2019 Rise and Resist - Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Our warmest regards to you all: Throughout the 49-year history of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, it has always been a significant part of our vision to preserve the iconic legacy of great African-American choreographers while offering a voice to the most innovative of our young choreographers, creating concerts that are welcoming to both the veteran dance enthusiast and those experiencing American modern dance for the first time. As we begin preparations for our upcoming 50th Anniversary Season, we’re delighted to bring this extraordinary concert to the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, where from its inception until his retirement, my father Jonathon “JP” Parker was facility director. We certainly feel his blessing – on our organization and on this beautiful theatre.

“Rise and Resist” exemplifies that vision, with works by two of the most honored American choreographers of the 20th Century, Donald McKayle and Talley Beatty, contrasting brilliantly with the innovative movement vocabulary of Micaela Taylor, named as one of Dance Magazine’s “2019 25 To Watch”. In perfect balance between the iconic and the innovative is the re-staging of my newest work, “The MOVE/ment”, along with Jeffrey Page’s “Star of the Show.”

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is proud to hold more of Donald McKayle’s works in our repertoire than any other company in the world. In keeping with his wishes and those of the McKayle Trust (Lea Vivante and Dennis Nahat), we were deeply honored to acquire his final work, “Crossing the Rubicon: Passing the Point of No Return” which premiered in February 2017 when it was set on the Etude Ensemble at the University of California, Irvine. We also hold two legacy works by the incomparable Talley Beatty. In addition to his stunning final work “Ellingtonia” we have now acquired his powerful male solo “Mourners Bench” from the Talley Beatty Estate with Ms. Joan Myers Brown of Philadanco endorsing the preservation of this legacy work and Ms. Kim Y. Bears-Bailey serving as the repetiteur, through the support of the American Dance Festival.

In counter-point to these works is “Resist” by LA based, 25-year-old Micaela Taylor.

Commissioned by the American Dance Festival specifically for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, with support from the Doris Duke /SHS Foundations Award for New Works, this work had its world premiere at the American Dance Festival in July of this year. Ms. Taylor’s movement vocabulary blends hip-hop, ballet, and modern into her own unique interpretation of current social issues.

My own newest work “The MOVE/ment” premiered in Spring, 2019 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House as part of “Tour De Force”, a collaborative concert (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, the Colorado Ballet, and Wonderbound) bringing together a diversity of dancers in both culture and genre, to create a work reflective of the historic Civil Rights Movement, allowing the dancers to develop their own voices, in recognition of social change that is yet to come. We have re-staged the work for “Rise and Resist” utilizing both the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and Cleo II (our second company).

Jeffrey Page’s “Star of the Show” explores James Brown’s life from a perspective far different than the general public perception, delving into Brown’s deep emotional and psychological scars stemming from his entering life as a still-born and experiencing numerous child-hood traumas that had a permanent impact on his entire adult life.

This has truly been both an iconic and innovative year for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, as well.

Our 10th Annual “Dancing with the Denver Stars!” Gala in August saw a diversity of Denver’s business and community leaders perform in support of our goals, enabling us to further our educational and outreach programming, and fund scholarships for a significant percentage of our year-round Academy’s enrollment. Through support from SCFD and other agencies and sponsors, CPRD’s Arts and Education programming works with over 16,000 children in 80 metro-area schools, as well as educational and community facilities nation-wide.

Our very first Creative Academy and Choreography Workshop, along with our 25th Annual International Summer Dance Institute (ISDI), the region’s finest summer intensive program, brought master teachers and dedicated students together for a total of seven weeks of dance immersion, culminating in the 10th Mile-High Dance Festival in our amphitheater. Visit www.cleoparkerdance.org for updates on the 2020 ISDI schedule and Mile-High Dance Festival. Don’t forget - our year-round Academy of Dance offers exceptional training for students of all ages and abilities. From Ballet to Zumba – it’s simply a case of finding your own way to move!

We had the enormous privilege of touring earlier in the year to Bogota, Columbia where we spent a week performing and conducting workshops with area students. A highlight of our touring season was the American Dance Festival (ADF) in July, receiving standing ovations for each of three stellar performances and rave reviews from the critics.

