IDAHO
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LAUREN EDSON
Photos by Otto Kittsinger
KID LIGHTNING
Lincoln Hall, Portland State University
SHOW SPONSOR
TECHNOLOGY
AND SOCIETY, INC
UNCAGED SERIES SPONSOR RONNI LACROUTE
A DRAMATIC FINISH TO OUR UNCAGED SERIES Welcome to White Bird’s first presentation of 2024! We hope you all had holidays full of good food and quality time with friends and family. We want to extend gratitude to those of you who contributed to our Holiday Giving Campaign last month. With your support, we were able to provide an additional 300 performance tickets to the Portlanders-in-need served by three of our invaluable community partners: Steps PDX, REACH CDC, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest. If the holidays Photo by Jingzi Zhao were just too busy for you to contribute to the campaign, fret not: we accept donations of any size year-round in support of our NEST program through our website, WhiteBird.org Through her work as Artistic Director of LED, Lauren Edson has inducted herself into a critically important group of artists: those who returned to their hometown to make a difference. Brain drain is a scourge on countless small to mid-size cities, and local Arts scenes are no exception. In presenting LED’s Kid Lightning, we want to celebrate the artists who choose to buck the trend and share their vision and talents with, in this case, their fellow Boiseans first. And now us. Edson, together with Andrew Stensaas, LED’s Creative Director and Edson’s husband, has created a truly impressive and wide-ranging body of work for the still-young company, which turns nine years old this month. LED weaves together the work of myriad dancers, designers, musicians, and directors to create not only stage works, but also short films, music videos, and site-specific works; what you’ll see in Kid Lightning only scratches the surface of what the company has to offer. This network includes several Portland artists, some of whom also perform with local dance company Open Space, with whom LED partners regularly. We are proud to support this cross-pollination of creativity between Boise, Portland, and the world beyond. Please join us next month for Black Grace, opening our 3rd annual WE ARE ONE Festival on February 21 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. This exciting and daring dance company from New Zealand/Aotearoa will mark a special moment for us this will be the first company in nearly four years that White Bird will present from overseas. You won’t want to miss the occasion! Tickets are on sale now for Black Grace as well as our WE ARE ONE Festival Gift Package: tickets to Black Grace, Music From The Sole, and Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater together for the low price of $90! See WhiteBird.org for details. Graham Cole, Executive Director
Board of Directors
Walter Jaffe & Paul King, Co-Presidents Ken Edwards, Vice-President Kim Allchurch Flick, Treasurer Sandra Holmes, Secretary Leroy E. Bynum, Jr. Graham Cole Lisa Mangum Shawn K. Mangum Nancy & George Thorn, Founding Board Members Emereti
White Bird Team
Graham Cole, Executive Director Christopher Carvalho, Director of Patron Services and Communication Noelle Simone, IDEA Director Jeff Forbes, Technical Director Deanna Reeves, Communication Manager Gretchen Westlight, Operations Manager/Executive Assistant Mia Chavez Lysaght, Administrative Assistant Natalie Anthony, Graphic Designer Alexandra Kuhle, Graphic Designer
Written & Directed by: Movement Created by: Music Composed by: Underwritten by: Produced by: Rehearsal Director: Lighting & Scenic Designer: Film Director: Costume Designer: Stage Manager: Lights/Programming: Act II Voiceover:
Lauren Edson & Andrew Stensaas Lauren Edson in collaboration with dancers Andrew Stensaas Carol Swig LED Colleen Loverde Michael Mazzola Kyle Morck Robin Holsinger Dev Singer Steven Harper James Barrett Cast: Brett Perry Myles Woolstenhulme Dave X Cassidy Fulmer Elise Gonsalves Emma Lalor Colleen Loverde Franco Nieto Audrey Wells
Program Note: Kid Lightning tells the story of a group of talented contestants on a popular
game show who push their limits to claim fame and enter the intoxicating arena of celebrity, only to discover that it is more than they bargained for.
Notes from the choreographer: The genesis of Kid Lightning came from our curiosity about
the dynamics between the individual and the collective. What does each require, and what can one lose when falling too far into the psychological wrestling ring of either? A “game show” seemed like the perfect playground to explore this theme. Everyone is competing for a title, monetary gain, or their name in lights, and the “individual” is on full display. Game and variety shows have been cultural phenomena for decades. In the 1970s, it was Laugh-In and The Gong Show. Today, it is America’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. Obsession with stardom was present then, and it is present now, especially in this age of social media. Kid Lightning is ultimately a story of the often catastrophic events that can occur when fear and self-obsession are prime motivators, and the grace found beyond that wreckage.
