Photo: Julie Lucas
WEEK ONE | NOVEMBER
21–22, 2024
Lighting Design: Giau Truong
the blue seems eternal
CHOREOGRAPHY: Aly Owens in collaboration with Taylor Davis
PERFORMER: Taylor Davis
MUSIC: Down Down Down by Aly Owens, Survive by Peter Sandberg, Don’t Go by Christopher Dennis Colemen, The War by SYML
FILM AND SCORE: Aly Owens
FACULTY MENTOR: Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Thank you to my beautiful dancer Taylor for being in this special piece and thank you to my beautiful mentor Dardi for helping me in this process. This piece is dedicated to the soul we lost; may he rest in peace.
The Awakening
CHOREOGRAPHY: Prince Adrean
PERFORMERS: Milenka Aurelio, Isabela Bastardo, Rylee Binkly, Grace Butt, Courtney Cooper, Sophie Daker, Konnie Kakridas, Shannon Lane, Aly Owens, Sophia Peck, Amari Smith, Imani Smith, J Stephens, Rihanna Young
MUSIC: Candor by Balmorhea, Behind the World by Balmorhea, InstaLife by NomiSupasta feat. Thandiswa Mazwai
SOUND CLIPS: Fox News Milwaukee, Chicago, & California
VOICEOVER: Adrean Maxwell
FACULTY MENTOR: Bevara Anderson
This work is dedicated the those that are just trying to make it through…..
CHOREOGRAPHY: Konnie Kakridas in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Kayla Hansen, Adele Roberts, Gabby Sheets
DRAMATURGY: Bella Jevtic & Kayla Karnesky
MUSIC: Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin, Ladyfingers by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, You’re Gonna Miss Me by Connie Francis, La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong
MUSIC MIX: Konnie Kakridas
FACULTY MENTOR: Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Special thanks to my beautiful dancers, amazing dramaturges, and to the wonderful Dardi McGinley-Gallivan and Colleen Halloran
(Pause)
To Be Danced
CHOREOGRAPHY: Sophia Peck in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Isabel Bastardo, Kwon Boyd, Grace Butt, Taylor Davis, Shannon Lane, Elizabeth Moran, Lauren Payne, Caroline “CJ” Triche, Rhianna Young
MUSIC: Something Cool by June Christy, Walk On By by Dionne Warwick, To Be Loved by Jackie Wilson
COSTUMES: Sophia Peck, Caroline “CJ” Triche, and The Getz Theatre Center
Costume Shop
SET: The Getz Theatre Center Prop Shop
FACULTY MENTOR: Lisa Gonzales
Special thanks to Alicia Leigh for sharing Jewel Mathieson’s We Have Come to Be Danced with me, to the most patient and hardworking cast whom I have endless appreciation for, and to Lisa Gonzales for being an incredible mentor inside and outside of the studio.
Memento ...
CHOREOGRAPHY: Devon Saxman in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Emmie Banayat & Ash Williams
MUSIC: Pox by Good Kid , Death of the Phone Call by Whatever, Dad , How To Never Stop Being Sad by dandelion hands , Omen by Oliver Riot , Lithonia by Childish Gambino, Phobia Orgasma by Oliver Riot , Just Take my Wallet by Jack Stauber
FACULTY ADVISOR: Emma Draves
CHOREOGRAPHY: Lauren Payne in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Amanda Baity, Milenka Aurelio, Taylor Davis, Shannon Lane, Lola JettBeachley, Sophia Peck, Najah Muhammad, Amari Smith, Imani Smith, Caroline “Cj” Triche, Emma Wilson
MUSIC: Gold Coast Rhythm (Wallach Party), Gold Coast Rhythm (Sidney’s Solo), Gold Coast Rhythm (Juan Bonilla), Gold Coast Rhythm (Jack’s Party) by Justin Hurwitz
FACULTY MENTOR: Bevara Anderson
Thank you to my sister for always letting me choreograph on her in our basement.
WEEK TWO | DECEMBER 5 – 6, 2024
Lighting Design: Giau Truong
how much more can i take?
CHOREOGRAPHY: Violet Czerwinski
PERFORMERS: Milenka Aurelio, Sophie Daker, Sophia Cozzi, Bella Shea, Helia Silveira, J Stephens, Ash Williams, Emma Wilson
MUSIC: Pure Gold by Half Alive, Doin’ Time by Lana Del Rey
FACULTY MENTOR: Bevara Anderson
I want to thank my cast for being the most wonderful humans to go through this process with.
To what end?