This year has seen our Executive Director, Malik Robinson, named as chair of DanceUSA, which is even more exciting as we prepare for the 2020 DanceUSA Conference to take place June 17 – 20, 2020 right here in Denver! Under Malik’s leadership, we are also proud to announce we are one of only 20 recipients of a National Dance Project Grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts. Our grant will help support the creation of a new work, The Four Journeys, in collaboration with Amalia Viviana Basanta Hernandez artistic director of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico in Mexico City.

Of course, as you’re all aware, the Holidays are soon with us – and we’re looking forward to seeing you all at the 28th Anniversary Season of “Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum”, presented in our own beautifully renovated theatre in our historic Five Points home!

We hope you’ll all visit our website at www.cleoparkerdance.org to keep up to date on all of the exciting events that will be part of our 50th Anniversary Season! You won’t want to miss a thing!

As you join us tonight in celebration of both the iconic and the innovative, we hope that each of you will ponder those same elements within your own lives and stories – told through the legacy of your own families’ generations and the creativity of those generations yet to come.

In the Spirit of Dance,

CLEO PARKER ROBINSON Founder / Artistic Director / Choreographer / Producer CLEO PARKER ROBINSON is founder and artistic director of the 49-year-old Denver-based artistic institution, CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE (CPRD), leading a professional Ensemble, a second company (Cleo II), a Youth Ensemble, an Academy of Dance, an International Summer Dance Institute, a 240-seat theatre which bears her name, and numerous community outreach programs throughout Colorado. She is the recipient of honors and awards from corporate, civic, community, and artistic entities world-wide, and is continually called upon by a myriad of organizations and performance venues to bring her Ensemble for performances, teaching residencies and motivational workshops. A master teacher/choreographer and cultural ambassador, she and her Ensemble have performed nationwide and internationally throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and the African continent, with their most recent international tour taking them to Bogota, Colombia in the Spring of 2019.

Ms. Parker Robinson’s numerous awards and honors include the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence (1974), Denver Mayor’s Award (1979), induction into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (1989) and the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame (1994). Recognized in Who’s Who in America Colleges and Universities she holds an Honorary Doctorate from Denver University (1991), an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Colorado College (2003), and an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Regis University in Denver (2008).

In 1991, Ms. Parker served on the task force for the creation of a permanent location for the Denver School of the Arts (DSA), Denver’s first performing arts magnet school, and was subsequently honored In September 2017 at their 7th Annual Fall Gala, in recognition of her long-term commitment to excellence in arts education.

In 2011, Ms. Parker Robinson was voted an Honorary Lifetime Trustee of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, in recognition of her longtime commitment and lasting impact on the Center. Most recently, in June 2017, she became the recipient of the highly prestigious DanceUSA Honor Award and in September 2017, the Randy Weeks Arts Leadership Award from the Denver School of the Arts.

Ms. Robinson has served on NEA panels on Dance, Expansion Arts, Arts America, and Inter-Arts panels for the USIS. Ms. Robinson is a regular panelist for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts as well as other national task forces, boards and committees in the arts arena. In April 1999, she was appointed by former President William Jefferson Clinton, and confirmed by the Senate, to serve for four years on the National Council on the Arts, a 14-member panel that advises the Chairman of the NEA on agency policy and programs, and reviews and makes recommendations to the Chairman on grant applications.

In 2011 and 2012, Ms. Parker Robinson returned to her greatest passion, the art of the choreographer, creating and presenting two new full-length works, “Dreamcatchers: The Untold Stories of the Americas” and the riveting world premiere of her “Romeo and Juliet”, which was first presented in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Her recent work “On the Edge… Reaching to Higher Ground” premiered in October of 2014 in answer to resurging racial and human rights infractions both nationally and internationally. In Spring 2017, audiences were thrilled to view the re-staging of two of her timeless works that meld the worlds of classical and jazz composition with the power, passion and beauty of modern dance – “Romeo and Juliet” and “Porgy and Bess”, and Fall 2017 saw the premiere of her “Copacetic: A Tribute to Jonathon “JP” Parker, honoring her father. In the Spring of 2018, she premiered “Lark Ascending” in collaboration with the Boulder Philharmonic. Her “Rhapsody in Black”, created in collaboration with CPRD Associate Artistic Director, Winifred R. Harris, premiered as part of the Ensemble’s Fall 2018 concert at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver. In January 2019, in collaboration with the Denver Brass, she choreographed an innovative interpretation of Bernstein’s “On the Town” and Spring 2019 saw the premiere of her collaboration with the Colorado Ballet, entitled “The MOVE/ment” as part of the Tour de Force performance series at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Her most recent choreographic project brought her to UMKC in Kansas City to set a work on the students of CPRDE alum Gary Abbot, entitled “Check Cashing Day” in tribute to the jazz genius of Bobby Watson and Milt Abel.

