White Bird
DANCE ®
2016-17
discover a world of dance
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes
REGGIE WILSON/ FIST AND HEEL PERFORMANCE GROUP November 17-19, 2016 | Lincoln Hall, Portland State University
We are delighted to introduce you to a much-honored choreographer who is making his Portland debut with White Bird, Reggie Wilson. He founded his company Fist and Heel Performance Group in 1989, and finally we are thrilled to bring Reggie and his gifted company to Portland with his powerful, uplifting work Moses(es).
PHOTO BY SARAH TOOR
CELEBRATING THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN MOVEMENT AND MUSIC
PAUL, WALTER AND BARNEY PREPARE FOR “CUISINE & CONFESSIONS” IN MARCH 2016. WATCHING THE FLOUR FLY!
Last January 2016 we were invited by The Joyce Theater in New York City to curate the first American Dance Platform, and we were happy to include his much acclaimed work Moses(es). The exhilarating mix of movement, music and song moved us, and the Joyce audience, enormously, which led us to inviting Reggie’s Moses(es) to be part of our 2016–17 Uncaged series. After Camille A. Brown’s BLACK GIRL, Reggie Wilson’s Moses(es) is the second work in our season-long Celebration of African American Culture. We wish to extend great thanks to our wonderful partners in this tribute that includes community activities along with performances: S. Renee Mitchell and Kemba Shannon. WHITE BIRD’S HOLIDAY PACK IS BACK The holidays are almost upon us, and that means the return of White Bird’s very popular Holiday Pack—only $99 for four shows, BalletBoyz, Companhia Urbana de Dança, Che Malambo and Martha Graham Dance Company— a great sampler of White Bird’s 19th season. Please stop by our lobby table or visit whitebird.org for further details and to place your order. We wish you a joyous holiday season.
Paul King
Walter Jaffe
White Bird is proud to belong to Dance/USA, the national service and advocacy organization for the dance field. For more information, please visit danceusa.org
THANK YOU FLOCK MEMBERS. YOU MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
IF YOU ARE NOT YET CONTRIBUTING, PLEASE CONSIDER A GENEROUS GIFT TO WHITE BIRD. IF YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO HIGHER! Our Flock List is current as of October 30, 2016. Contributions after this date will be reflected in the next program. Any questions, please contact Walter Jaffe, wjaffe@whitebird.org , (503) 245-1600, Ext. 202. Generous contributors to the White Bird /MKG New Works Fund since September 2008.
TITANIUM PLUME ($10,000+) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Ken & Ann Edwards/ Starseed Foundation Walter Jaffe & Paul King Ronni Lacroute/ WillaKenzie Estate Dorothy Lemelson Trust Israel’s Office of Cultural Affairs in North America James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust National Endowment for the Arts Gary Nelson & Minh Tran Oregonian Media Group Regional Arts & Culture Council including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Access Fund Darci & Charlie Swindells George & Nancy Thorn Willamette Week Work for Art PLATINUM PLUME ($5,000+) Sheryl Acheson/Bonhams B. Fitzgerald Boeing Joan Cirillo & Roger Cooke Columbia Bank/ Columbia Trust Carol Ihlenburg The J and J Foundation Hugh & Mair Lewis Magaurn Video Media Oregon Arts Commission PosterGarden The Herbert A. Templeton Foundation Kurt Beadell/ Vibrant Table Catering WESTAF TourWest GOLD PLUME ($2,500+) Albert E. Chaffin MD, FAAP Deanna Cochener Michael Curry Design Ann & Edward Galen Enterprise Holdings Foundation Chris Greenaway Sandra & Stephen Holmes
