completing high school, he joined The BrayBallet as an apprentice. His performance highlights with MainStage Academy/The BrayBallet include Jonathan Harker in Bray’s Dracula and the Rat King, and Cavalier in The Nutcracker. This is his second year with Madison Ballet.
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PROGRAM
SOLES-STICE
Bask Choreography: Erica Pinigis Music: Andrew Bird (with edits by Erica Pinigis) Down Under the Hyperion Bridge The Green Heron Lazuli Buntin Dancers: Alyssa Jendusa, Luella Shapiro, and Emily Shelton Costumes: Erica Pinigis Program Note: This piece is inspired by and dedicated to my three beautiful children. It’s filled with the hope and dreams I carry for their futures, and the joy that I try to find as many moments as possible to bask in, even if those moments are only a few seconds long.
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She Who Plants Choreography: Jacob Brooks El Composer: Sergey Cheremisinov Song: Seven Lights Dancer: Sarah Minton ❋❋❋
Getting Progressively More Complicated Choreography: Liz Sexe Music: “The Hustle” by Van McCoy Dancers: Cynthia Bachhuber, Haley Johnson, Jenna Mao, Brooke Schroder ❋❋❋
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Dance Diary Choreography: Amy Slater Music credit: Sound Score by Amy Slater Dancer: Amy Slater ❋❋❋
Danses sur la Terre Choreography: Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez Music: Olafur Arnalds, René Aubry Dancers: Shannon Quirk, Sarah Minton, Lily Edgar, Sun Yu-Jhe, Alex Vrba Costumes: Karen Brown-Larimore, Amy Panganiban ❋❋❋
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Les Petit Rats: Marie was real Choreography: Marlene Skog Composer Musician: Timothy Russell Dance Artist, soloist: Liz Sexe Costume Design: Amy Panganiban Program Notes: I’m delighted to be working with Liz, Tim and Amy on this project! The work is supported by the UW-Madison Graduate School Research Fund.
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Polyphonic Choreography: Aubry Dalley Music: “Florescent Dream” by R Beny, “Almost Idyllic” by Sleeping at Last, “Epilogue” by Ólafur Arnalds Dancers: Nicole Golownia and Caitlyn Lamdin
Program Note: Polyphony is a musical term referring to two melodies that are harmonious when performed simultaneously. The melodies can exist as independent solos and also fit together as a duet without one dominating the other or relying on a cause and effect relationship. Similarly, some of our most stretching experiences become companions alongside other melodies of growth and fulfillment. Are loss, grief, and trauma required to enjoy the effect of these other melodies? Does heartache cause joy?
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Production Team
James Vogel (Lighting & Sound) Aubry Dalley (Org. Committee) Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez (Org. Committee) Alyssa Jendusa (Org. Committee) Erica Pinigis (Graphic Design/Org. Committee) Amy Slater (Org. Committee) Paolo Desiati (Volunteer) Tania Tandias (Volunteer) Marlene Skog (Volunteer)
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Coming this summer....
Shifting Gears 2022 Labor Day September 5, 2022 www.isthmusdancecollective.org/shifting-gears
Interested in helping? There are several ways in which you can become part of our community and help our mission.
Volunteers Contact us for ways to volunteer.
info@isthmusdancecollective.org (608) 405-8020
Become a Sponsor Become part of our community by becoming a sponsor or by giving individual donations
https://www.isthmusdancecollective.org/contribute
During the month of June, IDC will be a Community Cocktail Partner at Gib's on Willy St!
http://www.gibs.bar/ Whenever you order a Community Cocktail during the month of June, proceeds will to go to support the Isthmus Dance Collective