Cleo Parker Robinson continues to be dedicated to celebrating the human experience and potential through the Arts and Education. Her life-long vision of “One Spirit, Many Voices” remains strong and steadfast, expanding to welcome, embrace, and sustain all people.

Currently celebrating its 49th Anniversary Season, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is an international, cross-cultural, dance-arts and educational institution rooted in African- American traditions and the Diaspora, dedicated to excellence in instruction, performances and community programming for inter-generational students, artists, and audiences. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is guided by the vision of dance as a universal language of movement - celebrating performance, individual expression, healing and peace - thereby transforming the world into a sanctuary which transcends boundaries of culture, class and age. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is committed to honoring diversity and inclusiveness throughout the global community.

CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE Located in Denver’s Historic Five Points District 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, Colorado 80205 Ph # 303 295 1759 | Fx # 303 295 1328 | www.cleoparkerdance.org

CLEO PARKER ROBINSON ACADEMY OF DANCE Amelia Dietz 303 295 1759 x16 / Amelia@cleoparkerdance.org EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH Shelby Jarosz 303 295 1759 x10 / Shelby@cleoparkerdance.org CLEO PARKER ROBINSON FACILITY RENTALS Trey Grimes 303 295 1759 x11 / Trey@cleoparkerdance.org BOOKINGS and TOURING Mary Hart 303 295 1759 x20 / Mary@cleoparkerdance.org DEVELOPMENT Hillary Harding 303 295 1759 x12 / Hillary@cleoparkerdance.org

Cleo Parker Robinson

Founder / Artistic Director / Producer / Director / Choreographer

Winifred R. Harris

Associate Artistic Director / Choreographer

Chloe Abel

Ensemble Rehearsal Director

Rhetta Shead

Production Director

Garrett Glass

Newman Center Assistant Director Production Services

Zach Jovanovich

Newman Center, Stage Operations Coordinator

Shakeel Wahab

Newman Center, Stage Operations Coordinator

Trey “Trezie� Grimes

CPRD Technical Director / Lighting and Audio/Video Design

Davry Ratcliffe

Props Master

Alex J. Gordon

Costume Design

Ralaya Goshea

Wardrobe Mistress

Zach Reese

Marketing Manager

Richard Jividen/ TEN2design

Poster Design

Jody Gilbert

Playbill Design

Mary Hart

Playbill Design

Stan Obert

CPRD Photographer

David Andrews

CPRD Videographer

AD M I N IST R AT I O N

Cleo Parker Robinson Founder / Artistic Director

Malik Robinson Executive Director

Rhetta Shead Director of Administration

Hillary Harding Director of Development

Shelby Jarosz Senior Director of Programs and Education

Winifred R. Harris Associate Artistic Director

Chloe Abel Ensemble Rehearsal Director

Cedric D. Hall Cleo II Rehearsal Director

Mary Hart Director of Bookings and Touring

Trey Grimes Theatre and Technical Director

Amelia Dietz Academy Director

Zach Reese Marketing Manager

Heather Sullivan Administrative Assistant

Victoria Shead Assistant Academy Administrator

Lauren E. Smith Assistant Academy Administrator Pat Smith (OnTarget Public Relations) Marketing and Public Relations Contractor B OAR D O F DI R E C TO R S

Gwen Brewer Chair

Cleo Parker Robinson * Founder /Executive Artistic Director

Tyrone Gant Treasurer

Debbie Herrera Vice Chair Shale Wong Vice Chair

Josett Valdez Secretary Jehan Benton-Clark, Tim Davis, Hon. Crisanta Duran, Angela Norris Hawkins, Demesha Hill, Lisa Hogan, Matthew Keeney, Tony Price, Maria Supulveda, Shelley Thompson, Alfred Walker, Jennifer Wozniak E M E R I T US B OAR D O F DI R E C TO R S Judge Raymond Dean Jones J.D.* Chairman Emeritus Chelsye J. Burrows, Michael Donegan, Kevin Fallon, Les Franklin, Helen Franzgrote, Marceline Freeman, Rosalind “Bee” Harris, Eric Hughes, Renee Hurley, Henry Lowenstein, Nancy McClosky, Dawn Nakamura-Kessler, Edmond “Buddy” Noel *, Schyleen Qualls Brown *, Tom Robinson *, John Wagner, Lester Ward, Faye & Reggie Washington * Founding members of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Board of Directors

RESIST Cleo Parker Robinson Dance / American Dance Festival World Premiere July 2019 Commissioned by the American Dance Festival, with support from the Doris Duke /SHS Foundations Award for New Works The work focuses on effort, and resistance against fear. With every new chapter and discovery of life, you must overcome, resisting the fear that will try to hold you back from moving forward.