ABOUT LED LED is an award-winning arts organization that weaves signature contemporary choreography, original musical compositions, and elements of film into thoughtprovoking narratives and inspiring stories that are redefining the boundaries of performing arts. With a namesake that sparks groundbreaking innovations, LED serves as a playground for artistic expression - a cultural and creative center, a dance company, a musical project, a film studio. Founded in 2015 and proudly based in Boise, Idaho, LED is shaped by the artistic vision of husband and wife co-founders, Lauren Edson and Andrew Stensaas. Lauren and Andrew are intimately involved in the creative production of each artistic work, building each piece from the ground up, and relying on a network of extremely talented artists, dancers, musicians, designers, and technicians to bring each creative experience to life. Recently named by Dance Magazine as “25 to Watch” for 2020 and described by the Seattle Times as “a feat of pyrotechnics and an important addition to the arts scene in the Northwest,” LED’s performances have wowed sold-out audiences all over the country and their unique approach to art making is helping put Boise on the map as a cultural hub. Ledboise.com
CREDITS Board of Directors: Rich Raimondi Georgiann Raimondi Marty Kurtz Tara Russell Nicole Toeldte Jenny Palmer Jole Voulelis Kathy Opp
Thank you to the Morrison Center Endowment Foundation for supporting the development of this work and to our Board of Directors for your continued support. Special thanks to Indigo Design
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / CHOREOGRAPHER LAUREN EDSON, originally from Boise, Idaho, is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of LED. She is a dancer, awardwinning choreographer, producer and director. She received her training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and The Juilliard School and was a celebrated dancer with Trey McIntyre Project for many years. She returned to her hometown with the desire to build a community of artists and art-making practices that inspire risk-taking, greatness and sustainability. Described as a “choreographer of the first rank,” by the Seattle Times, her works have been commissioned and presented by: The Kennedy Center (DC), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (MA), San Francisco Dance Film Festival (CA), Dance Camera West (CA), Winspear Opera House (TX), The McCallum Theater (CA), The Freeman Company (CA), Houston Metropolitan Dance (TX), Milwaukee Ballet (WI), Whim W’Him (WA), Ballet Idaho (ID), Northwest Dance Project (OR) and SALT Contemporary Dance (UT). She received the 2022 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, is a 2021 Alexa Rose Fellow, a two-time recipient of the ICA Performing Arts Fellowship (2015, 2021), a 2023 choreographer in Dance Lab NY, winner of NWDP’s Pretty Creatives’ International Choreography Competition, the Grand Prize Winner of the McCallum Theater’s Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival, a United States Artist Fellowship nominee and recipient of the 2019 Washington Award for Excellence in Choreography. In January 2015, she founded LED with her husband and composer, Andrew Stensaas and has continued to be at the forefront of artistic innovation, bringing Boise into a global arts conversation. Described by The Seattle Times as “an important addition to the art’s scene in the northwest” the company has been recognized by Dance Magazine as “25 to Watch” for 2020 an honor given to break out artists and companies of the year, She is the mother to two beautiful boys; Finn and Liam.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR / COMPOSER ANDREW STENSAAS, born in Mason City, Iowa, is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of LED. He is a songwriter, composer, producer and musician. Primarily self-taught, he received some formal training throughout his childhood in piano and percussion, and has had a natural talent and ambition that has turned his musical skill into a professional career. He has been in two critically acclaimed bands: Portland’s Sons of Sirens and Boise’s Edmond Dantes. In 2014, Edmond Dantes wrote the soundtrack for the film Almosting It, directed by Will Von Tagen. Stensaas relocated to Boise, Idaho, in 2009 and began teaching at Boise Rock School where he established himself as a singer/songwriter producer, and provided musical instruction and creative development to young people between the ages of seven and eighteen. He was an integral part to the songwriting implementation and many of his students have gone on to establish themselves in successful bands, continue their training in prestigious universities and audition for commercial projects.
