2023 SPRING DANCE CONCERT VITALITY
Concert Director | CHRISTINA MCCARTHY
Costume Designer | ORAN BUMROONGCHART
Production Lighting Design | MICHAEL KLAERS
Stage Manager | TRINITY WICKLUND
Assistant Stage Manager | KADRIK BLATT
The 2022-2023 season is made possible by the Arnhold Endowed Theater and Dance Production Fund and the Jody and John Arnhold Endowed Director of Performance Fund
For full program information, scan:
PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
cíclico | Choreography: Monique Mercedes Meunier
Music: Max Richter
Costumes: Elizabeth Barreto
Dancers: Guest Artists Jasmine Perry and Fabrice Calmels
Program Note: This piece will only be performed on Thursday April 13 and Friday April 14.
SACRED HEART | Choreography: Nina Lopez
Music: Our Love by Emile Mosseri, Agape by Nicholas Britell, Sweet Disposition (String Quartet) by Stringspace
Dancers: Elisa Castillo, Marta Cremonini, Annalise Evans, Georgia Goldsmith, Caroline Kim, Linn Molin, Chloe Swoiskin
LATRODECTISM | Choreography: Madeline Josa
Music: The Guns of Brixton by The Clash, Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones, and People Are Strange by The Doors
Dancers: Milana Beck, Delila Bertelsen, Taytum Cameron, Zorah Chappel, Emma Isroelit, Tess Lethen, Jayne Romero
IN FLUX | Choreography: Jessie Chin
Music: Pareidolia by Slow Meadow, Marazion (50.127932, -5.474548) by KEYNVOR, Sebastian Plano
Dancers: Margot Johnson, Ava Markovich, Madelyn Minami, Reese Overlock, Sky Pasqual, Audrey Perry, Vanessa Valenzuela
YUANFEN* | Choreography: Mia Griff
*(Chinese) The belief that two or more people are brought together by fate or chance
Costumes: Daniela Granaroli
Music: Yeah Right (Slowed Reverb Instrumental) Original piece by Joji, Remixed by Leah Alam, Vale - Maribou State, Vestal Ave - Han Solo
Dancers: Sophie Berls, Susu Bhaduri, Tiersha Lin, Sophia McLoughlin, Emily McCready, Makayla Milton, Bella Sorokwasz, Katherine Waide
FIFTEEN MINUTE INTERMISSION
LIGHT | Choreography: Christina McCarthy
Costume Design: Christina McCarthy
Music: Steve Reich Mallet Quartet performed by UCSB Percussion
Ensemble under the direction of Jon Nathan
Musicians: Jon Nathan and Ethan Wu - vibraphones; Vineeta Muthuraj and Nina Lim - marimbas
Dancers: Carly Armitage, Gwendolyn Austin, Milana Beck, Taytum Cameron, Zorah Chappel, Sydney Gottlieb, Makayla Milton, Jayne Romero, Chris Sellgren
FORBES 6 (2017) | Choreography: Amanda Tran
Performed by the UCSB Dance Company
Music: Modern Persian Speech Sounds by Omid Walizadeh
Costumes: UCSB Department of Theater/Dance
Lighting Design: Sophie Lynd
Dancers: Clare Agustin, Jazz Hayes, Madeline Josa, Keara Zengel, Leia Zorba
A BEAUTIFUL MESS | Choreography: Emily Eckert
Music: Hearing by Sleeping At Last, Bee by RIOPY, Snow by Fabrizio Paterlini
Dancers: Riley Haley, Emma Hartley, Madelyn Minami, Reese Overlock, Gabrielle Salgado, Gabriela Smith, Skylar Yeung
CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
CHRISTINA MCCARTHY (CONCERT DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER, LIGHT )
SHE/THEY is a multi-disciplinary artist in dance, aerial circus arts, theater, puppetry, film and visual art. Christina danced with Nina Wiener Dance Company and was both a dancer and Assistant Director to Santa Barbara Dance Theater. They teach contemporary dance technique, dance on film, choreography, solo performance generation, puppet making and aerial dance. Christina engages in the department both in theater, where they work in collaboration with directors on choreography for musical theater productions and plays and in dance where they often collaborate with the Music Department on joint dance/music performance projects. Recently, their collaborative work with Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian from UCSB Department of Music, (an innovative full puppet theater staging of the Mozart opera The Magic Flute with live singing and orchestration) was performed as part of NYC Opera For Kids! series in New York. In addition to the puppets created for The Magic Flute production in 2022, their puppets have appeared in State Street Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty, as well as theater productions including Amelie, Peer Gynt, Young Frankenstein, A Perfect Ganesh, Beauty and the Beast, Once Upon a Mattress, La La La Strada, and Big Fish.