Dave Magilke MD & Butch Williams DMD Reed College James Russell & Larry Powlesland Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation Al Solheim The Standard Insurance Carol Streeter & Harold Goldstein Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust Jim & Susan Winkler Zupan’s Markets SILVER PLUME ($1,000+) Terrence Bean Jamie Beckland & Michael Pope Chris & Audry Bond Carlos Castro-Pareja Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest Janet & Ed Clark Nick Fish Gregory Flick & Kim Morrison French American Cultural Exchange Charles & Kyle Fuchs Mark Gaskill/MKG Financial Group Kit Gillem & Deborah Horrell Maryanne & David Holman Sandra & Stephen Holmes Kay Hutchinson Christopher Johnson Norm Kalbfleisch & Neil Matteucci Murray Koodish Drs. Dolores & Fernando Leon Jeff & Lynn Malzahn Anna & Vinn Marti New England Foundation For The Arts The Nut House Fund Lesley Otto Janet & Frank Phillips Portland Jewish Academy Robert Reed Dean Richardson Joanne & Steven Rizzo Jaymi & Francis Sladen
Bryan Steelman & Claire Olberding Leslie Trim Linda & Jon Twichell Ellen Walkley Marc H. Walters Eric Wan & Michele Goodman Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Robyn Williams & Roger Scarbrough BRONZE PLUME ($500+) Carole Alexander Robert Aughenbaugh The Benevity Community Impact Fund Steve Buchert & Herb Trubo Richard & Marcia Bushnell Jedediah Chavez & Eric Delehoy Dennis Deming & Corky Cortwright Ann Emmerson Meredith English The Fishbein Family Nancy Haigwood Dennis Johnson & Steven Smith Jessie Jonas Stephen & Marge Kafoury Gary Leavitt Kirsten Lee Mike & Bonnie Leiser Carol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Barbara Lovre David & Julie Machado S. A. Marrero Gary McGee Keith Martin Richard H. Meeker & Ellen F. Rosenblum Christiane Millinger Phyllis Newmark Ronald & Shirley Pausig Stanley & Susanne Penkin & Jean Krosner Bob Speltz Aaron Tersteeg & Jessica Vasi Pam Town & VeAnna Morgan Travel Portland Peter J. Vennewitz
Veterinary Surgical Center of Portland Gail Webb & Liz Bothwell Vinh Wong ANGEL ($250+) Anonymous Elizabeth Arch AJ Arriola & Alice Jacobson Jan & Winston Asai Kathleen Bristow Jennifer Bruml Beth Burns Ken Carraro David Cassard Deborah Correa & Mark Wilson Virginia Daniel & Teyo Tyree Elizabeth Eckstrom Carol Edelman George Eighmey Leslye Epstein & Herman Taylor Marco Escalante & Dongni Li Stuart Farmer Mary V. Folberg Sheila Ford Richmond Robert & Christine Gilmore Bill Hogsett Leslie Homer Illinois Tool Works Foundation Indigo Design, LLC Kevin Irving Alan T. & Sharon Y. Jones Karen Kemper Anna S. King John Light & Patricia Barnes-Light JoAnn Lusky & Bob Alvis Erin Manwaring Judith Bieberle Marks Anna Marti J.S. & Robin May Hal & Alice McCartor Jim McGinn & Jamie Bluhm Sarah McNary John McVea James & Kathleen Meyer Kenneth R. Murphy & Yvonne De Maat Ken Murray Kimberly & Vitaly Paley Marthel Porter
Portland General Electric Co. Judith E. Posey & Edward J. Doyle Mary Agnes & Noel Prosser Bonnie Reagan Sarah & Nathan Roe John & Marti Rosenthal Grace Serbu Linda Shelton Donna Shu & Thomas Kane Donna Silverberg Bette Sinclair & Richard Didzun David & Chris Sinner Jane Unger Carolyn Wieden Timothy Wilson FEATHERED FRIENDS ($100+) Ed Abrahamson & Cynthia Chilton Susan Agre- Kippenhan & Mike Kippenhan Karen Alexander Brown All Classical J. Robert Alvis III Marlene Anderson Anonymous 3 Ruby Apsler April Avery Michele & Bill Bader Laurie Balmuth Bill Bard & James Donder Linda Barnwell Bel-Ami Margoles Toni Berres-Paul John Bissonnette Jason Blackwell Joanne Bonime Craig Boretz & Rachelle Jacover Pat Brady Janet Brandt Diana Bright Dennis Brown Warren & Donna Brown T.J. Browning & Scott Pratt Marianne Buchwalter Kathryn Burlingham Amy Drake Campbell Don Caniparoli & Sarah Rosenberg Jessica Carneol Mary Lou Cavendish & Michael Hughes James & Mary Chase Lisa Chickadonz Bradley Coffey Debi Coleman Karen Creason Susan Cyganiak Sally Dadmun Bixby Susan Dale Eloise Damrosch Christine D’Arcy George Devendorf Tomika Dew Bonnie Dickinson
Anne Driscoll Jack & Terri Duncan Marianne Dwyer Earl Dyer Heather Eberhardt Valerie Grudier Edwards Catherine Evleshin Wendy Farber Carolyn & Ruthie Ferguson Joan Findlay Lawrence M. Fong Margaret W. Frank Jerome & Mary Fulton Patricia Gauer Chris Gauger & Lee Leighton Benjamin Gerritz Nona Glazer Emily Goetz Deborah & Sid Green Pam Greenough Corrie Evelyn Hamann Jamey Hampton & Ashley Roland Margretta Hansen Gary & Lynne Hartshorn Terry Hasegawa Courtney Haxton Beatrice Hedlund Jennifer Heilbronner Diane Herrmann Phillip Hillaire Stephen Hillis Mark Holloway Maria & Jon Hopple Al Horn & Nancy Goodwin Brook & Ann Howard Jan Hurst Martha Ireland Rachel Jacky Bob & Jill Jaffe David Jensen Daphna & Iddo Kadim Paul M. Keown & Clyt’e Speidel Promise King Peter Kost & Jennifer Harnden Carol Kneeshaw Robert Kravitz Kroger Joanna Langdale Elizabeth Laucks Fuchsia Lin Stephanie Lolich Katherine Longstreth Joyce Lozito Nekicia Luckett Jonathan Lurie Phillip Margolin Pamela Matheson Carolyn McFadden Anne Egan & Tim McNichol Bonnie Merrill Greg & Sandy Mico Josie Moseley Ilse & Billie Moser Martin C. Muller Martha Murray Patricia Navin & Bill Poleson Fred R. Neal III
Andy Nelson & Kathy Gorman Greg Netzer Alison Nimura Eileen Odum Robert Olds Christine & Paul O’Mara Sandra Pagels Jon Palanuk Carolyn & Robert Palanuk Kathy Pape Toni Parque Judith & Jerry Paul Karen Pazucha & Laurence Morandi Sondra & Gordon Pearlman Cheryl & David Pfaff Pfizer Foundation Scott Philips Laurie Pino Noel Plemmons & Patrick Weishampel David Quivey Judy Renzema David Ritchie & LaJean Humphries Rob Robbins Patricia Rojas Charles & Judith Rooks Alison Roper Mazzola Kat Rosenbaum Edward Rouffy SAIF Corporation Dan Saltzman Jone Sampson Liz Sandoval & David Lewis Ron Saroff & Irene Hecht Meredith & William Savery Jim Scherzinger & Claire Carder Diana Scoggins Roger & Janice Shea Virginia Sewell Joan & Paul Sher Jon & Ann Sinclair Eric Skinner & Daniel Kirk Janne Stark & Charles Curb The Steinfelds Charles Stilwell Stephanie & Stephen Sussman Gary Taliaferro Kathy Taylor Tyler Termeer James Thompson Christine Tschida Lyle Tucker Bianca Urdes Tony Urdes VIlma Chan Vasquez Marguerite Weber Beth & Gary Westbrook Karen Whisler Larry Williams Patricia & Jack Wong Robert Woods & Jeff Pittman Anthony Yeznach Gary & Kay Zimmerli FRIENDS ($50+) Sona Andrews Anonymous Sue Armitage Deborah Buchanan Treena & Dennis Buehler Bill Bulick & Carol McIntosh Joy Cartier & Bruce Villarreal
Nancy Clement Rick Comandich Eliza Crockett Jamie Cummings Helen M. Daltoso Deborah Danielson Lena Dubois Laraine Gladstone Arthur Glasfeld & Susan Mikota David Goldstein Elinor Gollay Nancy Gordon-Zwerling Connie Guist HB Design Nancy Hendrickson Maureen Herndon Joan Hoffman William Kline & Todd Guenzburger Billy & Mickey Lindsay-Mistler Marcy & Richard Lowy Jane Luddecke Tere Mathern Kelly McDermott Dr. & Mrs. Gary McLaughlin Michael McManus Sue Merfeld Scott T. Moore Evelyn Nast Jennifer Neilson NW Natural Lee Ann & Daniel O’Leary Lisa Onstad Barry Pack Bonnie Peterson David & Kay Pollack Chris Poteet Andrew Proctor Shawn Roerig Zach Ruhl Christina Scarzello Scott Schickli Barbara Schierstein Penelope Schott & Eric Sweetman Beth Segal Suzanne Silverstein Robert Simpson Michael Sisler Connie Speros-Literal Wendy Squires Jim & Nita Stell Erica Swartz Tony Testa Maria Thi Mai Jonnathan Triton Carol Turtle Jenny & Tony Vaught Susie Vischer Michael Weaver & Suzi Carter Susan Webb Carrie White Louise Williams James Wilson Tim Wilson & Luan Schooler Michael Wood Jessica Woodruff Adrian Woods
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS White Bird extends great thanks to the following foundations and government agencies for their support of the 2016–17 nineteenth season.
