To The Growth Edge
Tuesday - Thursday, November 19th - 21st, 2024
7:30 p.m. | Wartburg Theatre
about the show
To The Growth Edge brings to the stage layers of experience and perspective through new and legacy dance works created for and embodied by Carthage dancers. The program features works by regional guest artists and faculty, as well as Carthage’s very own emerging choreographers.
director's note
Thank you for attending the Department of Theatre’s 2024 dance production, To The Growth Edge. Tonight’s program explores what is just beyond familiarity, comfort and one’s grasp. Dancing to our growth edges honors these uncharted and complex spaces, and in doing so, reveals our capacity to be surprised by our own possibility. This production features new dance work by Carthage dance faculty and guest artists, Carissa Holmes, Jenna Jozefowski, Gina Laurenzi, Jenny Reed, and Dancing Legacy artists, David Parsons and Erika Pujič. Additionally, we are proud to once again share our program’s most potent resource, the choreographic work and embodied expressions of our own emerging artists, including new work by Mikala Klefstad (‘26), Katherine O’Donnell (‘26), Kyliah Vruwink (‘26), and Ellie Neybert (‘25), in partial fulfillment of her Senior Thesis. As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to share this work with you. We appreciate your support and welcome your thoughts afterward!
Stacy Pottinger, Artistic Director
talk back
For more insights into To The Growth Edge works, please join the Artistic Director and choreographers in a Talk- Back immediately following the Wednesday, November 20 performance. The Talk- Back will take place in the Wartburg Auditorium. We look forward to addressing viewer’s questions and hearing thoughts about the program.
SWAN LAKE
Original Choreography by Marius Petipa, set by Jenny Reed Music, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Entrance of the Swans: Mikayla Amick, Emma Clark, *Paige Downey/Stephanie Majer, Olivia Pierre, Katie Wilde, Kyliah Vruwink (*Wednesday evening only)
Prince: Matthew Andresen
Understudy: Paige Downey
Dance of the Little Swans: Mikayla Amick, Emma Clark, *Paige Downey/Stephanie Majer, Olivia Pierre (*Wednesday evening only)
Understudy: Paige Downey
Odette Variation: Katie Wilde
Odile Variation: Kyliah Vruwink
CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE
Choreography, Stacy Pottinger
Music, Sitting Under The Tree from Paul’s Field Recordings, edited by Stacy Pottinger; Soil (feat. NATURE), by Cosmo Sheldrake
Featuring: Mikala Klefstad, Magdalen Kolar, Ellie Neybert
HUSTLE & BUSTLE
Choreography, Gina Laurenzi
Music, “Night Over Manaus” Boozoo Bajou, “One Night in Rio” Louie Austen, “Boogie Stop Shuffle” Charles Mingus
Featuring: Liam Karth, Abbey Keen, Madelyn Richardson, Makayla Lynn Steinberg, Katie Wilde
Understudy: Mia Roche
TAPESTRY OF BEING
Choreography, Katherine O’Donnell Music, Escape Artist, by Zoe Keting
Featuring: Lydia Berryman, Emma Clark, Mara Lysne, *Tiffany Borger/Stephanie Majer, Olivia Pierre (*Wednesday evening only)
Understudy: Tiffany Borger
program
CRIMSON SUITE
Choreography, Ellie Neybert Music, Pulaski at Night by Andrew Bird; Infra 8 by Max Richter; La chanson des vieux amants by Jacques Brel; Gather Round by Mikael Karlsson; Nocturne (Interlude) by Laufey; The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns
Featuring: Lydia Berryman, Tiffany Borger, Hannah Donegan, Liz Duffy, Olivia Grace Forsyth, Abbey Keen, Magdalen Kolar, Ellie Neybert, Madelyn Richardson, Kyliah Vruwink
This work is in fulfillment of thesis requirements towards a Self-Design Major in Theatre with an emphasis in Choreography.
WHO IS SHE
Choreography, Jenna Jozefowski Music, “Who Is She” Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez
Featuring: Libby Donovan, Avery Jones, Madelyn Richardson, Makayla Lynn Steinberg, Katie Wilde
L(in)K
Choreography, Carissa Holmes Music, “Undone” and “Near Light” by Ólafur Arnalds
Featuring: Tiffany Borger, Paige Downey, Liz Duffy, Meghan Felgenhauer, Gabriela Morales, Makayla Lynn Steinberg
SOLAS IN EDEN
Choreography, Kyliah Vruwink Music, “Solas” by Jamie Duffy and “Take me back to Eden” by Sleep Token
Featuring: Abbey Keen, Ellie Neybert, Kyliah Vruwink
BREAKING STRINGS
Choreography, Mikala Klefstad Music, "Pinocchio" and "Armor" by Iniko
Featuring: Libby Donovan, Liz Duffy, *Mikala Klefstad/Stephanie Majer, Lili Natalija Radosavljevic, Katie Wilde (*Wednesday evening only)
PARSONS ETUDE (1999) based on dances by David Parsons
Choreography, David Parsons
Staging, Stacy Pottinger
Coaching, Erika Pujič
Music, Tony Powell
Featuring: Hannah Donegan, Liam Karth, Mikala Klefstad, Mara Lysne, Olivia Grace Forsyth
Parsons Etude is part of Dancing Legacy’s Repertory Etudes Collection, conceived and curated by Carolyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandberg. Repertory Etudes are short dances based on signature works by significant American choreographers that offer people, from all walks of life, the opportunity to explore, discuss, and appreciate their own personal connection to American dance as well as its cultural relevance.
about dancing legacy
Dancing Legacy shares the transformative power of dance through impactful experiences that pass on great dance to new generations of audiences and performers. Dancing Legacy has grown out of the life’s work of dance icons and collaborating sisters, Carolyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandberg, who recognize and honor dance as one of our nation’s greatest cultural assets. Since the early 1960s, Adams and Strandberg have played active and innovative roles in the dance field. Their ongoing research and groundbreaking pedagogy have transformed lives and an art form. Dancing Legacy's keystone resource, the Repertory Etude, allows students, dancers, and the general public to have access to modern dance masterpieces for learning, performing, and viewing. Repertory Etudes offer people, from all walks of life, the opportunity to explore, discuss, and appreciate their own personal connection to American dance as well as its cultural relevance.
production team & crew
Artistic Director Stacy Pottinger
Production Stage Manager Sarah Loster
Assistant Stage Manager Alyssa Sargis
Costume Design Kim Instenes
Technical Director and Light Design Zackary Simonini
Light Board Operator Amber Sherman
Sound Board Operator Daniel Michalec
Deck Crew Marcus Hanna
Sound Design Daniel Michalec
Wardrobe Crew Head Danae Palmer
Costume Crew
biographies
Vivian Alexander, Olivia Litton, Aubree Simon
Stacy Pottinger, Artistic Director/Choreographer
Stacy Pottinger directs the Dance Minor Program at Carthage College. She holds a B.F.A. in dance performance from Southern Methodist University, an M.A. in dance education from the State University of New York College at Brockport, and an M.F.A. in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Ms. Pottinger has worked with many independent dance artists and companies based in Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin and beyond. She performed with the Christopher Watson Dance Company (1996-2009), Biodance (2006-2007), Kinetic Evolutions Dance Company (2009), Danceworks Performance Company (2011) and has worked with internationally known artists including Bill Evans and Juanita Suarez. Her choreographic work has included a variety of interdisciplinary projects and collaborations with composers, musicians, video animators and teaching professionals of varying subjects. In addition to her titles as Director of the Dance Minor, Professor, and Artistic Director of the Theatre Department’s dance productions, Ms. Pottinger is Faculty Advisor for Carthage’s NDEO Student Chapter and National Honor Society for the Dance Arts, she currently serves as President-Elect for the Wisconsin Dance Council Board of
Kim Instenes, Costume Design
In addition to teaching Costumes and Makeup at Carthage, Kim works as a freelance costume and makeup designer in the Milwaukee/Chicago area. Professional design credits include SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE JERSEY LILY, DOUBT and JEEVES INTERVENES at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, MARY JANE at Forward Theater, THE GIVER, BIG; THE MUSICAL and THE SNOW at First Stage Children’s Theater, ROMEO AND JULIET at Milwaukee Shakespeare as well as work at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Renaissance Theaterworks, Utah Shakespearean Festival and the Racine Theatre Guild. As the faculty costume designer, she has designed SILENT SKY, A SEAT AT THE TABLE (new play by Regina Taylor) and INTO THE WOODS, to name a few. She holds an MFA in costume design and technology
from Ohio University and a BA in theatre from the University of WisconsinWhitewater. Directors, and she is a member of Dancing Legacy’s Educator’s Cohort.
