Amy Seiwert’s

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July 16-19, 2015 asimagery.org Co-Presented by ODC Theater • 3153 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 Dear Patron, Thank you so much for choosing to come to Amy Seiwert’s Imagery’s SKETCH 5. By doing so, you have supported live arts which, in of it itself, is important. But more than that, you have chosen to participate in a unique program. Each year, Amy identifies a theme and invites stunning artists, that she thinks have a pertinent message, to create dances for Bay Area audiences -- dancers, choreographers and composers that we wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. This year, in Sketch 5 | Stirred, IMAGERY is mixing it up. Seiwert has been collaborating with ODC co-artistic director KT Nelson on a new work. The artists edited each other’s work and interrupted each other’s process, in hopes of discovering something entirely new. This type of collaboration is extremely rare in ballet, and completely new to Seiwert. During an intensive creative process in residence at Zaccho Studio, Seiwert and Nelson worked together on creating a series of solos that explore the theme of isolation. The choreographers addressed questions such as: How does one consider the idea of isolation when not in isolation? How does it feel to be isolated in community? Finally, given the choreographers’ different working styles and aesthetics, an inherent focus of the project was the relationship between process and content. Tonight you see the outcome. Opportunities for pure choreographic exploration and development are almost non-existent in the ballet world, and rarely do they come with the freedom or resources that choreographers need to truly experiment. The SKETCH series was created specifically as a resource for choreographers to abandon their comfort zones. SKETCH has become a staple of mid-summer dance in San Francisco, but it won’t be able to continue without your generous support. We thank those of you who were able to support, in any way, SKETCH 5, and ask for your help in Imagery’s future endeavors. If you are pleased tonight, tell your friends. To give a donation, visit our website www.asimagery.org or talk to a company member. Thank you for your attention. On behalf of the entire Board, I hope you enjoy this offering as much as we have enjoyed presenting it to you. Niko Mayer, Chairman of the Board

Photo: Imagery artists Weston Krukow and Sarah Griffin, photo by David DeSilva Amy Seiwert’s Imagery a contemporary ballet company

Photo: Imagery artists Brandon Freeman and Katherine Wells, photo by David DeSilva

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, a San Francisco-based contemporary ballet company, believes that ballet is an expressive and vital voice relevant to our times. ASI’s artists share the belief that through collaboration and experimentation, vibrant and courageous ideas are expressed. An environment of risk is fostered, and habitual reactions are discouraged.

Artists of the Company Imagery Board of Directors Imagery Staff Danielle Bausinger Niko Kozak Mayer — President Amy Seiwert — Artistic Director Brandon “Private” Freeman Lori Laqua — Treasurer Annika Presley — Managing Director Liang Fu Amy Seiwert — Secretary Barbara Hébert — Project Manager Rachel Furst KT Graham KT Graham — Production/Stage Manager James Gilmer Joan Lazarus Minerva Ramirez — Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Griffin Fred W. Terman Evelyn Turner — LEAP Intern, Saint Mary’s Annali Rose Craig Palmer College of California Richard Walters Dana Benton (Guest Artist)

Company Class Teachers Sandra Chinn, Kristine Elliott, Xavier Ferla, James Graham, Julianne Kepley, Muriel Maffre, Joanna Berman, Pascal Molat, Ben Needham-Wood, Amy Seiwert, Sharon Wehner, Katherine Wells

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

SKETCH 5 | Stirred

Co-presented by ODC Theater and supported in part by Zaccho Studio’s Residency Program. Traveling Alone (2012) Choreography: Amy Seiwert Lighting: Jim French after the Repetiteur: Lorita M. Travaglia original design by Elisha Griego Rehearsal Assistant: Sharon Wehner Dancers: Dana Benton and Brandon Freeman; Music: Max Richter Sarah Griffin, Liang Fu, and Richard Walters; Costumes: Christine Darch Rachel Furst, Danielle Bausinger, Annali Rose, and James Gilmer.

Premiered by Colorado Ballet, March 29, 2012, Newman Center, Denver, Colorado.

pau s e Starting Over at the End (2015) Choreography: KT Nelson & Amy Seiwert Dancers: Choreographic Assistant: Danielle Bausinger, Brandon Freeman, Vanessa Thiessen Liang Fu, Rachel Furst, James Gilmer, Sarah Griffin, Annali Rose, Music: Franz Schubert and Richard Walters. Lighting: Jim French

Ms. Seiwert & Ms. Nelson gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the dancers in the creation of this new work.

intermission Back To (2015) Choreography: Amy Seiwert Dancers: Music: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Danielle Bausinger, Brandon Freeman, Liang Fu, Rachel Furst, James Gilmer, Costumes: Christine Darch Sarah Griffin, Annali Rose, Lighting: Jim French and Richard Walters.