DANCER BIOS CASSIDY FULMER received her BFA degree from Marymount Manhattan College and was awarded a gold key for her excellence in the ballet concentration. There she studied under world-renowned choreographers, including Alexandra Damiani, Michael Waldrop, Jenn Freeman, and Kyle Abraham. Currently based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Cassidy is involved in their concert dance scene. Along with being a guest artist of the LED. Cassidy also performs with Company E located in Washington DC. Other performance projects include The Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, The Marigny Opera Ballet, Dior’s Spring Collection Launch, and more. COLLEEN LOVERDE is a dance artist, creator, teacher, explorer and questioner. She was born and raised in Lake Zurich, IL and received her B.F.A. in Modern & Jazz Dance at Point Park University where she was awarded Outstanding Senior Dance Artist in 2017. In addition to dancing with LED and acting as rehearsal director for LED’s Kid Lightning, Colleen has performed with LA Contemporary Dance Company, Heidi Duckler Dance, Open Space, Post:Ballet, SKC, Northwest Dance Project, and on a variety of multidisciplinary projects. She has had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers Mario Glez, Spenser Theberg, Myles Lavallee, Ihsan Rustem, Wen Wei Wang, Felix Landerer, Patrick Delcroix, Lauren Edson, Heidi Duckler, Luca Veggetti, Franco Nieto, Noelle Kayser, Johannes Wieland, Michaela Taylor, Shannon Gillen, Ryan Mason, Alice Klock, Luke Murphy, Gregory Dolbashion, MADBOOTS, Garfield Lemonius, Alexandra Damiani, Patrick O’Brien and herself. In addition to her performance career, she teaches dance, loves to write, read, learn, explore and PLAY. She is currently working on a series of personal essays, dabbling in live storytelling, revisiting her love of singing, collaborating with fellow dear artist friends old and new and exploring the ways in which comedy and storytelling may fuse with dance. EMMA LALOR was raised in Asheville, NC, and is an alumna of North Carolina School of the Arts’ prestigious high school dance conservatory program. She graduated magna cum laude from Florida State University with her BFA and honors distinction. During her time at FSU, she designed and embarked upon a study abroad experience at London Contemporary Dance School and performed at the Kennedy Center during the ACDA National College Dance Festival. Emma began her career with Atlantabased companies staibdance and T. Lang Dance, and traveled to Stockholm with George Staib to perform and teach repertoire at Södra Latin and Ballet Akadamien. She has been a featured soloist in original works by LED, Dolly Sfeir, Maxine Doyle, George Staib, Eric Oberdorff, Alex Ketley, Annalee Traylor, and T. Lang. She is inspired by dance creations that layer humor and acting with movement to explore social issues as well as fantastical set, lighting, and costume designs.
DANCER BIOS BRETT PERRY is a performing artist who believes deeply in the transcendent power of the arts. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Brett discovered dance at the age of 4 via The Dance Co. under the direction of Diane Gudat. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Brett has performed works by acclaimed choreographers such as Aszure Barton, Lar Lubovitch, Ohad Naharin, Cystal Pite, Robert Battle, Medhi Walerski, Eliot Feld, Jose Limon, Sharon Eyal and many more. After graduating from The Juilliard School, Brett moved to Boise in 2008 to join the internationally acclaimed Trey McIntyre Project (TMP). Brett and Lauren met during their time in TMP together and have built a collaborative relationship that has spanned more than a decade. Brett has played a major role in many LED creations and this is his premier in Kid Lightning. MYLES WOOLSTENHULME Myles was hired as a company member with SALT Contemporary Dance in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2016 where he danced as a full time artist until spring 2023. He joined DanceAspen as a company artist in May 2023. Myles has a passion for learning and developing technical dance with abstract concepts. Myles had the honor to perform with DanceAspen at the prestigious Vail Dance Festival in both 2022 and 2023 in Vail, CO, premiering a new work by Matthew Neenan at the “Now Presents” showcase closing night of the 2023 festival. He was a guest artist with South Dakota Ballet for the summers of 2021 and 2022, premiering multiple new works. Myles has created original stage works for SALT2, Oquirrh West Dance Project, and SALT Pro, as well as a dance movement film titled “Telephone Hour” which explores relationships with God and technology. Myles was selected to present a new solo, “It Fell on Deaf Ears” at the opening of a new performance and immersive space in Salt Lake City called, “801 Salon,” in November of 2021. Myles is currently a freelance artist, excited to explore opportunities far and wide. AUDREY WELLS Audrey is a dancer based in Portland, Oregon where she is originally from! She has danced and performed with companies including Open Space Dance, SALT Contemporary Dance, LED Boise, Yin Yue Dance Company, and Oquirrh West Project, performing works by choreographers including Lauren Edson, Yin Yue, Keelan Whitmore, Franco Nieto, Micaela Taylor, Ihsan Rustem, Olivier Wevers, Garrett Smith, Robert Battle, Ching Ching Wong, and Courtney Mazeika. Audrey received her BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City and received additional training from various programs such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, San Francisco Conservatory, and NW Dance Project.