Zackary “SLiM” Simonini, Light Design/Technical Director
Zackary is thrilled to be working with the Carthage team yet again. Slim is the Tech Director and sometimes professor of Stagecraft here at Carthage and enjoys being able to continue to make theatre magic! He is a General Theatre graduate from the class of 2012. When not Tech Directing he enjoys acting. He has been in several independent movies including Planetquake!, Weekend Deadaway, and Continental Split. He would like to thank his family, friends, Tommy, Marty, and his lovely superstar wife Allison Simonini. All of these wonderful people are owed a thank you for encouraging Slim to continue to pursue a life in the arts.
Carissa Holmes, Choreographer
Carissa Holmes is originally from Wauconda, IL. She has had the privilege of performing as a member of Terpsichore Dance Ensemble, Prairie Spirits Dance Troupe, TJ & Company Dancers, and Daved Beck’s Evolution: The Next Level. Cari co-owned and was artistic director of Dancer’s Pointe Academy of Dance for eight years, during which she also received her Associate of Arts in Dance and Associate of Fine Arts in Vocal Music Performance from the College of Lake County, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Wisconsin-Madison. While attending UW-Madison, she was awarded the Louise O. Kloepper Scholarship, the World Dance Alliance Scholarship and Bates Dance Festival Awards. During her degree coursework, Cari was also chosen to represent the UW-Madison Dance Department in the faculty adjudicated solo “Boxher” for the American College Dance Festival. After obtaining her degree, she returned to Illinois and co-founded a modern dance company, L-Theory Collective, in 2013. She choreographed, performed and taught master classes/ workshops with the company in Illinois, Michigan and Hawaii until 2019. As a dance instructor for over 25 years, Cari continues to enjoy directing Menagerie Dance Program at Wauconda Park District, teaching and choreographing for students of all ages. She seeks to provide a more bio-mechanically sound understanding during her students’ learning process in all dance forms.
Jenna Jozefowski, Choreographer
Jenna Jozefowski graduated from The University of Akron with a BA in Dance and a minor in Business Administration. Professionally, she has performed with Joel Hall Dancers II, RASA Dance Chicago, Chicago Dance Crash, and Chicago Tap Theatre. She has worked as an independent performance artist and choreographer; performing and presenting her work in Rebound Dance Festival, Dance Chicago, the Inaside Choreographic Sponsorship Event and Chicago Freelance Dance, to name a few. She is a member of the Midwest Committee of the Cecchetti Council of America and currently holds a Grade IV Teacher's Certificate. She has completed her iTap Teacher training as well as the Tap Teacher Training Program with American Tap Dance Foundation in NYC. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Carthage
College and several Chicago area studios, where she also serves as director of the tap performance companies. Jenna is also an E-RYT 200 yoga instructor and a NASM certified personal trainer, and loves using her knowledge of strength & conditioning to help her students improve their dancing. She is excited to be back choreographing at Carthage this season!
Gina Laurenzi, Choreographer
A mover, maker, researcher and educator, Gina Laurenzi (she/her) graduated from the University of WI-Milwaukee where she earned her MFA in dance. Before beginning her chapter in Milwaukee, Gina was awarded a full merit scholarship to train at Giordano Dance Chicago, later performing with Giordano II and Inaside Chicago Dance, among other Chicago artists. For seven years, Laurenzi owned and operated Laurenzi Dance (Kenosha, WI). In her hometown of Kenosha, Laurenzi presented work regularly and mentored local dance artists of all ages. Choreographing for many arts organizations every season, Laurenzi has set work on dancers of the UW-Milwaukee Dance Dept., Water Street Dance Milwaukee, Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC), Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Milwaukee HighSchool of the Arts, Makaroff Youth Ballet (Appleton, WI), Carthage College dance students and the Milwaukee Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program students. Since living in Milwaukee, Laurenzi has been able to perform the works of Daniel Burkholder, Simone Ferro, Marie Gillespie, Dani Kuepper, Deb Loewen, Jenni Reinke, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Christal Wagner, and Morgan Williams. Currently performing with Wild Space, DPMKE and Hyperlocal, Laurenzi works to maintain an active performance calendar and connections with many artists in the dance community. Laurenzi is presently a lecturer at the University of WIMilwaukee and Co-artistic Director at Danceworks in Milwaukee.
