Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies presents

Commencement 2017

Saturday May 27

Produced by Michelle Bach-Coulibaly Battleworks Etude by Robert Battle

All I Need Choreography by Andrew Stone ‘18, Megan Gessner ‘20, Nomvula Mbambo ‘17.5, Jewel Brown ‘19, and Seneca Meeks ‘20

We Just Wanna Choreography by Stanley Muñoz ‘17

Memories of Life and Death Choreography by Gwi Young Bae

Marakadon Choreography by Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and traditional

--INTERMISSION--

RiverRun Choreography by Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and New Works/World Traditions Production Staff

Production Director ...... Barbara Reo Marketing Coordinator ...... Paul Margrave Technical Director / Lighting Designer ...... Timothy Hett Stage Manager ...... Margaret Hale ‘18

Run Crew Joseph Fleming ‘20, Devonte Kavanaugh ‘20, Viva Sandoval ‘20, Sunny Snell ‘20, David Wingate ‘20

Special Thanks Greg Picard, Shawn Tavares, and The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts; Trinity Repertory Company.

Please take a moment to note the fire exits. There is an exit at each corner of the theatre. Use of recording devices, cameras, and cell phones is not permitted. As a courtesy to patrons and performers, please silence all electronic devices. The video taping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. This performance may be recorded for Brown University marketing and archival purposes. Note from the Producer

Dance Epidemics Throughout human history, dance has been the harbinger of political and cultural revolutions. In the French courts of Louis XIV, one’s ability to execute proper technique assured you an esteemed position close to the king. As a spiritual and cathartic practice, it remains one of the most efficacious ways to heal and commune with the Divine beyond our earthly existence. Now as a multi- billion dollar business enterprise, dance is everywhere, with over 50 different television shows and films currently airing across cultures, time zones, and genres telling stories of love, loss, and hope. While mulling through my dance notebooks, I came across a story that was well documented throughout 16th century Europe. The story goes that in 1518, residents of Strasbourg on the French- German border were suddenly struck “by a sudden and seemingly uncontrollable urge to dance.” This so called hysteria began when one woman, Frau Troffea, stepped into the street and spontaneously began to twist, twirl, and shake with such fervor that soon her weeklong -a- thon turned into an epidemic claiming over 400 victims. Local physicians blamed it on “hot blood” and prescribed a cure of continued gyrations until the fever broke. This dance fever eventually took its toll, with many dancers collapsing and dying from exhaustion, dehydration, strokes, or heart attacks. This strange episode continued for months, until the remaining dancers were eventually whisked away to a mountaintop shrine to pray for absolution. One could say that we too are in a dance fever of sorts, with over 20 student-run dance companies and two accredited faculty-run dance companies. Here our students grow into mature artists and take what they have learned out into the world. Here they have a safe space to be in the dance, to feel what they feel, to see what they see, and to communally cultivate joy and creativity. Many of the students you witness this evening are graduating and moving on to other spaces and places. We wish them success with the promise of always having a safe harbor of creativity back here whenever they choose to return. —Michelle Bach-Coulibaly 2016-17 Dance Season

Family Weekend Dance Concert Produced by Sydney Skybetter. Danceaturgy by Zohar Frank ‘21 PhD. October 21–23 // Ashamu Dance Studio Family Weekend Dance Concert celebrates the beginning of the dance season, engages collaborators in the community and the other arts, and welcomes new students and their families to Brown. The dance program kicks off a new year of art making and community engagement.

Fall Dance Concert Co-Produced by Julie Adams Strandberg, Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Sydney Skybetter. Danceaturgy by Zohar Frank ‘21 PhD. November 17–20 // Ashamu Dance Studio Fall Dance Concert focuses on devised new works by students and invites audiences to explore the choreographic process. Some of the works presented in this concert will be developed over the year and may be performed in the Festival of Dance.

Festival of Dance Produced by Julie Adams Strandberg. May 4–7 // Stuart Theatre Festival of Dance features dance works from the historical and contemporary repertory and devised new works. Excerpts or beginning studies for some of these devised works may have been presented in the Fall Dance Concert and further developed over the year.