CHOREOGRAPHY: Kayla Hansen in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Daniela Aranda, Violet Czerwinski, Konnie Kakridas, and Gabby Sheets
MUSIC: Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes , Supermodel by SZA , Running by Abi Ocia , Luscious Life by Patrick Watson , Open Arms by SZA ft. Travis Scot t
FACULTY MENTOR: Darrell Jones
A huge thank you to Darrell and Colleen for their support and guidance throughout this process, and to my phenomenal cast for their hard work in helping me bring this work to life!
CHOREOGRAPHY: Vi McMahon in collaboration with dancers
DANCERS: Kaya Gross, Bella Shea, Ash Williams
MUSIC: Loyalty by Sofiane Pamart, Cynophobia by manika
FACULTY MENTOR: Darrell Jones
This one’s for the elephants in the room, and for the queery that made it possible. (Pause)
do I need you?
CHOREOGRAPHY: Kaya Gross in collaboration with the dancers
DANCERS: Lizeth Hernández & Gabriela Marks
MUSIC: Forever…(is a long time) by Halsey, Under My Skin by Jukebox The Ghost
FACULTY MENTOR: Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Thank you, Dardi, for mentoring and supporting me through this creative process.
F E M M E
CHOREOGRAPHY: Rhianna Young in collaboration with the dancers
DANCERS: Daniela Aranda, Amanda Baity, Rylee Binkley, Lola Jett-Beachley, Sophia Cozzi, Violet Czerwinski, Sophie Daker, Dale “Darla Tisdale” Perry, Bella Shea, Helia Silveira, J Stephens, Caroline “CJ” Triche, Kaleigh Young, Rhianna Young
MUSIC: A & W by Lana Del Ray, 212 by Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay, Rinse & Repeat by Riton, Kah-Lo
MUSIC MIX: Dale Perry
FACULTY MENTOR: Darrell Jones
Many thanks to my phenomenal cast and mentor Darrell for keeping the energy and soul of this work alive always.
BIOS
Prince Adrean’s dance journey began at Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, where he learned praise/ liturgical dance. At the age of 8, he started African dance training and later joined the Ton Ko-Thi Children Performing Ensemble and Ko-Thi Dance Company. There he was able to learn from master teachers such as Youssuf Koumbasa and Mbemba Bangoura. Adrean started training in western concert styles such as Ballet,
Modern/ Contemporary, and Jazz with Tbey Arts Center in 2014, and has been a part of the Tbey community sense then. Adrean is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Columbia College Chicago and he performs as a Company 2 artist with Muntu Dance Theater. Adrean study’s around the U.S bring a wealth of knowledge from Guinea, Senegal, and Mali, blending African Diaspora themes with Western concert styles. He has choreographed and taught works for Tbey Arts Center, Signature Dance Company, Lincoln Center of the Arts, Dance Works, and Winifred Haun’s: First Draft Chicago Dance.
Daniela Aranda attended Columbia College Chicago majoring in Dance along with a minor in Vocal Performance. Her passion as an interdisciplinary artist continued at Columbia, where her exploration is inspired by her Mexican culture. She continues her artistic development through multiple creative lenses even after graduation, currently teaching Hip Hop at Teatro Tariakuri.
Milenka Aurielo has been dancing for approximately ten years. She graduated from the Chicago High-School for the Arts (ChiArts) and is now a second- year BFA student. Milenka is interested in choreography and dance teachings.
Amanda Baity is a junior from Chicago, IL, currently pursuing a BA in Dance Studies at Columbia College Chicago. Throughout her training, Amanda has studied various styles of dance, including Jazz, Ballet, and Modern. She looks forward to continued exploration and growth throughout her dance journey.
Emmie Banayat (she/her) is a junior student at Columbia College Chicago majoring in Dance. Growing up with a focus mainly on Hip Hop and Street Dance, she blends her training with Classical and Modern/ Contemporary styles to craft a distinctive, dynamic movement vocabulary that is both expressive and innovative. She aims to continue performing both commercially and recreationally, working towards her overarching goal of backup dancing one day.
Isabel Bastardo is a Senior Dance and Arts Management double major from Milwaukee, WI. She has been dancing for 12 years, training primarily in Jazz and Contemporary under the direction of Gina Laurenzi. Isabel’s work spans from concert dance to Musical Theatre. She aims to continue performing and researching movement with a focus on Latin social dance.
Rylee Binkley is a junior dance major here at Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Plainfield, Illinois, Rylee came to the city to study film and changed to a dance major beginning her sophomore year! With all of the training absorbed this past year, she can’t wait to show you how much she has improved!