DANCER BIOS FRANCO NIETO Princess Grace Award winner Franco Nieto was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He made the unconventional switch from football to ballet in his teenage years and has now taught and danced in over 10 different countries and performed with the likes of Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John. He spent 10 years as a principal dancer with NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon, where he toured the world and worked hand in hand with the leading minds in choreography to create and bring to life countless original works. His early training came from the Vancouver School of Arts & Academics and Columbia Dance, and his formative line of choreography was born from his mentorship with Tracey Durbin. He graduated with his BFA in Jazz from Point Park University. Franco brings his big heart to every class at Open Space. ELISE GONSALVES is originally from Portland Oregon, after she graduated high school, Elise studied dance in LA for 5 years but recently returned to Portland. She is thrilled to be dancing with LED as we bring back Kid Lighting. She had the privilege last summer to perform another amazing work “Over the Moon” choreographed by Lauren Edson. When she is not dancing with LED she dances with a local company, OpenSpace, creatively directed by our fellow dancer Franco Nieto. He also choreographed “Confetti Head” that she recently performed at the Palm Desert Choreography Festival and the Union PDX Festival. Elise has also worked with choreographers such as Keelan Whitemore, Elijah Labay, Noelle Kayser and others. Elise wants to thank the entire cast for being so inspiring. As well as a special thank you to her family. Enjoy the show!
DAVE X was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. There they began their dance training at age 14 with Best Dance and Talent Center under the direction of Ms. Judy Best Person. In 2017, Dave graduated from Central Visual Performing Arts High School as a dance major. In 2021, Dave graduated from California Institute of the Arts receiving their BFA in Dance and performance. While attending California Institute of the Arts, Dave danced in works by Jîri Kylián, Merce Cunningham, Wayne McGregor, Peter Chu, Samuel Wentz, and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. Dave began working professionally by doing commercial work in L.A. having worked with music artists such as: Solange Knowles , Vince Staples , and Ingrid Andress. As well as being a part of Calvin Klein’s Spring campaign in 2022. Most recently, Dave has been a Guest Artist with the following dance companies : LA Contemporary Dance Company ,Ishida Dance Company in Houston, Texas , and the Tribe Collective under the direction of Shamel Pitts . As a freelance artist, Dave has worked with choreographers including : Bret Easterling, Roderick George, Alice Klock and Florian Lochner (FLOCK), Kristin Lever , and Johannes Wieland.
DISCOVER OUR FLOCK OF HEROES
A Tribute to Those Who Soar with Us!
Our Flock List includes gifts made between November 1, 2022, and January 9, 2024. Those with total gifts of $100 or more are honored online (linked through the QR code to the right), and those giving $250 or more are listed below. For questions or changes regarding our Flock List, please contact Executive Director, Graham Cole at graham@whitebird.org
TITANIUM PATRONS ($10,000+)
Anonymous Terry Bean Joan Cirillo & Roger Cooke Leslie S. Homer Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington Ken & Ann Edwards Walter Jaffe & Paul King Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation Hugh and Mair Lewis Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington Lisa & Shawn K. Mangum Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the Arts Education & Access Fund Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation Carol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation George & Nancy Thorn Ellen Walkley
DIAMOND PATRONS ($5,000+)
Anonymous Carole Alexander Andrea & Fred Michael Curry & Julia Hannegan Roberta Davis George Eighmey & Peter Livingston Maryanne & David Holman Jackson Foundation The J and J Foundation Dr. Norm Kalbfleisch & Dr. Neil Matteucci David Magilke & Butch Williams Morel Ink Oregon Arts Commission Angela Roach Janet Roberts & Ed Clark Ashley Roland & Jamey Hampton Technology and Society, Inc. Herbert A. Templeton Foundation Edyth Willard
GOLD PATRONS ($2,500+) Mariana Crawford Kim & Greg Flick
Marnie Frank Carol Streeter & Harold Goldstein Mark Holloway & David Kahl Sandra & Stephen Holmes Chris Johnson & Rex Bills New England Foundation for the Arts Dean Richardson Joanne & Steven Rizzo Marian & Elihu Schott Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Jaymi & Francis Sladen SN Charitable Foundation in Honor of Tahni Holt and DeeAnn Nelson WESTAF TourWest
SILVER PATRONS ($1,000+)
Sherrie Barr & Philip Lewin Audry & Chris Bond Candace Bouchard Natalie Butler Leroy Bynum Justin WB Dune Leslye Epstein & Herman Taylor Marco Escalante & Dongni Li Bill Fishbein Fong Family Fund of Oregon Community Foundation Ann & Edward Galen Deborah Horrell and Kit Gillem Fund for Arts and Conservation at Oregon Community Foundation Christine Gilmore Nancy Goodwin & Albert Horn Valarie Grudier Connie Guist Corrina Hall in honor of Celeste Miller In Memory of Beth Hyams Karen Henell & Gregg McCarty Jill & Bob Jaffe Dennis Johnson Fund of the Pride Foundation Jim Kalvelage & Barbara LaMack Murray Koodish Peter Kost Robert & Larissa Lodzinski Barb & Randy Lovre Montgomery Mahaffey Steven Odum & Eileen O’Neill Odum OnPoint Community Credit Union Ronald & Shirley Pausig Janet L. & Frank Phillips
Jenice Powell Naomi & Steve Price Barbara Radovich Charitable Fund Marti & John Rosenthal Stephen W. Seifert Sarabelle Hitchner & Tom Snell Bob Speltz Stacy E. Styles & Brian E. Keating Minh Tran & Gary Nelson
BRONZE PATRONS ($500+)
Anonymous Carl Andreen Elizabeth Arch Laurie Balmuth Mary & Joseph Bernert Tracy Brophy Marcia & Richard Bushnell Denise Carty & Roger Brown Family Fund Amy & Gary Cole Danièle Colonna & Steve Jacobson Marvin & Abby Dawson Yvonne Deckard Dennis Deming & Corky Cortright Judith E Posey & Edward J Doyle Ann & Ron Emmerson Ellen F. Rosenblum & Richard Meeker Brian Ferriso, Portland Art Museum Barbara Fishleder & John Wolfe Kimberly Freeman & Brian Yellin Charles & Kyle Fuchs Chris Gauger & Lee Leighton Lucile Gauger Suzanne & Ero Gray Ava & Charlie Hoover Judy Jacobson Allan & Toby Jaffe Heather & Loren Jenkins Virginia Johnson Marge & Stephen Kafoury Eva & Peter Kokopeli Gloria Kundrup & Justin Rattner Jed Cohen & Paul Lance Bonnie & Mike Leiser Carol Martin Erin Mboup James & Kathleen Meyer VeAnna Morgan & Pam Town Steven Clark Neighorn John Eric Noran Mary O’Connor Rosenberg/Lippman Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Anna S. King Donna Shu & Tom Kane Christine Tell & Jeff Davis Brian & Nikki Weaver
ANGELS ($250+)
Anonymous Kregg Arntson & Theodore Fettig Bill & Michele Bader Lynne Barnes, MD Brent Barton & Liz Fuller Faith Baynes Sean Berry Janet Bowersox Kay Bristow Margery Cohn CommuniCare Barbara & Tom Cooney Melisse Cunningham Maryann Deffenbaugh Amber DiLoreto Debra Dutkiewicz & Timothy Evans Sara Elgee Pat Evenson-Brady Stuart Farmer Liz Fuller & Kara Swadley Ivy Gibson & Joe FitzPatrick Evelyn Hamann Carol Ihlenburg Lynda Jackson Rachel Jacky Alan & Sharon Jones Rebecca & Wendy Kahn Paula Kanarek & Ross Kaplan Carol & Jeff Kilmer David Lapin Jenni Lipscomb Sarah Logan Edward Maurina III Kelli May Alice & Hal McCartor Martin C Muller Alison Nimura Stan & Susanne Penkin Rambus Foundation The PDX Roes Leslie Rose Sarah Rosenberg and Don Caniparoli Robert Rothery Dan Saltzman Meredith & William Savery Janet & Tom Schmitt Anne Senters Barbara & Dani Steinfeld Kathy Taylor Teresa Tse Don & Elise Varga Stephanie Viegas Dias Beth Kaplan Westbrook Renae Williams Niles Rhiannon Wood
White Bird greatly appreciates the support of the following foundations and government arts agencies:
White Bird thanks all of our Community Partners:
THE VOLUNTEERS OF WHITE BIRD
MEREDITH THOMPSON, PT
White Bird’s 2023-24 season is supported in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Western States Arts Foundation, and the James F. and Marion. L Miller Foundation.