THE JAMES F. & MARION L. MILLER FOUNDATION The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Education & Access Fund, Work for Art, including contributions from more than 75 companies and 2,000 employees, Starseed Foundation
COMMUNITY PARTNERS artistic directors jamey hampton + ashley roland
artistic directors jamey hampton + ashley roland
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul King, President Walter Jaffe, Secretary/Treasurer Kendall Acheson Sheryl Acheson Albert E. Chaffin, MD, FAAP Sandra Holmes
Carol Ihlenburg Gary Nelson Minh Tran Nancy & George Thorn, Founding Board Members Emereti
THE WHITE BIRD TEAM Walter Jaffe, Co-Founder, wjaffe@whitebird.org Paul King, Co-Founder, pking@whitebird.org Chelsea Bushnell, Director of Audience Services, chelsea@whitebird.org Linda Twichell, Director of Revenue & Community Partnerships, linda@whitebird.org Hannah Luckow, Marketing Director/NEST Coordinator, hannah@whitebird.org David Nolfi, Director of Finance, david@whitebird.org Justin Hastay, Special Projects Manager, justin@whitebird.org Jeff Forbes, Technical Director Claire Lindsay, Office Intern, claire@whitebird.org Lauren Bayard, Volunteer Poster/Flyer Coordinator Liz Sandoval, Volunteer Group Sales Coordinator Natalie Anthony, Graphic Design Dave Weaver, Web Designer Office Volunteers: Connie Guist, Mary McGilvra, Stephanie Sussman, Jessica Vasi White Bird is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to bringing excellence in dance to Portland, Oregon.
NOVEMBER 17–19, 2016 LINCOLN HALL, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
MUSIC CREDITS
REGGIE WILSON/ FIST AND HEEL PERFORMANCE GROUP ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Reggie Wilson
Moses(es) CHOREOGRAPHER Reggie Wilson LIGHTING DESIGN Jonathan Belcher
Louis Armstrong; The Klezmatics; Amahlokohlo; Ngqoko Women’s Ensemble; Mazaher; Aly Us; The Growling Tiger; Bi Kidude; Southern Sons; The Blind Boys of Alabama.
LIVE VOCALS ORIGINAL COMPOSED BY
Reggie Wilson TRADITIONAL ARRANGED BY
Reggie Wilson SOUND ENGINEERED BY
Dave Synder
COSTUME DESIGN Naoko Nagata
ASST. TO ENGINEER
PERFORMERS Rhetta Aleong, Dwayne Brown, Yeman Brown, Paul Hamilton, Lawrence A.W. Harding, Raja Feather Kelly, Clement Mensah, Anna Schön, Reggie Wilson
CHOREOGRAPHIC ADVISOR
DRAMATURGE Susan Manning
Matt Hall
Phyllis Lamhut
MATH/FRACTAL SYMMETRY CONSULTANT Jesse Wolfson
WHITE BIRD UNCAGED 2016–17 IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
Moses(es) is performed without an intermission. 70 MINUTES RUNNING TIME
MEDIA SPONSOR
For the safety of the artists and for the comfort of the audience, cameras and other recording devices are not permitted in the theater during the performance.
THE COMPANY REGGIE WILSON ABOUT MOSES(ES)
FIST AND HEEL PERFORMANCE GROUP Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group is a Brooklyn-based dance company that investigates the intersections of cultural anthropology and movement practices and believes in the potential of the body as a valid means for knowing. Our performance work is a continued manifestation of the rhythm languages of the body provoked by the spiritual and the mundane traditions of Africa and its Diaspora, including the Blues, Slave and Gospel idioms. The group has received support from major foundations and corporations and has performed at notable venues in the United States and abroad.