Kwon Boyd was born and raised in Chicago and is currently a senior studying dance at Columbia College Chicago. He started his dance journey at age 10 and since then, has been trained in Hip Hop, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, and West African dance.
Grace Butt was born in the vibrant city of Chicago and her dance journey began at a very young age, setting the stage for a lifelong passion. Now a dedicated dance student at Columbia College Chicago, she seamlessly integrates different dance styles into each expressive movement. Grace’s commitment to the study and profound love for the captivating world of dance shines through in every harmonious step she takes.
Courtney Cooper is a gifted dancer from Washington, DC with over six years of training in Classical Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, and West African. Courtney is an NAACP ACT-SO regional gold medal winner in Modern Dance. Courtney has traveled locally and internationally, most recently as a featured performer at the International Association of Blacks in Dance in Toronto, CA. Courtney is a dynamic talent, with a love for people and exploring how her energy and ambition can uplift and positively influence humanity and culture. She is a bold artist with passion, enthusiasm, and a fierce curiosity for life and art.
Sophia Cozzi is a second year student at Columbia College Chicago from Naperville, Illinois. She is majoring in Dance and Art History, and she hopes to pursue a career in art restoration. She has trained in numerous styles of dance from a young age and is enjoying learning and growing as a dancer at CCC.
Violet Czerwinski (she/her) is a junior year Dance BFA at Columbia College Chicago. She has been dancing for 16 years, 10 of those competitively. She trained in mostly Contemporary and Jazz work.
Sophie Daker is a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago. They have been dancing for 17 years, training is various styles growing up. Sophie has a passion for challenging work and performance with the influence of Contemporary, Jazz and Modern forms.
Taylor Davis is a senior at Columbia studying Film and Television Writing. She’s been dancing since childhood and enjoys performing with the dance department as a way to continue fostering her passion.
Kaya Gross is a Danish and American dancer, aerialist and performer. They are a Senior at Columbia College Chicago working towards a BA in Dance with a minor in Film and Television Studies. During high school Kaya spent a year studying dance at Efterskolen for Scenekunst, a performing arts boarding school in Denmark. They have also trained and performed with A-WOL Dance Collective in Portland, Oregon for many years as part of both their youth performance group, Aeros, and their pre-professional training company, Flyco.
Kayla Hansen is a dancer and choreographer born and raised on the Northside of Chicago. She began dancing at the age of four and has not stopped since. Her early training comes from Southport Performing Arts Conservatory and Rhoads Academy of Dance. Kayla has danced, performed, and studied with other companies, including Gus Giordano, Joel Hall Dance Center, Still Inspired, Joffrey Ballet, Picture Us Different, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2021, Kayla graduated from the Senn Arts Dance Program at Nicholas Senn High School, where she presented several works for the Senn Arts Dance Concerts. In 2019, 2021, and 2023 her choreography was accepted into Still Inspired’s Future Artists program, where she showcased her choreography at The Athenaeum Theatre in 2020, 2022, and 2023 and at The Edge Theater in 2024.
Kayla is currently a senior BFA dance major and education minor at Columbia College Chicago. While at Columbia, Kayla has premiered works like Rush Hour, To, Too, Two, Paradigm, and I would like to say...time keeps moving. Kayla is eager to continue this journey of growth in her movement and artistry.
Lizeth Adaly Hernández is a dancer and woman who emigrated from Quito, Ecuador to be able to fulfill her dream of being a dancer and to get her work and effort valued. She is always focused on being empathetic and loving with all people and her loved ones.
Lola Jett-Beachley is a dancer from Pittsburgh PA, where she trained at PBT and Bodiography Contemporary Ballet. She is currently a sophomore at Columbia and hopes to pursue Ballet, Contemporary, choreography, and teaching.
Bella Jevtic is a senior acting major here at Columbia. She loves coming to all of the dance shows and seeing all of the talent this program has to offer. Bella extends a special shout out to Konnie for always being so lovely to be around and work with.
Konnie Kakridas was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her narrative and heartfelt work as she is establishing herself as a figure in the world of dance. Konnie discovered her passion for dance at an early age studying at Forevermore Dance & Theatre Arts in Chicago, Illinois and is currently embarking on a creative journey studying at Columbia College Chicago to earn her BFA in dance in the Spring of 2025. Studying amongst Kerrie Ann Grace, Ginger Jensen, Darrell Jones, Bevara Anderson, Carrie Hanson, and many more, Konnie has been able to spend her time digesting the ideologies and vocabulary these teachers have been able to provide her with. With years of experience as an artist, Konnie has spent her years studying the styles of Ballet, Modern/Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Tap, West African, Umfundalai, Jazz, and Improvisation. Konnie is actively involved in the dance world as she has performed at Harvest Dance Festival and Delve Dance Festival. Outside of her schooling and performing, Konnie is also a teaching assistant teaching dance at local Chicago senior centers and working as a childcare provider. She’s motivated by seeing eagerness in dancers that want to learn and enjoys being able to be a positive light in an individual’s life. Her commitment to the field of dance reflects upon her long-term goal of making the dance environment a safe and inviting space for dancers of all demographics.