Commencement Dance Concert Produced by Michelle Bach-Coulibaly. Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 7pm // Stuart Theatre Commencement Dance Concert celebrates the end of the dance season, engages alumni and current students, and bids arrivederci to graduating seniors and their families. Battleworks Etude

Choreography: Robert Battle, arranged by Erica Pujič

Lighting Design: Randy Biagas-Hill ‘17

Costume Design: Fran Romasco

Original Music by Carl Landa

Performers: Dance Extension: Brown University’s repertory company, directed by Julie Adams Strandberg Dancing Legacy: American Dance Legacy Initiative’s performing and teaching ensemble, directed by Laura Bennett ‘92 Arts, Communication, and Teaching Academy at Central Falls High School, led by Deanna Camputaro Dance for Parkinson’s and DAPpers (Dance for our Aging Population) classes, led by Rachel Balaban Battleworks Etude is based on movement from Robert Battle’s works: Flock, The Hunt, Jewel Lost, and Rush Hour. Battleworks Etude is part of the American Dance Legacy Initiative Repertory Etudes Dance Instructional Collection, curated and directed by Carolyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandberg. Repertory Etudes are short based on signature works of American choreographers, available to the public with unprecedented access for study, viewing, and performance. These four companies have collaborated over the past five years to realize American Dance Legacy Initiative’s commitment to making its materials and programs on dance available for all individuals to connect and engage with, and does not restrict or limit who can participate. Sharing the work of these groups with you tonight is the manifestation of a life-long vision. —Julie Adams Strandberg, Founding Director of Dance, Brown University Co-Founder, American Dance Legacy Initiative Co-Founder, Artists and Scientsts as Partners All I Need

Choreography: Andrew Stone ‘18, Megan Gessner ‘20, Nomvula Vu Mbambo ‘17.5, Jewel Brown ‘19, and Seneca Meeks ‘20

Costume Design: Eve Zelickson ‘19, Megan Gessner ‘20, Nicole Ubinas ‘18

Music: Location (Khalid) Sunday Morning (Maroon 5) Power (Kanye West) Rolex (Ayo&Teo)

Performers: Jewel Brown ‘19, Megan Gessner ‘20, Sarah Hsu ’17, Chloe Kibble ‘17, Nomvula Vu Mbambo ’17.5, Seneca Meeks ’20, Mindy Ng ’19, Leila Rajab ‘20, Andrew Stone ’18, Ken Sudradjat ‘18, Tori Tran ‘19, Nkem Ugwu ‘20, Aisha Zamor ’19, Eve Zelickson ’19 We Just Wanna

Choreography: Stanley Muñoz ‘17

Lighting Design: Stanley Muñoz ‘17

Costume Design: Stanley Muñoz ‘17

Music: Sapeleme (Staff Paulo) Iskaba (Wanda Coal)

Performers: Assitan Coulibaly, Megan Gessner ‘20, Eshe Hawash ‘17, Nomvula Vu Mbambo ‘18, Stanley Muñoz ‘17, Leila Rajab ‘20, Chelse-Amoy Steele ‘18, Jason Vu ‘17, Aisha Zamor ‘19 Memories of Life and Death

Choreography: Gwi Young Bae

Costume Design: Katy Chu ‘18,

Music: Giselle (Adolphe Adam)

Script: Jeong Eun Kim

Performers: Anna Bjella ‘18, Anjali Carroll ‘17 , Katy Chu ‘18, Leslie McCauley ‘18, Lindsey Ruda ‘20,

If you have to leave your loved one forever. We would not want that to be happening. However, it will happen someday in our lives. We know that death is not a complete disaster or fear. We learn how much we love each other and appreciate our lives through death and farewell. Death is not the end. It is the continuation of life through another path. Life and death are in the continuous coincidence. In the cycle of “life” and “death”, we live in an eternal happiness. Marakadon

Choreography: Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and traditional

Lighting Design: Randy Biagas-Hill ‘17

Costume Design: Traditional and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly

Live music by Seydou Couliblay (jun jun) and Moussa Traore (jembe)

Performers: Liza Basso ‘18, Aminata Coulibaly ‘19, Assitan Coulibaly, Isa Diawara ‘18, Matthew Garza ‘11, Eshe Hawash ‘17, Lindsay Levine ‘17, Stanley Muñ0z ‘17, Mili Sanalka ‘17, Chelse-Amoy Steele ‘18

Marakadon is a dance and rhythm originating from the Maraka peoples of Mali, West Africa. This dance is part of communal celebrations for all life-cycle ceremonies, now popularized and performed by professional dance companies throughout the Mande Diaspora. These steps were co-created by M’Ba Coulibaly, Salimata Soumare, and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly.

--INTERMISSION-- RiverRun

Choreography: Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and New Work/World Traditions

Lighting Design: Randy Biagas-Hill ‘17

Scenic Designer: Sam Keamy-Minor ‘17

Tarot Cards: Jennifer Avery ‘17

Costume Design: Jessie Darrell Jarbadan

Music: Ancient Pines (Loreena McKennitt), Chipi Chipi (Cuti Aste and Jorge Lobos), Creek (Bon Iver), