Alonzo King LINES Ballet OC TOBER 29 & 30
Alonzo King LINES Ballet • Adji Cissoko & Shuaib Elhassan photo by M. Crisostomo
OCTOBER 29 & 30 @ 8PM VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE
Producers’ Notes Welcome to the 21st in-person edition of the Vancouver International Dance Festival. We begin by acknowledging that the 2021 VIDF takes place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl ̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are celebrating the the long-awaited return of our favourite ballet company, Alonzo King LINES Ballet. After seeing this company perform at the 2007 Montpellier Danse Festivall, we immediately invited them to come to Vancouver for the 2008 VIDF and then presented them again in 2012 and 2017. We tried to get them back in 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all of our venues. This is our first in-person presentation since the shutdown so let us be kind to, and protective of, each other during these performances. Please do not congregate in the lobby or consume your drinks and snacks until you return to your seats. Please continue to wear your mask when in the lobby or washrooms, and also while seated except for when you need to eat or drink. Please sit only in the seat that you have a ticket for and do not move to empty seats during the performance as these seats are there to protect patrons who feel at-risk or are immune compromised. Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says that since we are all now double-vaccinated, we should feel safe while attending these performances. We invite you to relax and enjoy watching this stellar ensemble of talented dancers artistically directed by our dear friend, Alonzo King.
Barbara Bourget and Jay HIrabayashi
Alonzo King LINES Ballet - The Personal Element - photo by RJ Muna
Alonzo King LINES Ballet The Personal Element
World Premiere August 3, 2019 [22 minutes] Originally created with Dancers from Alonzo King LINES Ballet and New York City Ballet for the Vail Dance Festival. Commissioned by Vail Dance Festival, Artistic Director Damian Woetzel. Made possible with the generous support of Jody and John Arnhold. Choreography by Alonzo King Music Composed and Performed by Jason Moran Lighting Design by Jim French Costume Design by Robert Rosenwasser Sound Design by Philip Perkins Production Credits Costume Construction by Joan Raymond with Keeley Weiman and Hoa Lam Costume Dyeing by Kelly Koehn Performers Adji Cissoko, Maddie DeVries, Lorris Eichinger, Shuaib Elhassan, James Gowan, Ilaria Guerra, Maya Harr, Michael Montgomery Set to a piano score by Jason Moran, The Personal Element is a piece that allows the viewer to marvel at the movements and the choreography. In a sober and elegant setting, eight dancers give pride of place to this poetic invitation, letting the spectators establish a personal connection with the piece.
INTERMISSION [20-minutes]
AZOTH
World Premiere October 1, 2019 [56 minutes] Choreography by Alonzo King Music Composed and Performed by Charles Lloyd and Jason Moran Image Technology by Jim Campbell Lighting Design by Jim French Costume Design by Robert Rosenwasser Sound Design by Philip Perkins Production Credits Costume Construction by Joan Raymond with Keeley Weiman and Hoa Lam Costume Dyeing by Kelly Koehn and Amy Van Every Performers Adji Cissoko, Ilaria Guerra, Maya Harr, Maddie DeVries, Marusya Madubuko, Tatum Quiñónez, Alvaro Montelongo, James Gowan, Lorris Eichinger, Michael Montgomery, Shuaib Elhassan The concept of transmuting lead into gold is a symbol of the actual work of alchemy. The idea was to transform the base metals, the Earth, into pure metals. Symbolically speaking, the Earth is humankind. To transmute the lead into gold refers to transforming the mind and the heart, into spiritual gold. Azoth was believed to be the essential agent of transformation in alchemy. It is the name given by ancient alchemists to mercury, the animating spirit hidden in all matter that makes transmutation possible. Because the Azoth is believed to contain the complete information of the whole universe, it is also used as another word for the Philosopher’s Stone. Photo by David Cooper The “A” and “Z” in the word relate to the Greek alpha and omega, the beginning and end of all things. The word is meant to embrace the full meaning of the One Thing, which is both the chaotic First Matter at the beginning of the Work and the perfected Stone at its conclusion.