Kayla Karnesky is a senior Playwriting and Acting major at CCC. She has been Kons fearless roommate since the beginning of time, and thanks her for everything she’s ever done, “you’re an inspiration to everyone around”.
Shannon Lane is pursuing her BFA in Dance as a junior at Columbia College Chicago. She started dancing at the age of 7 in her hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, training primarily in Ballet and Modern techniques. She is currently teaching dance at both the Academy of Movement and Music, where she honed her skill, as well as the Park District of Oak Park, where she first started ballet. She plans to continue teaching dance and performing as she develops her training in Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary.
Vi McMahon is an avid mover, writer and interdisciplinary creative. Currently studying Dance and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, Vi bridges gaps between physical embodiment and written word to create transformative queer work.
Gabriela Marks recently moved to Chicago to study after growing up in Bogota, Colombia her whole life. She is now working towards a Graphic Design BA and a minor in Dance at Columbia College Chicago, experiencing and learning about a very different culture to the one she grew up in.
Elizabeth Moran is a first generation Mexican & Peruvian-American. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and dancing from the age of 3, most of her work reflects her Latin heritage as she has discovered her cultural Identity through dance. Her passions of movement and performance fall into primarily Hip Hop and Salsa. Elizabeth is currently in pursuit of her Bachelor of Arts of Dance at Columbia College Chicago.
Najah Muhammad is a 21-year-old dancer based in Chicago. She studied Dance and Musical Theater at Columbia College Chicago. Najah was inspired to pursue a career in dance for personal and spiritual growth and is excited for more opportunities to share movement with the world.
Aly Owens was raised in Warsaw, Indiana where started her dance career at Debra Collier’s School of Dance. She now lives in Chicago where she attends Columbia College Chicago. Through their programs she has presented her own work and also has danced in many beautiful pieces from Second Line and Hip Hop to Umfundalai and Modern. Aly loves to learn any styles when she has the chance to take them.
Lauren Payne is a student of Columbia College Chicago, majoring in Dance and minoring in Arts Management. She has danced since the age of four under Kathi Nallia, and trained and performed around the greater Kansas City area before moving to Chicago to continue her dance career.
Sophia Peck is a Junior working towards her Dance Bachelor of Fine Arts at Columbia College Chicago. After 12 years of training in Columbus, Ohio under Jeri Pinnell and working with several notable choreographers, Sophia is excited to be furthering her dance education.
Dale “Darla Tisdale” Perry (Any Pronouns) is a Chicago based drag entertainer. They are currently putting their AA from College of Dupage and BA from Columbia College Chicago to use, performing and backup dancing regularly. They are a jack of all trades artist, including Dancing, Choreographing, Sewing, Drawing, Acting, Photography, and Singing.
Adele Roberts is a junior at Dominican University studying Sociology and Criminology. She has been dancing for 18 years, training with Forevermore Dance and Theatre Arts, where she also teaches. Adele has performed with Glenwood Dance Studio the past two summers and aims to connect her passions for dance and criminology in her future career.
Devon Saxman (They/Them) is a Contemporary dancer in their third year at Columbia College Chicago as a BFA Dance Major. Raised in southwest Florida, they studied dance for over 8 years with a focus in Afro-Modern, Contemporary, Modern, West African, and Hip Hop with minor studies in Flamenco, Pointe, and Improvisation.
Bella Shea is a current junior dance major at Columbia College Chicago. Bella has had 18 years of training in various styles such as Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Sports Acrobatics, Jazz, and Ballet at Motion Express School of Dance and Acrobatics and was also incredibly involved in their competition team Dance Force. After college Bella plans to continue pursuing concert and music video dance as well as chorus dancing in theatre.
Gabby Sheets is completing her final semester at Columbia College Chicago, specializing in Contemporary dance styles with an emphasis on Improvisation. She has had the privilege of performing in works created by both faculty and peers. Gabby has also presented her own original choreography.