The inspiration, research and investigations are based in Wilson’s re-reading of Zora Neale Hurston’s Moses, Man of the Mountain (the Moses story told as a Southern folk tale in Southern African-American vernacular), his travels to Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Mali, and research of the many representations of Moses in religious texts and collective mythical, canonical, and ethnographic imaginations. In Moses(es), Wilson shares insightful perspectives through the lenses of his inspiration, extensive research and application of African fractal geometry—refracting myriad elements of blues, slave, spiritual cultures and postmodern structures—to reiterate in this work his unique “post-African/NeoHooDoo” choreographic style and movement vocabulary.
ABOUT THE NAME FIST AND HEEL Denied their drums, enslaved Africans in the Americas reinvented their spiritual dance traditions as a soulful art form that white and black authorities dismissed as merely ‘fist and heel worshipping’.
Aitor Mendiliba
Moses(es) asks: how do we lead and why do we follow. This Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group’s evening-length work explores the current prevalent global questioning of our expectations and relationships to leadership, and the effects of migration on beliefs and customs.
REGGIE WILSON (EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHER, PERFORMER) founded his company, Reggie Wilson/ Fist & Heel Performance Group, in 1989. Wilson draws from the cultures of Africans in the Americas and combines them with post-modern elements and his own personal movement style to create what he often calls “post-African/ Neo-HooDoo Modern dances.” His work has been presented nationally and internationally at venues such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Live Arts, and Summerstage (NYC), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (Lee, MA), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), UCLA Live, and Redcat (Los Angeles), VSA NM (New Mexico), Myrna Loy (Helena, MT), The Flynn (Burlington, VT), Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans), Dance Umbrella (Austin, TX), Linkfest and Festival e’Nkundleni (Zimbabwe), Dance Factory (South Africa), Danças na Cidade (Portugal), Festival Kaay Fecc (Senegal), The Politics of Ecstasy, and Tanzkongress 2013 (Germany). Wilson is a graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1988, Larry Rhodes, Chair). He has studied composition and been mentored by Phyllis Lamhut; Performed and toured with Ohad Naharin before forming Fist and Heel. He has lectured, taught and conducted workshops and community projects throughout the US, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. He has traveled extensively: to the Mississippi Delta to research secular and religious aspects of life there; to Trinidad and Tobago to research the Spiritual Baptists and the Shangoists; and also to Southern, Central, West and East Africa to work with dance/
performance groups as well as diverse religious communities. He has served as visiting faculty at several universities including Yale, Princeton and Wesleyan Universities. Mr. Wilson is the recipient of the Minnesota Dance Alliance’s McKnight National Fellowship (2000–2001). Wilson is also a 2002 BESSIE-New York Dance and Performance Award recipient for his work The Tie-tongued Goat and the Lightning Bug Who Tried to Put Her Foot Down and a 2002 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. He has been an artist advisor for the National Dance Project and Board Member of Dance Theater Workshop. In recognition of his creative contributions to the field, Mr. Wilson was named a 2009 United States Artists Prudential Fellow and is a 2009 recipient of the Herb Alpert Award in Dance. His evening-length work The Good Dance–dakar/brooklyn had its World premiere at the Walker Art Center and NY premiere on the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2009 Next Wave Festival. In 2012, New York Live Arts presented a concert of selected Wilson works, theRevisitation, to critical acclaim and the same year he was named a Wesleyan University’s Creative Campus Fellow, received the 2012 Joyce Foundation Award for his new work Moses(es), and was named a Doris Duke Performing Artist. In 2013 Moses(es) had its NY premiere on BAM’s Next Wave Festival and continues to tour. His new work CITIZEN premiered in September 2016.