Jenny Reed, Choreographer
Jenny Reed is a dance teacher and choreographer based in northern Illinois. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and she graduated magna cum laude from Grand Valley State University in 2018 with a BA in Dance. Her graduate research examined dancers with chronic pain/medical conditions and how they manage their health while working in the dance field. During her time at Grand Valley, she had the privilege of performing in guest artist works by Richard Bowman, Autumn Eckman, Mark Haim, and Simon Thomas-Train. Her work “comPULSE” was selected by faculty to perform in the GVSU Spring Dance Concert in 2018. Jenny is an adjunct faculty member teaching ballet at Carthage College, and her choreographic works “Submerged” (2019) and “Pieces of Me” (2021) received the Carthage College Outstanding Dance Ensemble Award. She has also choreographed for the College of Lake County and Trifecta Dance Collective. Her dance on camera work “Uplifted” was presented at the 2020 Trifecta Dance Film Screening in Chicago. Jenny grew up dancing at the Grayslake Park District, and she now serves the studio as Director of Dance.
Erika Pujič, Dancing Legacy Guest Artist
program notes
Erika Pujič was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she began her dance training at the School of Cleveland Ballet. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Juilliard School where she was the recipient of the Martha Hill Award. Upon graduation, Ms. Pujič danced with Gloria Marina’s Spanish Dance Ensemble performing in New Jersey Opera’s “Carmen”. She was a principal dancer and rehearsal director for Henning Rubsam’s SENSEDANCE for seven years. Ms. Pujič was a founding member and rehearsal director for Battleworks Dance Company during its 10 year span (2000-2010). She has been an integral part of the creation of many works for Robert Battle and she has been dancing and setting his works for over 22 years.
David Parsons, Dancing Legacy Artist
“When David Parsons and Tony Award winning lighting designer Howell Binkley founded Parsons Dance in 1985, they knew exactly what they wanted to do: train dancers to develop the athletic prowess and technical skill that would engage audiences with the joy of it all.
He was a kid from Kansas City whose athletic talents surfaced early. He was a gymnast, a wrestler, a wild guy on the trampoline. When he was 9, his mother enrolled him in a summer dance program at Sunset Hill Academy, which was affiliated with the Missouri Dance Theater, a local presenter who often brought companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joffrey Ballet, and Paul Taylor Dance Company to town. Through the Missouri Dance Theater, Parsons met Christopher Gillis, a longtime Paul Taylor dancer. Gillis encouraged him to come to New York City to learn more about dance, and to Parsons, it seemed like the right move. So, at 17, after graduating early from high school, he made it to New York on a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey School, an opportunity he further supported by cleaning the Ailey studios, accepting $100 a month from his grandmother and $40 a month from his brother, while also pumping gas on New York City’s Upper East Side. After Ailey, he understudied with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and then joined the company as a principal dancer. He stayed for eight years. During summers, he toured with MOMIX; he appeared with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris in the first White Oak tour; and he launched his choreographic career by setting work on the Taylor Company and on the National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Batsheva Dance Company, and the Paris Opera Ballet.
Throughout his career, Parsons has created more than 75 works for Parsons Dance. He has received commissions from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, the Spoleto Festival, and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, among many others. In 2018, he received the Capezio Award, one of the most prestigious awards in dance.” From David Parsons Dance: https://www.parsonsdance.org/about/david-parsons
Mikala Klefstad, Choreographer
Mikala Klefstad is a junior Mathematics major with education and dance minors. Her choreography displayed in this show is a development from a class final. This is her second piece presented in a dance performance at Carthage. Breaking Strings explores leaving what you know and finding yourself in the world.