Helia Silveira started her dance training at the age of three at Ipswich Moving Company, in Ipswich, Massachusetts. She attended several summer camps including the Boston Conservatory Summer Contemporary Dance Intensive, the Windhover Performing Arts Summer Dance Intensive, and the Modern Dance Intensive with Dusan Tynek Dance Company. She is now continuing her dance studies at Columbia College Chicago.
Amari Smith is a dedicated dancer studying and training in dance programs in Chicago IL, focusing on various styles such as Ballet, Modern, Jazz, West African, and Hip Hop. She has been a part of many programs within her community while also training with The Joffrey Ballet. Amari is currently a junior at Columbia College Chicago acquiring her BA in Dance, while also taking many dance classes in the Chicago community. Amari is extremely excited to continue her passion and journey in dance auditioning for companies, becoming a commercial dancer, performer, and choreographer.
Imani Smith is currently a senior at Columbia College, majoring in Dance with a minor in Education. With having various connections to dance since a young age, it has always been a part of her life. Training in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Horton, West African, and Hip Hop, she loves expressing herself throughout her movements.
J Stephens (they/them) is from Buffalo, New York and is a fourth year student pursuing a B.A. in Dance at Columbia College Chicago. They have a background in musical theatre, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and currently J’s corporeal research is driven by an interest in the intersection of Modern/Contemporary aesthetics and various street styles. Due to this melting pot of inseparable stylistic embodied knowledge, J strives to represent a mix of movement styles rooted in their ability across various dance forms.
Caroline “CJ” Triche, whose training began in Seattle, Washington, is a second year student at Columbia earning a BFA in Dance. CJ is trained in multiple styles and is expanding that range at CCC.
Ash Williams is a dancer and performer from Oregon. They have studied with various organizations such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Common Conservatory/Commemoration, NW Dance Project and Open Space. They are currently working towards achieving their BA in Dance at Columbia College Chicago and on track to graduate in 2026. After graduating, Ash plans to pursue a career with a touring dance company.
Emma Wilson is currently in her junior year of a BA in Dance at Columbia College Chicago. She was born in Houston, Texas and grew up training in Ballet and Modern.
Kaleigh Young started her early dance training at Braemar Dance Center in Frankfort Illinois, and danced competitively for most of her childhood. She’s been involved in several school theatre productions as a featured dancer including The Phantom of The Opera and Singin’ In the Rain. Her best styles are Contemporary and Hip Hop, and she’s thrilled to be in her first performance at Columbia!
Rhianna Young’s early training started in Frankfort, Illinois at Braemar Dance Center, where she took classes and competed in a variety of styles including Jazz, Hip Hop, and Contemporary. Now, she is in the final year of her pursuit of a BFA in dance at Columbia College Chicago, where she’s presented works such as Blue Lips (Spring ‘22) and there’s room for all of you here (Fall ‘23). She teaches and choreographs across the South Chicago suburbs for T-N-T Extreme Dance, Wish Dance Academy, and Braemar Dance Center. Rhianna focuses on contemporary forms and ideas of dance within her movement, along with the influence of the plethora of other styles she has taken.
FACULTY MENTOR BIOS
Bevara Anderson is a professional dance artist from the Maryland coast. Bevara focuses on the embodied research that lives within Umfundalai, House, Footwork, Horton, Contemporary Ballet, Improvisation, and many other Contemporary movement styles. Bevara is now rendering dance work based in narrative, abstraction, meditation, and continues to consider the experience of joy as a form of resistance in the Black American community. Bevara is of the final generation of dancers to study under the direct tutelage of Dr. Kariamu Welsh, and holds this feat with pride as she continues to share Dr. Welsh’s technique, Umfundalai.
Emma Draves is a dance artist and educator navigating spaces of identity. Emma draws from trainings in Modern, Bharatanatyam, Ballet, Jazz, and ethnography, to weave work of kinesthetic narrative - derived through colliding multiplicities of physical effort, idiosyncrasy, and emotional landscape. Emma’s choreographic work has been shown internationally in Edinburgh (UK) & Vancouver (BC), as well as at NYU, Hamlin Park, High Concept Labs, Links Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Columbia College Chicago; and commissioned by Danceworks Company and UW-Milwaukee. As a performer, Emma worked with Mordine & Company, Hedwig Dances, and Archana Kumar; and theatrical productions at Victory Gardens and Lookingglass Theatre. Trained in Bharatanatyam under Smt. Hema Rajagopalan, Emma has enjoyed a long association with Natya Dance Theatre as a performing artist - participating in national tours and international collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma & Silk Road Project, NanJombang (Indonesia), and Astad Deboo (India) - grant-writer. archivist, and Executive Director. Emma holds a GLCMA & MFA - and has served on faculty at Northeastern Illinois University, Columbia College Chicago, College of DuPage, Northwestern University, and OK State University.