JONATHAN BELCHER (LIGHTING DESIGN & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) was born in Rochester, NY and now lives in Brooklyn. He is Lighting Director, Set Designer and Studio Manager for City University of New York Television. Previously, he was resident Lighting Designer at the Kitchen, The Harkness Dance Festival 2001, The University of Michigan Musical Society, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Dance Theater Workshop and The Yard. Jonathan’s career has most recently been distinguished with a Bessie Award winning performance of Exhausting Love at Danspace Project by Luciana Achugar; One of three Lighting Designers featured in the 2009 New York Times article by Roslyn Sulcas entitled Lighting Designers Illuminate Ballet; a Bessie Award; and designing a number of projects with Amanda Loulaki, Bill Young, Luciana Achugar, Blk Market Membership, Dean Moss, Maria Hassabi, Jill Sigman, Jeremy Wade, Sara Michelson and most notably Mr. Reggie Wilson. Mr. Belcher’s guiding principal in lighting design is, “look at things differently, if for no other reason than it’s a lot more fun that way.”
THE COMPANY REGGIE WILSON NAOKO NAGATA (COSTUME DESIGN) Her evolution into costume making is a long story: with literally no formal training, Nagata’s first costume was created for Jeanine Durning in 1998. From that moment, she has been creating non-stop for a diverse group of choreographers and dancers. She has collaborated with Kyle Abraham for Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Amanda Loulaki, Carrie Ahern, Bebe Miller, David Dorfman Dance, Doug Elkins, David Neumann, Ellis Wood, Gina Gibney, Liz Lerman, Nina Winthrop, Nora Chipaumire, Reggie Wilson, Tiffany Mills, Urban Bush Women, Zvi Gotheiner, and many, many others. Working closely with collaborators, Naoko helps bring to life what she herself calls “the creation of a shared dream.” Nagata’s work has been seen on both international and national main stages including The Kennedy Center, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, PACT Zollverein in Essen, Dance Theater Workshop, The Joyce Theater, New York City Center.
SUSAN MANNING (PROJECT DRAMATURGE) is an internationally recognized historian of modern dance. A professor of English, Theatre and Performance Studies at Northwestern, she has authored Ecstasy and the Demon: the Dances of Mary Wigman and Modern Dance, Negro Dance: Race in Motion; coedited New German Dance Studies; and curated Danses noires/blanche Amérique at the Centre national de la danse in Paris. She currently serves as Principal Investigator for the Mellon-funded initiative, “Dance Studies in/and the Humanities.” Susan Manning had never worked as a dramaturge until Reggie Wilson invited her to work on Moses(es), and she is thrilled that he did, for she has immensely enjoyed collaborating on the creative research and documentation for the project. In spring 2014 she will be a fellow at the International Research Center in Berlin, where she will complete a series of essays on Reggie Wilson and Moses(es) for publication in TDR: A Journal of Performance Studies.
RHETTA ALEONG (PERFORMER) is from Trinidad and Tobago where her roots are in community-theater, local performance art, and a good Catholic all-girls high school. Journalism degree, with an art bent, from School of Visual Arts where she developed a deeper relationship with and to the 9 Muses. Rhetta began
working with Mr. Wilson in ’91 and is a proud Board member of Fist and Heel Performance Group. She has also been in creative process with Pat Akien, Michael Steele, Helen Camps, Noble Douglas (Trinidad), Anita Gonzalez, Ms. Hattie Gossett, Tiyé Giraud, Cynthia Oliver, and Lawrence Goldhuber. Respect to those who go before, after, above and below.
DWAYNE BROWN (PERFORMER) is from New York City. He trained at The Ailey School, School of American Ballet, American Dance Festival, and Vassar College where he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. Theatre credits: Broadway’s After Midnight, Lincoln Center; Cinderella and the Prince who Slayed the Magic Dragon, Franco Dragone Entertainment Group; TABOO, Metropolitan Opera; Faust, Rigoletto, Death of Klinghoffer, Don Giovanni, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Magic Flute. Concert dance credits: Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company, Sean Curran Company, Trainor Dance, Reggie Wilson/ Fist & Heel Performance Group. TV/Film credits: Netflix Original The Get Down, PBS Great Performances at The Met: Prince Igor.