MICHAEL KLAERS (PRODUCTION LIGHTING DESIGNER) HE/HIM
regional theatre credits include the Guthrie Theater, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Ensemble Theater Company and more. Michael was the lighting designer for Triple Espresso – A Highly Caffeinated Comedy, which played in 50 cities in the US and Europe. He has been the lighting designer for UCSB’s Santa Barbara Dance Theater since 2014.
ORAN BUMROONGCHART (PRODUCTION COSTUME DESIGNER) HE/
HIM is cuurrently working on costume and set design for Dianne McIntyre’s new piece, Speaking in the Same Tongue, set to premiere this fall at the Walker Center in Minneapolis and tour nationally including stops at Duke University, Karamu House, and the Apollo
Theater. Oran teaches Costume Design at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His design work appears mainly in Dance & Theater and usually involves costumes with the occasional set thrown in. MFA in Design for Stage & Film: New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. BA in Architecture: University of California at Berkeley.
CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES
MONIQUE
MERCEDES MEUNIER (CHOREOGRAPHER, cíclico) SHE/
HER was born in Hollywood, CA. Her father is Cuban and mother is Ecuadorian. As a young girl in Los Angeles, she earned spots in various commercials, music videos, sitcoms, and short films. At the age of 15, she received a full scholarship to attend the School of American Ballet in NYC. Miss Meunier was asked to join the New York City Ballet one year later. In 1996, she was promoted to soloist and reached the rank of principal dancer in 1997. There she performed numerous roles by Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, Wheeldon, and Forsythe, as well as, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. In 2002, Meunier joined American Ballet Theater where she added the classics, Tudor, and Kylian to her repertoire. In 2007, she joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Miss Meunier has staged Balanchine ballets for the Balanchine Trust and has served as rehearsal director for Karole Armitage. In 2010, she became ballet master for Washington Ballet and in 2011 became director of TWB’s Trainee Program and faculty of The School of Washington Ballet. In 2017, she was appointed Associate Professor of ballet at the University of California Santa Barbara. She has also ventured into choreography and has created works for Ballet Nacional del Peru, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet Idaho, St Louis Ballet, and various UCSB performances with guest artists from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Dance Theater of Harlem. Miss Meunier is now highly acclaimed for her teaching and coaching and is a permanent adjudicator for Youth American Grand Prix.
NINA LOPEZ(CHOREOGRAPHER,
SACRED
HEART)SHE/HER is a fourth year student from Palm Springs, California. She expects to graduate
with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the conclusion of the Spring 2023 quarter. Nina had trained extensively in ballet and modern dance prior to university education, and has now gained an increased understanding of these styles and several choreographic principles from her education in the dance department. She produced her first onstage choreographic work (Give You Life, 2022) in the annual Kinetic Lab student showcase in the Spring of 2022. Nina is grateful for her time in the university and eagerly looks forward to applying her knowledge and skillsets in upcoming opportunities post graduation. Her final piece with the department (Sacred Heart) holds a personal and tender significance for her, as she derives inspiration from her Catholic faith and poetic literature that highlights the “belovedness” that each individual inherently possesses.
MADELINE
JOSA
(CHOREOGRAPHER,
LATRODECTISM) SHE/HER is a Dance BFA and History BA double major here at UCSB. She has been dancing for 16 years, training primarily in ballet. Prior to UCSB, Madeline trained at the School of the Sacramento Ballet in the PreProfessional Division. This is her second work to premiere at UCSB, having premiered her first choreographic work, At First Sight, here at UCSB during Kinetic Lab last year.
EMILY ECKERT (CHOREOGRAPHER,
A BEAUTIFUL
MESS)
SHE/HER is in her fourth year at UCSB as a BFA Dance and BA Sociology double major. Originally from Orange County, Emily trained with Festival Ballet Theatre and performed in several of their full-length contemporary ballet productions while additionally exploring commercial dance trajectories. As a member of the UCSB Dance Company, she will take to concert stages in Europe on tour this spring. Emily maintains an interest in the film industry and hopes to combine those endeavors with dance creation and performance.