Darrell Jones is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dance whose specializations are Contemporary Dance Technique, Improvisation, Contact Improvisation, Movement for Actors, Conditioning, Pedagogy,with his area of research focusing on mechanisms of oppression and liberatory practices. Darrell is a 2024 Walder Foundation Platform Award recipient and has received choreographic fellowships from MANCC (Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography), CDF (Chicago Dancemakers Forum) and has additionally been a recipient of the Wesleyan University Creative Campus Fellow (2017), MAP Fund (2017) and Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. A two-time Bessie Award recipient for his collaborative work with Bebe Miller Company (Landing Place) his most recent research into (e)feminized ritual performance (Hoo-Ha). For the past ten years, his artistic research has found its central focus through a conversation between his postmodern training and the voguing aesthetic. Through years of experimenting and analyzing oppression as it lives in the body, Darrell seeks to excavate how individuals accumulate identity and mirror culture through movement. Darrell has a BA in Psychology from the University of Florida and a MFA in Dance from Florida State University.
Lisa Gonzales is an Associate Professor and Chair of Dance. She teaches courses in Choreography, Improvisation, Contemporary Technique and Experiential Anatomy. She has been described as a performer of “stunning power and nuance” by the New York Times and remains professionally devoted to the practices of performing, improvising, choreographing and teaching. Domestically her work has been seen in a diverse collection of spaces including in New York City: DTW, Danspace at St. Mark’s Church, Joyce Soho, Dixon Place, WAX, Joe’s Pub, John Jay College, and Brick Studio among others, and Chicago: at the Dance Center of Columbia College, Hamlin Park, Links Hall, and MANA Contemporary as part of an Incubational Artist Residency with High Concept Labs. Internationally, Gonzales’ work has been presented at the historic LuLing Theater in Taipei, Taiwan, at the Dostoyevsky Theater in St. Petersburg Russia, in Helsinki, Finland, and in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. She is a recent recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and she will be presenting her new work, a dance-puppetry collaboration with designer, Tom Lee, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia this fall. Gonzales received a BA from Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT and an MFA in Dance with a specialization in choreography from The Ohio State University.
Dardi McGinley-Gallivan is a Professor of Instruction in the Dance Department who specializes in Pedagogy and Modern Technique courses. Dardi is a founding member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak Dance Company, performed for Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, and Colleen Halloran Performance Group (live and dance for camera). She received the Louis Sutler Prize for the Arts as an undergraduate and a Ruth Page Award in Chicago for Performance. Dardi has a long history of teaching residencies for Antares Danza Contemporeanea in Hermosillio, Mexico and received two Faculty
Development Grants to facilitate projects with Antares company member, Isaac Chau. She received her BA in Art History with a Minor in Dance from Emory University and her MA in Dance from The Ohio State University.
THE DANCE CENTER PRODUCTION CREW
CHOREOGRAPHIC PROJECTS CONCERT COORDINATOR: Colleen Halloran
CONCERT PRODUCTION STUDENT CREW: Amir Rodriguez Abdalla, Violet Czerwinski, Shannon Lane, Aly Owens, J Stephens, Rhianna Young
CONCERT PRODUCTION COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Ayo Walker
MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR: Jane Jerardi
STAGE MANAGER: Joyy Norris
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND LIGHTING DESIGNER: Giau Truong
Colleen Halloran is an adjunct faculty member in the Dance and Theatre Departments where she teaches Choreography, Advanced Topics in Dance, Screen Dance and Sound Design, and Foundations in Theatre. A choreographer, filmmaker, and educator in Chicago, Colleen is intrigued by the intersection and manipulation of movement, image, and story to arrive at a collective “whole”. She has been awarded numerous grants for her dance choreography and her films have screened in Japan, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Atlanta and Chicago. Her feature screenplays have been finalists for The Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Quarterfinalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. Colleen has been on faculty at Columbia College Chicago since 1997.
Jane Jerardi serves as the Media/Technology Coordinator for the Dance Center, providing video documentation for both the Presenting Series and its academic programs. As a part of its faculty, she teaches video for dance and choreography courses. In her role, she has documented and edited over 250 performances, workshops, and events, providing essential documentation to artists and adding to the Dance Center’s leading, regional archive of materials dating from 1980 to the present. An artist working in the media of performance, choreography, and video installation, her work has been presented at galleries and theaters in Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC.