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet is a celebrated contemporary ballet company that has been guided since 1982 by the unique artistic vision of Alonzo King. Alonzo King LINES Ballet has collaborated with noted composers, musicians and visual artists from around the world to create performances that alter the way we look at ballet today. Its unique artistic vision adheres to the classical form — the linear, mathematical and geometrical principles that are deeply rooted in the pre-existing East-West continuum. ARTISTIC VISION Thirty-nine years of outstanding, multi-disciplinary collaborations for the stage place Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the forefront of artistic innovation in ballet. With each collaboration, LINES Ballet investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world, and the human spirit. At LINES Ballet, the artistic investigation is infinite and essential for it leads to what unites us as human beings: empathy, joy, and the ability to transcend. LINES Ballet’s spring and fall home seasons and global tours share this vision of transformative, revelatory dance with 50,000+ audience members worldwide every year. The Company has been featured at venues such as the Venice Biennale, Monaco Dance Forum, Maison de la Dance de Lyon, the Edinburgh International Festival, Montpellier Danse, the Wolfsburg Festival, the Holland Dance Festival, and most recently the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris.
Alonzo King LINES Ballet photo by Manny Crisostomo
Alonzo King Founder & Artistic Director Alonzo King has been called a visionary choreographer, who is altering the way we look at ballet. King calls his works “thought structures” created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists. Named as a choreographer with “astonishing originality” by the New York Times, Alonzo King LINES Ballet has been guided by his unique artistic vision since 1982. King has works in the repertories of the Royal Swedish Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Ballet Bejart, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Hong Kong Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and many others. He has collaborated with distinguished visual artists, musicians, and composers across the globe including legendary jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, Hamza al Din, Pawel Szymanski, Jason Moran, Charles Lloyd, Mezzo soprano Maya Lahyani, architect Chris Haas, and tabla master Zakir Hussain. King was honored with a Dance Magazine Award in 2020. In 2019, he received an Honorary Doctorate from The Juilliard School in recognition of his significant contribution to the field of dance. Renowned for his skill as a teacher, King was also honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Corps de Ballet International Teacher Conference in 2012. An internationally acclaimed guest ballet master, his training philosophy undergrids the educational programming at the Alonzo King LINES Dance Center of San Francisco, which includes the preprofessional Training Program, Summer Program, and the BFA Program at Dominican University of California. My parents were willing to die for what they believed in. Their commitment to truth was my tuning fork. What you speak you must live, or else do not speak it. That became my template for how to both behave and create in the world. – Alonzo King Alonzo King is one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times. His intimacy with Ballet’s multiple histories has made his choreography rich with the complex refractions that demonstrate a full command of the art’s intricacies… — William Forsythe, Frankfurt Ballet
Robert Rosenwasser Founder, Executive Director, Designer ROBERT ROSENWASSER is a co-founder of LINES Ballet. As Creative Director he oversees each project’s aesthetic and artistic direction at the LINES Ballet company, including conceptual design and production. Alongside his artistic work with LINES Ballet, as General Manager for 32 years, he built the Company’s touring program into one of the nation’s most expansive. In 2018 he became Executive Director. In addition to his work with LINES Ballet, he has designed for Ballet de Monte Carlo, Ballet Bejart, the Royal Swedish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has also collaborated on book projects with artists and poets Richard Tuttle, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Kiki Smith, Cecilia Vicuna, and Barbara Guest. His work is found at the New York Museum of Modern Art in the Department of Books and Illustrated Prints, at the Whitney Museum, and the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library. Mr. Rosenwasser grew up in New York, attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Cooper Union, and California Institute of the Arts.
Dancers ADJI CISSOKO was born and grew up in Munich, Germany where she trained at the Ballet Academy Munich and graduated with a diploma in dance. Cissoko attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City on full scholarship, before joining the National Ballet of Canada in 2010. In 2012 she was awarded the Patron Award of Merit by the Patrons’ Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada. Cissoko joined LINES Ballet in 2014. Since then she’s originated many central roles and guested for galas worldwide. Cissoko has given multiple masterclasses and taught classes around the world as part of the company’s outreach program. In 2020 she became certified in health/life coaching as well as in ABT’s National Training Curriculum. MADELINE DEVRIES grew up in Southern California studying at the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy. She continued her training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and PNBS Professional Division program on full scholarship, spending summers with the Houston Ballet, The Rock School, PNB, and National Ballet of Canada. DeVries apprenticed with the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, Germany in 2012, and in 2013 she danced with the Seattle based contemporary companies Whim W’Him and Coriolis. DeVries joined LINES Ballet in 2014.
LORRIS EICHINGER started training in Grenoble at the National Conservatory and continued at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Danse de Marseille. After training at The School of American Ballet in New York from 2010 to 2013, Eichinger joined the Professional Division program of the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. He then moved back to France to dance with the Jeune Ballet de Lyon. Eichinger danced with De Dutch Don’t Dance in the Netherlands in 2015, and then moved to Israel to join Kamea Dance Company in 2016. He joined LINES Ballet in 2019.