JESSIE CHIN (CHOREOGRAPHER, IN FLUX
) SHE/HER is a 4th year student at UCSB pursuing a BFA degree in Dance and a BA degree in Communication. She is completing her senior capstone this quarter and is a part of the UCSB Dance Company which will travel to Europe in the Spring. Growing up, she primarily trained in modern, ballet, tap, hip hop, and jazz with a college preparatory company. She is interested in both choreography and performance and is grateful to
have the opportunity to explore both in this program.
MIA GRIFF (CHOREOGRAPHER, YUANFEN) SHE/HER is a fourth year student and a member of UCSB Dance Company currently pursuing her BFA in Dance and her BA in English. She grew up training at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, WA, then later graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts Preparatory Dance Program. She is proud to present the debut of her senior BFA Project, an opportunity she has been looking forward to since her freshman year at UCSB.
AMANDA TRAN
(CHOREOGRAPHER, FORBES 6)
SHE/HER is a Southern California native and a classically trained ballet and modern dancer. Her passion for dance and movement brought her to University of California, Santa Barbara where she completed her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. During her time at UCSB, she performed as an apprentice for Santa Barbara Dance Theater, and was a member of the UCSB Dance Company. Upon graduation, she joined Kybele Dance Theater and performed works at various dance festivals throughout LA county and the US for two years. Amanda found a new love and passion for Pilates and has been teaching for 4 years.
Department of Theater and Dance Donors
Mr. and Mrs. Marc Adelman
Ms. Susan L. Alexander*
Mr. Frank S. Alvarez
Mr. David B. Anderson*
Irwin Appel and Julie K. Fishell
John and Jody Arnhold°
Cynthia and Scott Austin
Joel F. Barsky, D.M.D
Elaine and Todd Bauer
Lisa and Gary Beeson
Ms. Myrna H. Bernard
John and Jill Bishop
Constance S. Brainin, Ph.D.
Ms. Deborah Brevoort
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck A. Burright
Mr. Dan Castellaneta and Ms. Deborah Lacusta
Luiza Yuk Wah and Leland Chan
Ms. Christine Chien
Cynthia and Chris Chin°
Margaret Leonard and Clare Sheils
Toni Corwin
Ms. Lilyan Cuttler and Mr. Bernad Seder
Randee and Ken Devlin Family Foundation
Mr. Michael K. Douglas*°
William Eisenhower
Dr. Amr El Abbadi and Ms. Janet E. Head
Ms. Elizabeth Engelman
Ms. Jordan M. Finley*
Carolyn and James Flanigan
Ms. Juliet Fry and Mr. Steven K. Glikbarg
Mark and Karen Gill
Louis J. Glass
Ms. Amelia Gomez and Jeffry A. Sherbakoff
James and Mary Hahn
Stephen and Anne Hahn-Smith
James Hanway
Noah and Robin Harpster*
Arlene Hutton
Miss Laura B. Isham*
Ms. Sylvia A. Jackson Arreola*
Mr. Stephen E. Jacobsen and Ann E. Erickson*
Mr. Bob Johnson and Ms. Lisa Reich
Charlotte Johnson
Ms. Katya Bloom and Mr. Hugh Martin
Kelly
Ryan and Lydia Kim
James and Debbie Kimball
Benjamin and Laura King*
Bill and Linda Kitchen
Ms. Ada Ko
Julie Ladner
Steven Lafranchi and Natasha Nicholson°
Ronald and Beverlie Latimer
Ms. Barbara Lebow
Mr. Philip A. Levien and Ms. Darlene S. Craviotto-Levien*
Russell and Pamela Lombardo
Thomas Lousen
Mr. Bernard A. Magier
Dr. David Marshall and Dr. Candace J. Waid
Mr. Myles M. Mattenson
Ms. Meredith McMinn*
Karen Meena
Michelle Meena
Joseph Michael and Ruth E. Mercado
Mr. Don M. Minami
Heather Myrick
Thurman and Lucinda Newsome
Ms. Jane C. Novak
Michael Novak
Dr. Donald D. O’Dowd
Nancy Okeefe
On Pointe Dancewear LLC
Dr. Dean N. Pananides*
Dr. Pauline J. Paulin*
Ms. Felicia T. Perez*
Phyllis M. Perez
Ms. Aurora Perry
Dr. Frederick J. Perry*
Mr. Tyler Pon and Ms. Alice I. Youmans
Ms. Carol M. Press and
Dr. Nicholas Tingle*
Mr. Albert L. Reid, Jr.