Joyy Norris is a writer, creator, creative consultant, and arts/film programmer. She works as a Creative Contractor with organizations, productions, individual creatives and small businesses to realize their creative visions and put them into practice. She has worked as Cultural Arts Coordinator for the City of Evanston where I fostered the arts in Evanston by developing relationships with artists and arts organizations by networking and professional development and granting opportunities. She has worked as a Co-Producer and Artist Facilitator with Soham Dance Space, Operations and Programs Manager with Sisters in Cinema, Assistant Director and Production Manager with RMB Studios, Programming Associate with Chicago International Film Festival, Interim Theatre and Performing Arts Program Manager with the University of Chicago’s Arts and Public Life Initiative, and Operations Manager for the Rebuild Foundation. She serves on the Advisory Board for Chicago Made Shorts, a Member of Mezcla Media Collective and a former Committee Member with the Chicago International Film Festival Black Perspectives Committee. She received an B.A. in Cinema Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.F.A in Documentary Media from Northwestern University.
Giau Truong is a versatile artist and technologist whose work spans performance, design, fabrication, and technology. Over a decade ago, he served as a teaching artist at StoryCatcher (formerly Music Theatre Workshop), where he managed programs and taught set design, construction, storytelling, script writing, etc. In this role, he created transformative educational experiences for teens at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville, fostering creativity and engagement among incarcerated youth. Giau has also designed and fabricated environments for diverse events, ranging from theatre performances to pop-up events, enhancing audience engagement through interactive technology. In his art practice, Giau focuses on creating spaces that explore human behavior within environments, offering unique, transformative experiences. He co-founded Axis Lab, an arts and architecture community organization in Uptown, Chicago, focused on urban design, culinary curating, and arts education. Axis Lab advocates for the ethical development of immigrant and refugee communities. Amidst the pandemic, Giau pioneered initiatives at Links Hall to foster collaborations between technologists and artists, devising virtual performances that captivate and engage audiences remotely. He currently works full-time at Links Hall as Technical Director and Associate Curator, driving innovation and supporting the intersection of technology and the arts.
Dr Ayo Walker is a performance studies partitioner, choreographer, and Dance and African American Studies educator. Her praxis is committed to substantiating the techniques, vernaculars, and genealogies and embodiment of historically marginalized and othered dance aesthetics. Her work is rooted in visibilizing the “Blood Memories,” “Aesthetic of the Cool,” and “The Get Down” qualities in Africanist and Black Dance aesthetics. Employing social justice choreography representative of anti-essentialist movement that is at once exposing and undoing stereotypical assumptions historically signifying the body politic, her works challenge what performing blackness is and isn’t.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE AND DANCE
Columbia College Chicago’s School of Theatre and Dance, provides students with hands-on experience to ignite passion and develop professional skills to launch careers on and off stage. The School of Theatre and Dance produce approximately 40 productions a year, giving students multiple opportunities to perform, dance, design, produce, choreograph, direct, and stage manage.
Interim Director, School of Theatre and Dance
Jimmy Norega
Associate Director of Dance
Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Associate Director of Theatre
Wendi Weber
ABOUT THE DANCE CENTER
Home to the academic Dance Department and the Dance Presenting Series, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago values embodied human expression and nurtures an expansive understanding of dance from the established to the experimental.
Centering pluralism, the Dance Center aims to be a nucleus for innovation and creativity—on stage, in the classroom, and beyond.
By partnering with local, national, and international dance artists dedicated to transforming the field, the Dance Presenting Series offers live performances and other shared opportunities for students, faculty, artists, and audiences to connect, witness, research, experiment, practice, imagine, and grow.
We cultivate an environment and culture that prioritizes respect for self and others, and advances an anti-racist, equitable, and just society.