Micaela Taylor Choreographer’s Assistant Music Costumes Lighting Design Dancers

– Micaela Taylor

Choregrapher Matt Luck BeeGees, Max Richter, Wild Cherry (Edited mix by Micaela Taylor) Alex J. Gordon Trey Grimes Chloe Abel, Jasmine Francisco, Alex J. Gordon, Ralaya S. Goshea, Yoojung Hahm, Samiyah Lynnice, John e. Roberts

Micaela Taylor is a dancer/teacher/choreographer who first trained at the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet and Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and subsequently graduated in 2014 from Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Dance. Having performed with Ate9 Dance Company, Zoe Scofield, Camille A. Brown, Kate Wallich, and BODYTRAFFIC, her choreographic passion led her to found Los Angeles based contemporary dance company, The TL Collective, in 2016.

Her individual movement vocabulary of Hip Hop combined with contemporary techniques has created a new style best described as Contemporary/Pop. Concurrent to the launch of The TL Collective, Taylor was commissioned to choreograph and teach by LA Contemporary Dance Company, AMDA College, Springboard Danse Montreal, MoveNYC, Cal State Long Beach, and Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre.

Her work has been presented by Gelsey Kirkland Performing Arts Center, ACE Hotel, Raymond Kabaaz Theatre, Grand Performances, and Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. She received the Inaugural EMERGE Choreographic Award and a commission from the American Dance Festival to set her work “Resist” on the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She has been named one of Dance Magazine’s “2019 25 to Watch.”

THE MOVE/ment (WORLD PREMIERE 2019) This incredible opportunity brings together a diversity of dancers, in both culture and genre, creating a work reflective of these powerful times in our community and the world. The arts have always been a powerful catalyst for positive social transformation.

My challenge, as the choreographer, has been to awaken my personal memories of the Civil Rights Movement, while finding new ways for the dancers to develop their own voices, in recognition of social change that is yet to come.

When my Ensemble performed In Montgomery, AL in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, I was inspired by his words “We have no other choice but to keep moving with determination. We’ve gone too far now to turn back. We can change the world with non-violence.”

Artistic Director/Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson Associate Artistic Director Winifred R. Harris Executive Director Malik Robinson Ensemble Rehearsal Director Chloe Abel Lighting Designer Lloyd Sobel CPRD Technical Director Trey Grimes Audio Assistants Jessica Horton, Cedric D. Hall Costume Designers Shirin Lankarani^, Alex J. Gordon Costume Assistant Ralaya S. Goshea Vocals and Spoken Word Cleo Parker Robinson and the Ensemble The Ensemble Edgar Aguirre, Jasmine Francisco, Alex J. Gordon, YooJung Hahm,

Tyveze Littlejohn, Samiyah Lynece, Gabby Maduro*, Martez McKinzy+,

Davry Ratcliffe, John e. Roberts, Topaz D. Von Wood*

*Cleo II | +Guest Performer | ^Colorado Ballet

I Turbulent Times Music

“Tears for Johannesburg” Max Roach

II Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round Music

“Wade In the Water” Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me “Round

III Father to Son: A Change Is Gonna Come Music “A Change Is Gonna Come” Brian Owens and Thomas Owens The Father John e. Roberts The Son Alex J. Gordon The Men Edgar Aguirre, Tyveze Littlejohn, Davry Ratcliffe IV Healing Waters Music

“By the Waters of Babylon” Bettye Miller and Milt Abel

V We Rise Music VI Dream the Dream Music Solo The Women

“We Rise” Groove Junkies, Opolopo & Solara “I Dream a Dream” Aretha Franklin Ralaya S. Goshea / Samiyah Lynnice Chloe Abel, Jasmine Francisco, YooJung Hahm, Samiyah Lynnice

10 MINUTE INTERMISSION

MOURNER’S BENCH

(EXCERPT FROM “SOUTHERN LANDSCAPE”) WORLD PREMIERE 1947 / CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE PREMIERE 2019 This powerful solo from Talley Beatty’s five-part work, refers to the annihilation by the Ku Klux Klan of a mixed-race farming community in the rural South during Reconstruction.