Selections of Back To were created for Cincinnati Ballet’s New Works Program in 2014 and premiered as Yesterday, Tomorrow. The work was expanded in 2015 and made possible, in part, with commissioning funds from ODC Theater and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Upcoming Performances of Imagery July 23: Ballet in the Bayview, Zaccho Studio, San Francisco, CA July 31: Walla Walla Dance Festival, Cordiner Hall, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA August 7: Sweet Pea Festival, Bozeman, MT August 11: Bourbon & Ballet, Shotgun Players Studio, Berkeley, CA August 15-16: The Joyce Theater Ballet Festival, New York, NY October 16-17: Trolley Dances, San Francisco, CA

Sketch Series The SKETCH series was launched in 2011 as a platform for experimentation and innovation in ballet based choreography. The SKETCH series was created specifically as a resource for choreo- graphers to abandon their comfort zones.

“Amy is super organized as well as wonderfully unorganized in all the right ways. The clarity she brings with being organized offered us a context to get lost together — to step into our intuition and imagination without fear and judgment. Her world is both generous and curious. Two things I highly value. Curiosity is something that can slip away in the artistic process when you get afraid. I don’t think this happened with us. I am very grateful for the balance Amy creates.” —KT Nelson

“As an artist, I am constantly yearning to grow. The idea of finding an artistic voice while in collaboration with another choreographer, a new experience to me, was both intimidating and exciting. I suspected I would learn an incredible amount in process, but feared that our artistic visions would be diluted in compromise. Instead we’ve walked a fascinating balancing act. KT is brilliant, and her process, so different from my own, fascinating. It has been a wild ride and a lesson in letting go. Seeing what can be accomplished when one does has been a gift.” —Amy Seiwert

Choreographers Amy Seiwert (Choreographer and Artistic Director) — Amy Seiwert’s collaborations with artists of other disciplines and commitment to experimental work from a classical base make her a unique voice in the Bay Area dance community. As Rita Felciano wrote in the Bay Guardian, “She quite possibly is the Bay Area’s most original dance thinker, taking what some consider a dead language and using it as a 21st century lingo to tell us something about who we are.” She was named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, one of the “Hot 20 under 40” by 7x7 Magazine, was honored with a “Goldie” award from the Guardian, and twice her choreography has been listed in the “Top 10” dance events of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle (2007, 2010). Twice she has worked with dancers from the New York City Ballet, participating in the NY Choreography Institute at the invitation of Peter Martins. In addition to creating for Imagery, her creations are in the repertory of Ballet Austin, BalletMet (Columbus), Atlanta, Smuin, Washington Ballet, Cincinnati, Sacramento, Colorado, Louisville, Milwaukee and American Repertory Ballets, as well as Robert Moses’ KIN and Alaska Dance Theater. Future projects include a premier for Smuin Ballet in the fall of 2015. She is honored to be the Choreographer in Residence for Smuin Ballet as well as been an Artist in Residence at the ODC Theater. KT NELSON (Guest Choreographer) — KT Nelson is the co-artistic director at ODC. She joined ODC/Dance in 1976 and in 1986 Nelson choreographed and directed the Company’s first full length family ballet, The Velveteen Rabbit, which has since been performed annually in the Bay Area as well as touring nationwide. Nelson has been awarded the Isadora Duncan award four times: in 1987 for Outstanding Performance, in 1996 and 2012 for Outstanding Choreography, and in 2001 for Sustained Achievement. Her collaborators have included Bobby McFerrin, Geoff Hoyle, Shinichi Iova-Koga, Max Chen, Zap Mama, and Joan Jeanrenaud. In 2008 her work RingRounRozi in collaboration with French-Canadian composer Linda Bouchard was selected to be performed at the Tanzmessa International Dance Festival. In 2009 Nelson was one of three artists selected for Austin Ballet’s New American Talent Competition. In 2012 she created new work for Western Michigan University as part of their Great Works Dance Project. She has mentored with the Margaret Jenkin’s Chime Project and continues to mentor emerging artists in the bay area and abroad. Artists of the Company