THE DANCE CENTER FACULTY
Founder
Shirley Mordine
Faculty
Bevara Anderson
Lisa Gonzales
Susan Imus
Darrell Jones
Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Kelsa “K-Soul” RiegerHaywood
Dr. Ayo Walker
Jessica Young
Adjunct Faculty
T. Ayo Alston
Keesha Beckford
Malik Camara
Zineb Chraibi
Shaker Cohlmia
Allen Desterhaft
Emma Draves
Colleen Halloran
Carrie Hanson
Daniel “BRAVEMONK” Haywood
Gina Hoch-Stall
Matthew Hollis
Jane Jerardi
Mary Klonowski
Hau Kum Leung Kneip
Michael McGinn
Pamela McNeil
Jimmy Payne
Emily Stein
Trae Turner
Meghann Wilkinson
Thomas Zwergel
THEATRE FACULTY
Faculty
Paul C. Amandes
Michael Anthony Brown
David Castellanos
Mikhail Fiksel
Nelli Fritjofson
Heather Gilbert
Julie Granata-Hunicutt
Sami Hussain Ismat
Anne M. Libera
Frances Maggio
Jimmy Noriega
Grace Overbeke
Susan Padveen
Jaqueline A. Penrod
Michael Pogue
Wilfredo Rivera
Brian Shaw
Stephanie L. Shaw
Kendra Thulin
Amy Toruno
Richard L. Walker
Wendi Weber
Albert N. “Bill” Williams
Dr. John Williams
David Wooley
Adjunct Faculty
Brittany Price Anderson
Carson G. Becker
Karen L. Berger-Nolte
Rachel L. Bunting
Jeremy Michael Cohn
Enneressa Davis
Ariane Dolan
David Fiorello
Lillian D. Francis
Marc William Frost
Susan Gosdick
John Charles Green
Jeffrey D. Griggs
Norman B. Holly
Nicole E. Jasper
Dawn R. Jones
Lori J. Klinka
Laura Sturm Lain
Timothy McCain
John T. McFarland
kClare McKellaston
Ashley Neal
Clare L. Nolan
Scott Olson
James Adolfo Payne
Janice P. Pytel
Aaron M. Reese-Boseman
Grant R. Sabin
James A Sherman
Catherine Slade
Elizabeth Swanson
THEATRE AND DANCE STAFF
Mary Butler Director Academic Operations
Michael Caskey
Music Director, Accompanist Coordinator
Dan DiLuciano Director of Facilities and Operations
Nelli Fritjofson
Lighting Supervisor
Raynner Garcia Box Office/Reception
Caity Gee
Administrative Assistant/ Communications
Ize Heinzen House Manager
Jane Jerardi Media/Technology Coordinator
Ambe’r Johnnson Box Office Associate
Angelika Lewis Box Office Associate
kClare McKellaston Costume Manager
Mia Nelson Box Office/Reception
Gabriel Oladipo
Academic Advisor
Gina Ordaz
Administrative Assistant
Disha Patel
Box Office/Reception
Kevin Rolfs
Scenic Supervisor, Props
Grant Sabin
Technical Director
Erica L. Sandvig Production Manager
Roell Schmidt
Dance Presenting Series Producing Director
Meredith Sutton
Dance Presenting Series Artistic Director
Josef Szaday Director of Technology, AV
FRIENDS OF THE DANCE CENTER
The Dance Center gratefully acknowledges its donors for their generous support.
$1,000 AND ABOVE
Taylor and Carrie Olivia Adams
Bonnie Brooks
David Colburn
Pamela Crutchfield
William Hunt
Marcia Lazar and Alan Amos
Elizabeth Liebman
Susan Manning and Douglas Doetsch
Kathleen Miles
D. Elizabeth Price
$500-999
Ellen Chenoweth
Melynda Lopin
Robert Mrtek and Marsha Mrtek
Susan J. Stall
Shawn Wax
$250-499
Nancy Church and Charles Jett
Amor Kohli
Jamey Lundblad and Bill Melamed
K. McGriff
Shunda McGriff
Susan F. Rossen
$100-249
Anonymous
Bernadette Casey
Dr. Kurt Christoffel
Margi Cole
Andrea Edwards
Peter N. and Susan F. Gray
Nancy Juda
Arnold and Carol Kanter
Maggie Kast
Philip Martini
Thomas and Shirley Neiman
Stephen Roy and Lloyd Kohler
Judith Sagan
Clyde Whitaker
$50-99
Charlotte and Alan Bath
Dr. Bob
Cornelio Casaclang
Nancy K. DeDakis
Paul E. Fisher
Lisa Gonzales
Colleen Halloran
Dawn Renee Jones
Dardi McGinley-Gallivan
Pamela Hoffman McNeil
Evemarie Moore
Bette Rosenstein
Dr. Elaine Sachnoff
Emily Stein
Mary Beth Van Dyke
This list includes gifts received through November 1st, 2024. If you have donated since then, thank you and look for your name in the next program!
To become a Friend of the Dance Center, please visit dance.colum.edu/donate
DANCE CENTER SPONSORS
The Dance Center is a member of Dance/USA, See Chicago Dance, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, and the American College Dance Association.
Athletico is the exclusive provider of physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports medicine, athletic training, work rehabilitation, and massage therapy for the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.
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