YEMAN BROWN (PERFORMER) was born and raised in Tallahassee Florida. Yeman’s passion for performing began as a child, where he performed in many local theaters and his church, Metropolitan Cathedral of Truth. After studying musical theatre in middle and high school, Yeman went on to receive his BFA from the Florida State University School of Dance. At Florida State, he performed works choreographed by Gerri Houlihan, Jawole Zollar, Dan Wagoner, and Alex Ketley. He also served as a soloist for the Tallahassee Ballet Company under the direction of Rick McCullough. In 2011, Yeman studied at the Ailey School as a summer fellowship scholar and performed works by Stephanie Batten Bland and Judine Somerville. Summer of 2012, Yeman ventured to the American Dance Festival where he performed works choreographed by Gerri Houllihan, Mark Dendy, and Reggie Wilson. Soon after, he was invited to join Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group while they were in residency at The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) in Tallahassee Florida. As a residential apprentice, Yeman participated in the early developmental stages of Moses(es). In the summer of 2013 he moved to Brooklyn, NY and
considers himself blessed to have the opportunity to work with such beautiful artists who inspire him beyond belief. He hopes that every being in the entire world knows that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, and anything can happen if they dare to believe.
PAUL HAMILTON (PERFORMER) started his dance training in Jamaica at the Jamaica School of dance. Upon arriving in the United States, he continued his training at SUNY Purchase, where he studied with Kevin Wynn and Neil Greenberg. Paul also studied at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance, the Martha Graham School and Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has performed with Elizabeth Streb, the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble, The Barnspace Dance Company, Mauri Cramer Dancers, Ballet Arts Theatre, apprenticed with Lines Contemporary Ballet with Alonso King, and has worked with Keely Garfield. This is his fourteenth year with the Fist & Heel Performance Group, with whom he has performed, taught and toured with, both national and internationally, and recently performed in the world premiere of The Good Dance— dakar/brooklyn at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. He would like to thank his family and friends for their unending love and support.
LAWRENCE A.W. HARDING (PERFORMER) was born in Sierra Leone, studied in The U.K. and now practices Physical Therapy in New York. He has been a member of Fist and Heel since 1993 and continues to delight in discovering himself in Reggie’s work. He has been an activist with Creative Gender Workshop, a group that explores, documents and presents in performance, the lives of LGBT Africans living in New York and was a founding member of Uhuru-Wazobia, a network organization based in the city. Currently, he is promoting Spinal Mobility Project, a protocol he has developed for people with Spinal Cord Injury. He gives continued thanks to his parents and all the dead ones.
RAJA FEATHER KELLY (COMPANY MANAGER, PERFORMER) is a performer/ choreographer living and working NYC. Kelly has been a company member in the companies of David Dorfman Dance, zoe | juniper, Kyle Abraham/Abraham. In.Motion, Christopher Williams Dance, Colleen Thomas Dance among others. Currently Kelly creates collaborative projects with Tzveta Kassabova and B.S. Movement. An English and dance major (Connecticut College) with deep interest
THE COMPANY REGGIE WILSON in both verbal and nonverbal forms of expression, Kelly founded his DanceTheater company the feath3r theory after writing a novel of the same name, his 5-year (and counting) Warhol-Inspired project has garnered him critical acclaim in the U.S. and abroad. Kelly was a 2014 LMCC Workspace Recipient, and a commissioned Artist in residence at Dixon Place Dance, NYC.
CLEMENT MENSAH (PERFORMER) was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. He moved to the Netherlands at the age of 11. After graduating from CIOS (sports academy) he went to Amsterdam School of Arts and graduated in 2008. He received a fellowship to study at the Alvin Ailey School in 2007 and became member of the Student Performing Group at the Alvin Ailey School while also apprenticing with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in 2008. He has also been part of the Francesca Harper Project, danced with Elisa Monte Dance Company from 2008–2010, performing nationally and internationally. Clement joined the Matthew Westerby Company in 2009 and led the hugely successful Project Poetry Live in partnership with the Litchfield Performing Arts, Connecticut. He has taught workshops and master classes at different institutions and schools such as Dance Wave in Brooklyn, NY, Alvin Ailey School, The Theater School in Amsterdam, Codart in Rotterdam, Artistin-Residence at Dancers’ Workshop, WY and Bennington College, VT as well as teaching and assisting teachers at the Center for Advance Training (C.A.T.) at Trinity Laban. After receiving his MA degree in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban School of Contemporary Music and Dance in London, Mr. Mensah joined Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group in the fall of 2011. As a former member of Ronald K. Brown/Evidence A Dance Company, Clement has performed with the Limón Dance Company as a guest artist. He joined Battery Dance Company at the beginning of 2013 and is happy for this wonderful opportunity.