The dancer, sitting on the mourner’s bench, has recovered the body of a loved one from the devastated fields after the slaughter, and reflects upon the death of his community, the horror of its ending, and the struggle to sustain hope and strength.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance thanks the Talley Beatty Estate, Philadanco, and Ms. Joan Myers Brown for enabling us to preserve this legacy work.

Choreographer Interpreteur Music Original Lighting Design Costume Design Original Costume Execution Lighting Adaptation Bench Carpentry Dancer

Talley Beatty Kim Y. Bears-Bailey Traditional Spiritual “There Is a Balm in Gilead” William H. Grant, III Talley Beatty Jolea Maffei (Costumes on loan from Philadanco) Trey Grimes Nick Diaz Tyveze Littlejohn

Talley Beatty (December 1918 – April 1995) Born near Shreveport, LA. Mr. Beatty grew up in

Chicago, Illinois. An iconic African-American choreographer, dancer, educator, and company director who initially studied under Katherine Dunham and Martha Graham, he left the Dunham company in 1946 to continue his studies in New York City. As an African-American, he was forced to attend ballet classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio.

His self-described style is “a mixture of Graham connective steps, Dunham technique, and a little ballet with Louisiana hot sauce on it”, while his choreography has been described as “fast, exuberant, [and] explosive”.

Critic Margaret Lloyd once wrote that she found his leaps “phenomenal, a sort of universal wish fulfillment to navigate the air”. Throughout a career that encompassed the Broadway stage, film, and nightclubs, he continued to do solo work and choreograph, creating over 50 significant works focusing on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African-Americans.

5 minute pause

STAR OF THE SHOW

(Cleo Parker Robinson Dance World Premiere 2013) “When he arrived, he was motionless and quiet. Susie wept, but his aunt Minnie refused to give up, blowing strong breath into his lungs until, after infinite minutes, he came to life. …had [only] few memories of his mother from his early years…

One good thing about believing you were born dead is you come to feel nothing can kill you. …his relationship with women, and the abuse, stemmed from his possessiveness and the [perpetual] dread of being left...

The specific irony for Brown was that he could never coast and feel the love the way a legacy act is supposed to. He was still convinced that he had to win people over with an exhibition that exhausted him. He could see no laurels to rest on…

The tour continued a looped groove unto itself. He did it because it was what he did. He’d done this most of his life, and if he stopped now his life would, too “He was a very lonely person,” said Emma Austin, who had grown up in the Terry. “And in his loneliness, there was only one thing that relieved him. And that was, when he got on stage before a big crowd.”

Excerpts from “The One” by RJ Smith Choreographer and Concept Music

Music Editing Assistant Choreographers James Brown The Mother The Aunt The Father Duet Dancers

Jeffrey Page James Brown Raphael Xavier Cat Foster / Mecca Madyun Davry Ratcliffe Chloe-Grant Abel Ralaya Goshea John e. Roberts YooJung Hahm and Tyveze Littlejohn Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble

Jeffrey Page (Choreographer) Growing up in Indianapolis, Mr. Page’s dance journey began when he was “tricked” into joining his first African dance class. He later attended Broad Ripple Performing Arts High School, where he founded a youth company, Dance Afrique. He later served as Artistic director of an adult troupe, Omo’ Arrah, and by age 15, made his first passage to Africa with the Cultural Arts Safari.

Graduating with honors from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he has returned often to West Africa, conducting research into traditional dance and ancestral music. His first foray on Broadway was in the Tony Award Winning musical FELA! He was voted one of TheRoot.com “Top 100,” recognizing extraordinary contributions to dance, was named “Broadway Hottie” of the year on Broadwayspace.com, and has graced the pages of Vogue, Out, Sister 2 Sister and Dance Spirit Magazine while penning blogs for Dance Magazine and The Huffington Post.

He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his choreography on the 2005 NAACP Image Awards, featuring the cast of the documentary Rize, and received an Emmy nod for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s opening number at the 2005 BET Awards, and has served as resident choreographer on FOX Network’s So You Think You Can Dance.

Recently awarded a Fund for New Work grant by Harlem Stage, he also received the Arts Leadership Award bestowed by C.L.I.M.B.(Creating Leaders in Mind and Body) and was selected as a winner in the New Edge program for emerging artists of the Community Education Center of Philadelphia.

15 minute intermission

CROSSING THE RUBICON, PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN

World Premiere Feb 23, 2017 / Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Premiere Sept 21, 22, 2019 “CROSSING THE RUBICON, Passing the Point of No Return” follows the current plight of refugees and their experiences, struggles, and fears.

It is meant to remind us that even as these people flee from crimes against humanity, they remain human beings; aching from loss, fearing the unknown finding tender moments in the chaos of fleeing, and banding together as a collective to help one another.

Donald McKayle Choreographer Donald McKayle Repetiteur

Stephanie Powell Music Anoushka Shankar Original Costume Design Kathryn Wilson Costume Adaptation Alex J. Gordon Original Lighting Design Kenneth Keith Lighting Adaptation Trey Grimes The Couple Yoojung Hahm and Tyveze Littlejohn The People Edgar Aguirre, Chloe Abel, Alyssa Baker*, Jasmine Francisco,

Alex J. Gordon, Ralaya S. Goshea, Imajin Lias*, Samiyah Lynece, Gabby Maduro*,

Martez McKinzy+, Tianna Morton*, Davry Ratcliffe, John e. Roberts, Topaz D. Von Wood*

Donald McKayle (July 1930 – April 2018) had a distinguished career which spanned

choreography, direction, writing, education, and performance in dance, theater, film, recordings, and television. Some of his iconic works; Games, Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder, District Storyville, and Songs of the Disinherited, were first performed by Donald McKayle and Company in New York, and later by the Inner-City Repertory Dance Company of Los Angeles.

Many of these are being performed anew by dance companies around the United States as part of the American Dance Festival’s prestigious program, “The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance.” Mr. McKayle’s choreography and direction for Broadway (most notably as the choreographer for Raisin and Golden Boy), television, and films, has been honored by five Tony

nominations, an Outer Critics Circle Award, the NAACP Image Award, an Emmy nomination, a Los Angeles Drama Logue Award, and a Golden Eagle award.

In April 2005, he was honored at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and presented with a medal as a Master of African American Choreography. There are more than 50 concert dance works to his credit, and ten retrospectives have honored his work. He was one of the first black dancers and choreographers to establish a hold in modern dance as we know it today, an experience that helped to develop the wryly distanced humanism that distinguished him as a teacher and mentor.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is honored and proud to hold more of Mr. McKayle’s works in its repertoire than any other company. We feel deeply blessed to hold his final two works as his last gift to the world dance community.

Acquisition of these final two works would not have been possible without the dedication and support of Ms. Lea Vivante (Mr. McKayle’s beloved wife), Mr. Dennis Nahat, and the McKayle Estate.

Program selection, order, and casting are subject to change without prior notice.

During this performance, the use of any type of audio or video recording equipment (including cell phones and tablets) is strictly prohibited without prior written notice from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and/or The Newman Center for the Performing Arts. Failure to comply with these restrictions may result in loss of both the recordings and the equipment.

Winifred R. Harris (Associate Artistic Director)

Ms. Harris, choreographer, artist, teacher and community activist, has created a significant body of work with a strong balance of technical prowess and gestural expression. Having trained under Cleo Parker Robinson, she danced professionally for ten years with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble before moving on to Dallas Black Dance Theater and a solo stint in New York and abroad. In October 1991, she relocated to Los Angeles, CA, founding her own award-nominated contemporary modern dance company. In recognition of her dedication and commitment to underprivileged youth, Ms. Harris received several awards from the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles for her teaching efforts within that community.

Having served on faculty at various universities and studios nationwide, including Cal Arts (her alma mater), Cal State Los Angeles and Spelman College, she returned to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in 2010 as Ensemble Rehearsal Director and became Associate Artistic Director in 2014.

Chloe Able (Rehearsal Director)

A Kansas City native, Ms. Abel trained for twelve years under full scholarship at the Kansas City Ballet School. She studied in New York at the Ailey School as a Fellowship recipient, and received her BFA in Dance, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her professional career includes performances with Quixotic Performance Fusion, the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, the Owen/Cox Dance Group, and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company. Ms. Abel is now in her eighth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and is also Rehearsal Director for the Ensemble.