Ellie Neybert, Choreographer
Ellie Neybert is a senior Music Theatre and Self-Design Theatre Production: Choreography Emphasis double major. Her choreography presented will be a suite comprised of six different movements. She wants to challenge herself with new styles of movement, music, as well as composition on a larger scale. This is her second time presenting choreography at Carthage College. Ellie would like to thank everyone for their support in this endeavor, as well as throughout her dance career.
Katherine O’Donnell, Choreographer
Katherine O’Donnell is a junior Psychology major with minors in Business and Dance. This is her second time choreographing for a Carthage Dance Performance. Her choreography is a further development from a class final, where she explored myth. Her piece Tapestry of Being explores the thread of life. Katherine would like to thank her family, friends and dancers for supporting and inspiring her.
Kyliah Vruwink, Choreographer
Kyliah Vruwink is a Junior self-design Dance major with a minor in Studio Art. Her choreography displayed in this show is a development from a class final, and this is her third piece presented in a dance concert at Carthage College. When she is not choreographing, Kyliah also performs in shows such as the annual Away From the Mirror. She spends many hours painting, crocheting, and enjoying any art form she can.
Sarah Loster, Production Stage Manager
Sarah is a senior Theatre Performance major with minors in Costume Design and Secondary Education. This is her fifth time as Stage Manager at Carthage. Some of her most recent involvement here at Carthage has been stage managing AWAY FROM THE MIRROR 2024 and IN/VISIBLE, performing in WHEREVER YOU’VE BEEN as Mandy, and costume designing I AND YOU. Sarah would like to thank her Mom for always being there to support her.
department of theatre faculty and staff
Jenny Bauer Instructor of Theatre
Breannin Beelow Instructor of Theatre
Maureen Chavez-Kruger Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre
Jessica Connelly Instructor of Theatre
Dave Gonzalez Fight Choreographer, Instructor of Theatre
Kim Instenes
Costume Designer, Associate Professor of Theatre
Herschel Kruger Department Chair, Professor of Theatre
Martin McClendon Professor of Theatre
Ken Miller Instructor of Theatre
Dr. Neil Scharnick
Zackary “SLiM” Simonini
Grace Weir
Honors Director, Associate Professor of Theatre
Technical Director, Instructor of Theatre
Costume Shop Assistant, Instructor of Theatre
dance faculty & staff
Rich Ashworth Adjunct Instructor of Dance
Rebecca Crystal Adjunct Instructor Of Dance
Cari Holmes Adjunct Instructor of Dance
Stacy Pottinger Director of Dance Minor, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Dance
Jenny Reed Adjunct Instructor of Dance
music theatre faculty & staff
Dr. Corinne Ness Dean, Arts and Humanities Division, Director of Graduate Music Theatre Studies, Professor of Music
Melissa Kelly Cardamone Staff Accompanist
Yu-Mei Chang Staff Accompanist
Matthew Hougland Music Department Chair, Director of Undergraduate Music Theatre Studies, Assistant Professor of Music
The 150th Annual Carthage Christmas Festival
Friday & Saturday, December 6 & 7 • 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 • 4 p.m.
A. F. Siebert Chapel
Soviet Art Symposium: Peace, Parity, the New Cold War Prokofiev Concert - Sonata in C major for Cello and Piano, Op. 119
Tuesday, January 14 • 7:30 p.m.
A. F. Siebert Chapel
Soviet Art Symposium Presents: ANFRACTUOUS - A Screening of Soviet Era Animation “tale of Tales” (1979) by Yuri Norstein
Wednesday, January 15 • 1-3 p.m.
Visual & Performing Arts Lab
Soviet Art Symposium Presents: “The Politics of Poetry-in-Translation”, Matvei Yankelevich
Wednesday, January 15 • 6 - 7 p.m.
Visual & Performing Arts Lab
Soviet Art Symposium Presents: Roundtable Discussion with Jerald Mast, Eric Pullin, Paul Ulrich and Gary Keller
Thursday, January 16 • 1 - 3 p.m.
Visual & Performing Arts Lab
The Arts at Carthage acknowledges that the land on which our building stands is part of the traditional Potawatomi, Sioux, Peoria, Kickapoo, and Miami peoples past, present, and future. These homelands reside along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes. We honor with gratitude the land itself, and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. Many Indigenous peoples thrived in this place—alive and strong, andthis calls us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit as well.