Todd and Sherry Reinart
Honorable Susan J. Rose
Charles and Gayle Rosenberg
Richard and Cissy Ross
Sister Judith M. Royer*
Dr. Rona J. Sande
Santa Barbara Foundation
Ms. Anne M. Shanto*
Dr. Tonia Shimin and Mr. Steven Eakin
Gregory and Dale Stamos*
Ms. Deborah Steffen*
Mrs. Elizabet L. Tessier*
Ms. Anne Torsiglieri
Bickley Townsend
Mr. Edward F. Underhay°
Victor Gomez Insurance Agency
Mr. Dana White
Jan* & Don O’Dowd Performance Fund
Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, a field of interest fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation
Office of the Dean of the Humanities & Fine Arts
°Donors who have established Endowed Funds to the Department *Alumni of UCSB
If you are interested in making a gift to the Department of Theater and Dance please contact
Leslie Gray, Senior
Director
of Development
LESLIE.GRAY@UCSB.EDU
or visit us on the web at theaterdance.ucsb.edu
Your support makes a difference!
This list notes gifts made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
We apologize for any errors or omissions. Please contact Leslie Gray, Senior Director of Development.
DEPARTMENT OF THEATER AND DANCE
PRODUCTION
Chair / IRWIN APPEL
Vice Chair / VALERIE HUSTON
Director of Perfomance / ANN SHEFFIELD
Director of Dance Perfomance / BRANDON WHITED
Director, BFA Actor Training Program / ANNIE TORSIGLIERI
Production Manager / DANIEL J HERRERA
Technical Director / JACKSON GOLDEN
Theater Production Supervisor; Lighting & Audio / DANNY KELLY
Theater Production Supervisor; Scenery & Props / TAYLOR CANOLES
Costume Shop Manager / DENISE UMLAND
Cutter/Draper / FABLE BARANDIARAN
Senior Scene Technician / SANDARBH TRIPATHI
Community Relations Specialist / KC BULLER
Social Media Specialist / MEGAN BAYTOSH
Lead House Managers / SERAFINA STECHMAN, RONI RAGONE
House Managers / DANIELLE RIOS DOMINGUEZ, TRINITY WICKLUND, MICHAEL SEITZ, MAIJA LYNCH, WENDY HUANG, ADA CHIBUEZE, JORDAN TULAK
Lead Electrician / ALYSSA LONGWILL
Electricians / NATALIA ACHATZ, SIDDHARTH CHATTORAJ, CHARLOTTE EGE, ABRAHAM FIGUEROA, ELIJAH FRANKLE, JAELLA HARDAWAY, ALYSSA LONGWILL, SOPHIE LYND, ZACKERY MONDIN, KAMRON POPAL, TRINITY WICKLUND
Apprentice Electricians / KADRIK BLATT, MEGAN MISHKANIAN
Lead Technician / ALYSSA LONGWILL
Light Board Operator / YASMINE CASTANEDA
Sound Board Operator / SUZANNE SHILSTONE
Run Crew / LILLY TEISHER, AVA MCLARAND
Wardrobe Supervisor / VAL MURILLO
Wardrobe Crew / JANETH MADRIGAL, SARA VARGAS, MARGARET MOTHERBAUGH
Stitchers / STACIE LOGUE, LESLIE COHRT, SOPHIA HURTADO
ADMINISTRATION
Principal Musician / PATRICK WELLS LINDLEY
Chief Administrative Officer / ERIC MILLS
Financial Assistant / LISA STREBLER
Undergraduate Advisor / SEAN O’SHEA
Graduate Program Coordinator / MARY TENCH
Academic Personnel Chair’s Assistant / DEBRA VANCE
Production Office Assistants / RONI RAGONE, TRINITY WICKLUND
Administrative Office Assistants / ERIN DONOHUE, MAGGIE HUA, WILLIAM HUFFAKER, ANGELO SANTOS