Theresa Berger Moore

Originally from Ankeny, IA, Ms. Berger Moore, under the direction of Nancy Moore Overturff, studied and performed with the Iowa Dance Theatre and the Performing Edge, Moore Dance’s pre-professional company. With a BFA in Dance from the University of Iowa, she moved to Denver where she danced with both Kim Robards Dance and Moraporvida Contemporary Dance. This is now her fourth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

Jasmine Francisco

A native of Houston, TX, Ms. Francisco attended Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensives in Houston and Los Angeles, and Joffrey Ballet Jazz Summer Intensives in New York and Miami. She received her B.F.A. with a concentration in Modern Dance from Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts. While there, she trained with numerous master teachers, performed works by Garfield Lemonius and Troy Powell, and understudied Jessica Lang. Her choreographic work “Tales of Courage” was presented at The American College Dance Association conference in 2015. After two seasons with Lula Washington Dance Theatre in Los Angeles, Ms. Francisco joins Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble for her second season and serves on faculty with the Cleo Parker Robinson Academy of Dance.

Alex J. Gordon

A Beaumont, TX native, Mr. Gordon first trained at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving his BA in architecture with a minor in modern dance. During college, he joined The Slaughter Project Dance company, guesting with numerous Saint Louis based companies. After attending the American Dance Festival on scholarship, he joined The Missouri Contemporary Ballet in Columbia, also becoming their resident costume designer. Guesting as a dancer and designer for Deeply Rooted Young Choreographers Showcase, he then moved to Chicago to join Thodos Dance Chicago, becoming resident designer for the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. While there, Mr. Gordon costumed for numerous companies including Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and Chicago Academy for the Arts, and taught for Ballet Chicago, Glenwood Dance Studios and The Boys & Girls Club.

This is Mr. Gordon’s third season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble where he also serves as one of the company’s costumers.

Ralaya S. Goshea

Born in Detroit, Ms. Goshea trained at the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts and Oakland University, receiving her BFA. She has performed with the Brown Dance Project, Patterson Rhythm and Pace, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, SMAGDance Company and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC). After being a member of Cleo II and an apprentice to the Ensemble, she is now in her seventh season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

YooJung Hahm

Born in Seoul, Korea, Ms. Hahm first trained with the Muyoungnara academy in Ilsan, Korea, and later with the Seoul Arts High School and the Korea National University of Arts. Near the conclusion of her KNUA studies, she received a scholarship from Alvin Ailey in NYC through her performances at the Seoul International Dance Competition. After graduation she moved to Manhattan, training in Horton technique for a year at the Ailey Dance School. She also performed at LAUNCH:10 with the North West Dance Project in Portland. This is Ms. Hahm’s fourth season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

Tyveze Littlejohn

A graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, FL, Mr. Littlejohn toured throughout Mexico with Ballet Eddy Toussaint de Montreal. He subsequently joined the Lexington Ballet in Kentucky, dancing leading roles in “Giselle” and “The Nutcracker”. While dancing in Nicaragua’s International Ballet Gala, he also worked extensively with disabled children. In 2015, he joined Ballet Palm Beach, dancing the title role in “Gatsby”. Having been an apprentice to the Ensemble, he now joins Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for his second season as a member of the Ensemble.

Samiyah Lynnice

A Florida native, Ms. Lynnice began her training at the Academy of Ballet Arts and Artz 4 Life Academy, Inc. in Tampa Bay. A graduate of New World School of the Arts, she received her Bachelor in Fine Arts from The Hartt School in Hartford, CT. She toured nationally as a principle dancer with DunDu Dole West African Ballet and starred in the Chocolate Nutcracker as ‘Claire’ and ‘The Dream Princess”. She has performed works by master choreographers including Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Doug Varone, and Darrell Grand Moultrie, and attended summer workshops with Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, RIOULT, and White Mountain Dance Festival. This is Ms. Lynnice’s second season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and as a faculty member with the Cleo Parker Robinson Academy of Dance.

Davry Ratcliffe

A Columbus, OH native, Mr. Ratcliffe first trained at Fort Hayes Performing Arts MEC under Marva “China” White (Dance Theatre of Harlem) in the Pre-Professional program. Involved in numerous productions, he has worked with renowned choreographers including Laurieanne Gibson, Gil Dudilduo, and several of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” competitors. He spent a season with the Dayton Contemporary Dance 2nd company, while shaping a non-profit company to advance professional development and community outreach through hip hop culture. After two seasons with Cleo II, he is now in his fifth season as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and on faculty with the Cleo Parker Robinson Academy of Dance.