SARAH CECILIA GRIFFIN was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. From the age of four, she trained in classical ballet with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Estudio Maria Cecilia Diaz (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Kansas City Ballet School, and Barnard College, Columbia University. Sarah has performed a varied repertoire with Kansas City Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, and Oakland Ballet, and she currently dances with Oregon Ballet Theatre. She is thrilled to return to Imagery this year as a founding member of the SKETCH series since 2010. Sarah appears with Imagery courtesy of Oregon Ballet Theatre. BRANDON FREEMAN, better known as “Private”, hails from Colorado. In addition to a very successful 12-year career with ODC, Private has also had the privilege of working with many other Bay Area dance companies and schools. He has also worked with Colorado Ballet and Wonderbound, in Denver. Private earned a number of Isadora Duncan Awards, including Ensemble Performance with Katherine Wells in 2014, for Amy Seiwert’s The Devil Ties My Tongue. In addition to teaching ballet and modern dance technique, including Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, he choreographs, oil paints, and loves woodworking. Private has worked with Imagery since 2010. RACHEL FURST is from Baltimore, Maryland and received her training at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University. In 2012, she began dancing with Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. She has had the pleasure of performing with Smuin Ballet, Dawson Dance SF and also works by Amy Seiwert, Michael Smuin, Val Caniparoli, Adam Hougland, Sidra Bell and Julia Adam, among others. JAMES GILMER of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Pittsburgh School for the Creative & Performing Arts. After graduating in 2011, he joined Cincinnati Ballet where he worked with Amy Seiwert for the first time as a soloist in “I Think of You Often.” James began dancing with Imagery in 2013. ANNALI ROSE is currently a dancer with Ballet San Jose. Formerly, she danced with Trey McIntyre Project for four years and Sacramento Ballet for nine. She originally met Amy while working with Sacramento Ballet, and performed in her works “lessness,” “I Want Inside” and “End Quote” while with that company. She began working with Imagery in 2013. DANIELLE BAUSINGER was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey and started dancing at the age of 3. Shortly thereafter, her family moved to Northern California where she continued her training at Lamorinda Ballet Center and then San Francisco Ballet School. Ms. Bausinger joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2006, and continued to dance with the company for the next eight seasons. She just recently joined the Kansas City Ballet in August 2014. She has had the privilege of working with Amy Seiwert in both companies, performing in “I Think of You Often” with Cincinnati Ballet and “Concertino” with Kansas City Ballet.

Rehearsal shots by David DeSilva and Andrea Basile LIANG FU was born in Qingdao, China. Upon graduating from Beijing Dance Academy in 2001, he has danced with Singapore Dance Theatre, Universal Ballet Company, and previously, a Senior Soloist with Cincinnati Ballet before joining Kansas City Ballet in 2014. Mr. Fu has enjoyed dancing Amy’s works with both Cincinnati Ballet and Kansas City Ballet. RICHARD WALTERS is originally from upstate New York. He began his training with local studios there including the Lockport City Ballet. He then went on to train at North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied with Warren Conover, Ethan Stiefel and Douglas Gawriljuk among others. There he performed in works by Merce Cunningham and James Kudelka. From there Richard went on to join Hubbard Street 2 in Chicago where he performed in works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Norbert De La Cruz III and Robyn Mineko Williams. Currently dancing with Oklahoma City Ballet, he has had the privilege to dance in works by Robert Mills, Stanton Welch, Twyla Tharp and Amy Seiwert. DANA BENTON (Guest Artist) was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and trained at the National Ballet School in Toronto. Dana graduated from the National Ballet School with Honors in Academics and was awarded the Peter Dwyer Award for Excellence in Dance. Upon graduating Dana danced with the Alberta Ballet Company for one season. In 2001, she joined Colorado Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member. In 2007, she was promoted to Soloist and in 2014, she was promoted to Principal. Dana is thrilled to be performing Amy Seiwert’s Traveling Alone. Ms. Benton appears courtesy of Colorado Ballet. Rehearsal shots by David DeSilva and Andrea Basile

Production Staff

JIM FRENCH, Lighting Designer — Jim French is thrilled to be collaborating with Amy on another Sketch. Other lighting designs for dance include; San Francisco Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Bandaloop, Carte Blanche, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Introdans, Joe Goode Performance Group, Richmond Ballet, Rioult Dance NY, and Twyla Tharp Dance. Jim is the lighting supervisor at San Francisco Ballet, and has toured the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America with the companies of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Martha Graham, Pascal Rioult, and Twyla Tharp. www.jimfrenchld.com

KATHRYN T GRAHAM, Production / Stage Manager — KT Graham is currently Production Director & Stage Manager for Smuin Ballet and PSM for Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. Previous positions include PSM and Lighting Designer for Lewitzky Dance Company, Technical & Lighting Director for Washington Ballet, PSM and a Lighting Designer for WestWave Dance Festival, PSM for the performances for Dance/USA’s 2012 National Conference, Production Manager for Gay Games IV Cultural Festival in NYC, and also for the NGO Forum: United Nations World Conference on Women in China. She loves drawing, creating, and walking labyrinths, and is an avid knitter, reader, and diarist.