ANNA SCHÖN (PERFORMER) a native from the Bronx, she received her BA from Barnard College in European History and Dance. She is thrilled to be in her 7th season with The Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group. Anna also dances for The Metropolitan Opera, zoe|juniper, Mark Dendy, Christiana Axelsen/Tundra, Gabriel Forestieri/ project LIMB, Sydney Schiff/Perpetual
Metamorphosis, and has been a paid apprentice for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company for 2012–13 season. She has had the pleasure of working with Aszure Barton and Artists (BUSK), Jennifer Muller/The Works, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Alison Jones Dance, Malcolm Low, and Gabri Christa. In her spare time Anna tutors Hebrew and Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation. Thank you, thank you, thank you God, family, friends, and Kehila (community) back home for always believing in me, and my dreams.
FIST AND HEEL BOARD Ann Marie Joseph (President), Rhetta Aleong, Carol Bryce-Buchanan, Joshua Sirefman, Reggie Wilson.
ADVISORY COUNCIL Elise Bernhardt, Phyllis Lamhut, Susan Manning, Sam Miller, Martha Sherman, Megan Sprenger, Radhika Subramaniam, Laurie Uprichard, Ivan Sygoda, Jesse Wolfson, Ms. Lois Wilson. For booking information, contact Sophie Myrtil-McCourty at Lotus Arts Management 72-11 Austin Street, #371 Forest Hills, NY 11375 Tel: 347.721.8724; email: sophie@lotusartsmgmt.com; website: www.lotusartsmgmt.com
FUNDING CREDITS Moses(es) is funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the MetLife Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC); The Harkness Foundation For Dance. Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group’s production, Moses(es), is co-commissioned by The Hatchery Project which is a collaboration of the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, RED Arts Philadelphia, Vermont Performance Lab, and The Chocolate Factory Theater; The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and
a 2012 Joyce Award; BAM for 2013 Next Wave Festival; LMCC; and by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Research for Moses(es) was funded in part by The Foundation for Jewish Culture; The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and a 2012 Joyce Award; Cowles Foundation; and Wesleyan University.
SPECIAL THANKS GOD; Ancestors; Ira Sutton Ewing; Lois J. Wilson, A’ntie C; A’nt Jean, Uncle Rev., Uncle Von, A’nt Wilma, Aba, Abba, David Wilson, Jr., Phyllis Lamhut, Martha Sherman, Sam Miller, Bonnie Brooks, Sally Sommer, Mikki Shepard, The cities of Bulawayo and Arima, Ginny Pickett and Anna Glass, Janet Lily, Jennifer Calienes, Sara Coffey, Craig Peterson, Emily Coates and the students at Yale, Pam Tatge, Barbara Ally, Nicole Stanton, Marj Neset, Joe Melillo and the staff at BAM, Sophie, Ivan, and the staff at Pentacle, Julieta Cervantes, Antoine Tempé, Elaine Flowers, Carrie Wood, the Moses(es) Tracking Cohorts, Susan, Naoko, Jonathan, The Board of Directors of Fist and Heel, the performers for their time on this project, their commitment over the years, prioritizing and sacrificing and their relentless talent. And also, Thomas French, Tayloria Grant, The Rev. Cotton Fite, Maria Gerlich, Maro Goldstone, Paul Engler, Virginnia Millhiser, Michael J. Connelly, Gerald Manwah, Merrill Hewson Smith, Robert Shapiro & Virginia Farley, Jean Cook, Jeffrey A. Usow, Barbara Manning, Susan Manning, Doug Doetsch, Michael M. Myers & Julia A. Stern, Sam Miller, Joan Frosch, David R. White, Ainsley Boisson, Lori Elizabeth Lynch, Daniel Giel, Alex Elegudin, Cleo F. Wilson, Bonnie Anne Brooks, Jesus Escobar, Gary Roth, Lois Greenfield, Madeline Brine, Patricia Barry, Pattie Lue Shue, Cathy Edwards, Deborah Levinson, Edward Henry, Irene Buchman, Frances Logan, Virginia Breen, Leonard Pack, Derek S. Brown, Abigail Boucher, Ora Ewing, Katherine Ramsey, Roger Young-Holder, Catherine Edwards, Diane M. Lukas, Zachary Thomas Whittenburg, Elizabeth Liebman, Judith Gluckstern, Lucia Kellar, Margaret Ambrosino, Justin Knowlden.