SHUAIB ELHASSAN from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, began his formal dance training at The Ailey School under the co-direction of Tracy Inman and Melanie Person on a full scholarship. Elhassan has also trained at intensives such as Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Elhassan was a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet during their 2012- 2013 season. Additionally, Elhassan has performed with Life Dance Company, Zest Collective, Dance Iquail, and the Von Howard Project. Elhassan joined LINES Ballet in 2014.
JAMES GOWAN, from Phoenix, AZ, began dancing at the age of 16 at Tempe Dance Academy. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from Point Park University, where he worked under teachers and choreographers Kyle Abraham, Doug Bentz, Randy Duncan, Christopher Huggins, Keisha Lalama, Emery LeCrone, Garfield Lemonious and Peter Merz. James has danced as a company member with Texture Contemporary Ballet, River North Dance Chicago and DanceWorks Chicago. He has performed works by George Balanchine, Robert Battle, Frank Chavez, Christopher Gattelli, Dwight Rhoden, and Ashley Roland. James joined LINES Ballet in 2016.
ILARIA GUERRA was born in Torino, Italy. At the age of five, she moved to Palos Verdes Estates, California where she trained in classical ballet at Lauridsen Ballet Center, performing with their pre-professional company, South Bay Ballet. Ilaria graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Arts Management in 2013. She joined dawsondancesf under the direction of Gregory Dawson in 2013. With dawsondancesf she had the opportunity to perform in New York, Denver, Southern California, and all over the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2016, Ilaria received an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Ensemble Performance. Ilaria joined LINES Ballet in 2018.
MAYA HARR grew up in Alexandria, Virginia where she studied ballet at The Washington School of Ballet under the tutelage of former LINES Ballet company dancer, Kristina Windom and award-winning choreographer Mimmo Miccolis. As a student, Maya was the recipient of the Mary Day Scholarship and was selected to participate in the Kennedy Center Master Class Series. Maya spent her summers with San Francisco Ballet, PNB, Ballet West, ABT and the Kirov Academy. After graduating from high school, Maya moved to the Bay Area to attend the LINES Ballet Summer Program and began her training in the LINES Ballet Training Program. Maya joined LINES Ballet in 2016.
MARUSYA MADUBUKO, originally from New York, NY, began her pre-professional training at age 15 with Premiere Division Ballet under the tutelage of Nadege Hottier. In 2019, Madubuko competed at the Royal Grand Prix in Italy, winning second place for her contemporary and classical solo. She has trained with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the Royal Ballet School, and at San Francisco Ballet School where she had the opportunity to dance repertoire including Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker and Cinderella, as well as George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2021, she participated in BalletUnleashed’s first creative project “Switchback”, working with choreographer Cathy Marston to create a solo. Madubuko joined LINES Ballet in 2021.
ALVARO MONTELONGO was raised in Guadalajara, Mexico and started his dance training at Academia de Danza Doris Topete, and went on to train at Fomento Artístico Cordobés, Sarasota Cuban Ballet School and The Ailey School. He most recently graduated cum laude from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Aside from performing, Montelongo choreographs and performs dance evening works in his hometown. Montelongo joined LINES in 2019.
MICHAEL MONTGOMERY of Long Beach, CA, trained at the Orange County High School of the Arts and studied at the Alvin Ailey School in the Certificate program. In 2011 he graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. Montgomery was awarded the American College Dance Festival Association’s best student performer award for the Southwest Region in 2008. In 2010, he joined LINES Ballet and was named a Shenson Performing Arts Fellow that same year. Montgomery was named to the list of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2013.
TATUM QUIÑÓNEZ began her training at Master Ballet Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. She then continued her training at Ballet West Academy and the BWA trainee program. She spent her summers at Ballet Arizona, Ballet Austin, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Quiñónez then joined Oregon Ballet Theatre’s second company, OBT2, in 2019. She has performed works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Willam Christensen, Gerald Arpino, Christopher Stowell, James Canfield, and LeeWei Chao. Quiñónez joined LINES Ballet in 2021.