CHRISTINE DARCH, Costume Design — Christine Darch designs and builds costumes and sets for Julia Adam, Marc Brew, Val Caniparoli, Robert Dekkers, Jorma Elo, Jodie Gates, Adam Hougland, Gabrielle Lamb, Edwaard Liang, Jae Man Joo, James Kudelka, Matthew Neenan, David Palmer, Gina Patterson, Brian Reeder, Dwight Rhoden, and Amy Seiwert. Upcoming work includes premieres for Jorma Elo for Tulsa Ballet, Nicolo Fonte for Ballet X, James Kudelka for Oregon Ballet Theatre and Dwight Rhoden for Tulsa Ballet and Complexions.

Z SPACE

POETICS of SPACE An immersive performance installation at the Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama Street Seet pDetseigmn bye Sre a2n4 R i–le yNovember 1 AImt atghien eJ moeo vGinogo dther oAungnhe ax d, 4an0c1e A-thlaebaatrme pae Srfto. rmance where you create the story... Mwohre rinef oyromuarti odne acnids itoicnke otsf awt jhoegroeo tdoe .tourgrn a,n sd tzespa, cloe.ookrg, and listen determines how the performance unfolds around you. Poetics of Space explores such a series of intimate spaces, allowing you, the viewer, a cinematic “close-up” of each. September 24 – October 11 TICKETS from $40 at zspace.org or joegoode.org You come to Imagery to be moved.

When it comes to your Real Estate Ambitions, who will move you?

Let’s start a conversation,

-John Speed Orr Imagery Artist and Realtor

John Speed Orr 415.497.0922 [email protected] Lic:01963171

Sponsors and Contributors

A heartfelt thank you to all individual donors who collaborated in 2015. Your patronage is the difference.

Principal Season Sponsor: $5,000 and above Anonymous Fred W. Terman Geoff Fallon GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program Choreographer Sponsor: Dancer Sponsor: Sponsor: Friend: $1,000–$4,999 $500–$999 $100–$249 $35–$99 Bob and Edie Kirkwood David Seiwert Joel and Rita Adler Scot Goodman Dr. Lee and Ann Cooper Stephen Walfish Daryl Babbitt Ilana Goldman Joe DeBellis and Pat Ronzone Allie Weissman Joseph Copley and Joanna Haigood Margaret Heineman Carlos Venturo Barbara Hébert Contributor: Celia Fushille Richard and Sharonjean Leeds $250–$499 Amy London Howard Goldman Don Monaco Kristine and Randall Russell Nelson Craig Palmer and Allen Habel Schwabacher Patricia Holt Sandra Price Marquiss Pattinson Frieda Lipp Ben Warde Michael and Susanna Steinberg Dr. Suzanne Martin Margaret Ware Wendy Samuelson Stylo Films Diana Shore Jean Halvorsen StonesThrow Studio

We also have tremendous gratitude to the many individuals who participated in our Tiny Bubbles Fundraiser and everyone who donated after July 5th.

SKETCH 5 | Stirred is supported in part by Zaccho Studio’s Residency Program.

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery would like to thank the Academy of Ballet, Joanna Haigood and Zaccho Studio, Z-Space, SMUIN Ballet, Christy Bolingbroke and the ODC staff, Mary Ellen Hunt, Darren Johnston, Marc Morozumi, Lisa Moresco, Evelyn Turner, Stanlee Gatti Designs, GoodLife Grocery, Safeway, Costco, and our wonderful Board of Directors.

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery is grateful to the following foundations for their support for SKETCH 5| Stirred: the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the W.F. Hewlett Foundation, and the Fleishhacker Foundation. Amy Seiwert’s Imagery is supported by San Francisco Grants for the Arts and The Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s Impact Grant Program.

Program Design: Phyllis Peterson | MagnoliaStudio.com