John e. Roberts

A St. Louis native, Mr. Roberts first trained at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), graduating with a BFA from the University of Missouri KansasCity (UMKC) Conservatory with an emphasis in Dance Performance and Choreography. His training includes studies with Antonio Douthit -Boyd, Alicia Graf-Mack, and Kirven Douthit-Boyd (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre), Christopher Page-Sanders (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and Nu-World Contemporary Danse Company), Rolando Yaines (Milwaukee Ballet), Jessica Taylor (DAMAGED Dance Company), Alonzo King (LINES Ballet Company), and Gary Abbott (Deeply Rooted Dance Theater). Mr. Roberts performed with Ballet Eclectica and COCADance and participated in numerous musical theater performances at COCA through the FOX Charitable Foundation.

This is Mr. Roberts third season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and his first year as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Academy of Dance faculty.

John e. Roberts

A St. Louis native, Mr. Roberts first trained at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), graduating with a BFA from the University of Missouri KansasCity (UMKC) Conservatory with an emphasis in Dance Performance and Choreography. His training includes studies with Antonio Douthit-Boyd, Alicia Graf-Mack, and Kirven Douthit-Boyd (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre), Christopher Page-Sanders (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and Nu-World Contemporary Danse Company), Rolando Yaines (Milwaukee Ballet), Jessica Taylor (DAMAGED Dance Company), Alonzo King (LINES Ballet Company), and Gary Abbott (Deeply Rooted Dance Theater). Mr. Roberts performed with Ballet Eclectica and COCADance and participated in numerous musical theater performances at COCA through the FOX Charitable Foundation. This is Mr. Roberts third season with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and his first year as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Academy of Dance faculty.

Edgar Aguirre

(Apprentice to the Ensemble) Originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala, Mr. Aguirre has lived primarily in the Bay Area, Northern California.

During his concert dance training at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) he choreographed and performed in numerous student and faculty concerts. Some of his most memorable performance experiences include international concerts and festivals in Scotland, Italy and China.

He traveled to Panama with the non-profit organization, Movement Exchange, to teach dance at various orphanages and the repertory of the iconic Donald McKayle at La Universidad de Panamå. He is extremely proud of having danced with Mr. McKayle’s Etude Ensemble from 2016 until his passing in 2018. Mr. Aguirre received the Donald McKayle Scholarship in 2019, graduating with a BFA In Dance Performance from UCI that same year. He is now in his first season as an apprentice with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

Martez McKinzy

(Guest Performer) Originally from Kansas City, MO, Mr. McKinzy studied with Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey under the direction of Tyrone Aiken. Having been a member of Cleo II, an apprentice to the company, and a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble for three seasons, Mr. McKinzy is currently guesting with the Ensemble.

CLEO II

Alyssa Baker, Lauren C Smith, Imajin Lias, Tianna Morton, Topaz D. Von Wood, Kathryn Wallace, Gabby Maduro

Special Thanks

to the Ensemble, Cleo II, Board of Directors, Sponsors, Education Partners, Administrative & Technical Staff, Faculty, Students, Parents, & Volunteers of CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE and the Administrative and Technical Staff of the NEWMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

We also thank the following for their extraordinary support of this production.

Kim Bears-Bailey The Talley Beatty Estate Marilyn Benson Pat Brooks Colorado High School Activities Association (Tom Robinson) The Denver Post Community Denver Public Schools 5 Points News (Brother Jeff Fard) Marceline Freeman (In memoriam) Robertta Freeman (In memoriam) Abuelita Olga Gonzalez (In memoriam) Kenneth Keith KUVO Jazz The McKayle Trust (Lea Vivante, Dennis Nahat)

National Endowment for the Arts Jonathon “JP” Parker (In memoriam) Martha Parker (In memoriam) Reina Parker and Family Philadanco (Joan Myers Brown) Malik and Vianey Robinson The Robinson Family Rocky Mountain Public Media Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Rhetta and Kenny Shead Ron Thornton (In memoriam) The Urban Spectrum (Bee Harris) Leslie Sue Parker Wallace James Wallace (In memoriam) Letitia Williams