Photo by Chris Randle
COMPANY STAFF Ballet Master LAURA O’MALLEY
LAURA O’MALLEY was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and trained on full scholarship at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. She has danced as a soloist with Stuttgart Ballet and Dutch National Ballet. Among the leading dramatic roles performed by Laura were Giselle in Giselle, the Sylph in La Sylphide, Olga in John Cranko’s Onegin, Lulu in Christian Spuck’s Lulu, and Olympia in John Neumier’s Lady of the Camelias. Falling in love with self-expression and contemporary dance, Laura later danced for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and SFDanceworks. She created works with many contemporary choreographers and performed leading roles in notable pieces from William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Marco Goecke, Alonzo King, Hans Van Manen, Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Sharon Eyal, Azure Barton, Nacho Duato, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Danielle Rowe. Laura co-directed SFDanceworks from 2019-2021 and has choreographed for various dance films, LINES Ballet’s education programs, Berkeley Ballet Theater, American Ballet Theater’s choreographic incubator, and SFDanceworks. She rejoined LINES Ballet as Ballet Master in 2021.
Company Manager BRANDI WILLIAMS
Director of Production FRANCESCA MUSCOLO
Lighting Supervisor SEAH JOHNSON
Stage Manager SASKIA LEE
Rigging Technician KYLE SLAUGH
Alonzo King LINES Ballet - Lorris Eichinger photo by RJ Muna
2021 VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL STAFF Co-producer: Jay Hirabayashi Co-producer: Barbara Bourget VIDF Festival Manager: Khaliun Altanbadralt Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper: Sugar Otgonbayar VIDF Digital Marketing Coordinator: Lewen Han VIDF Production Manager: Terry Podealuk Lighting Designer/Technical Director: Jeremy Baxter KW Studios Co-Technical Directors: Nicole Lamb and Gabriel Raminhos VIDF Photographer/Videographer: Chris Randle Web & Graphic Designer: Aaron Smith
2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTACT INFORMATION
President: Henry Wong Vice-President: Leslie Stark Secretary/Treasurer: Tuan Luu Members at Large: Judith Garay, Tessa Perkins Deneault, and Kazuho Yamamoto
236-111 Hastings St W Vancouver BC V6B 1H4 Tel: (604) 662-7441 Box Office: (604) 662-4966 Website: vidf.ca Email: contact@vidf.ca
The Vancouver International Dance Festival acknowledges that we are gathered today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh, (Squamish), and Səl ̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (TsleilWaututh) Nations. The Vancouver International Dance Festival acknowledges the financial support of the British Columbia Arts Council and the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Department of Canadian Heritage. VIDF also extends its gratitude to these agencies, to our volunteers, to our individual donors, and to the following seasonal sponsors:
SUPPORT THE VIDF Thank you for attending these performances! The VIDF Society is a non-profit, artist-run, registered charity (CRA#892858614RR0001). The VIDF was started in 2000 by Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, who have worked from its inception without salaries, to help support and sustain the art of contemporary dance through building audiences for contemporary dance and supporting local, national, and international dance artists through the professional production and presentation of their creations. Producing the VIDF is a labour of love for dance. We would be grateful to you if you could lend us a hand by making a donation to help us continue to bring you outstanding dance performances from around the world. Donations can be made online by visiting the VIDF website and clicking on the SUPPORT VIDF button. You can also help us by spreading the word about our programming. Please tell your friends about your experience in seeing VIDF performances. We thank you for your support!
Sustaining Benefactors Linda Farris Barbara Bourget Jay Hirabayashi Judith Garay Gary Maier and Leslie Poole Peter Dickenson Aaron Smith
Friends of the VIDF Mary-Louise Albert Eva Allan Gerardo Avila Mary Barcellos Mary Battell Richard Biederman Pam Bragagnolo Val Brandt Jennie Carloni Sean Carmon Michelle Chan Kirk Chantraine Yvonne Chew Kyoung Cho Danielle Clifford Jane Connell C Croucher Robyn Cruz Reid Cuming Stephanie Daniels Mark Douglas Peter Eastwood Jennifer Eberts Marla Eist Susan Elliott Randall Enomoto Marijn Eterman Kathy Evans Lynn Eyton Catherine Fallis James Feng Nancy Ferguson Anusha Fernando Doreen Finnegan
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Sirish Shah Annette Shaw Michael Sider Amy Sides Peter Smith Nina Spotswood Kerri Squires Leslie Stark Zoe Stikeman Alyssa Tavares Paraskevas Terezakis Ian Thomas Kaitlyn Threndyle Lisa Tracz Shashanka Vangari Benoit Villeneuve Elliott Vion Miranda Waibel Emilie Wandel Wen Wei Wang Mark Ward Stephen White Karae White Janet White Christine Ki Wight H William Lensink Cindy Williams Henry Wong Thomas Woods
Kokoro Dance Photo by Chris Randle
MARCH 6-28
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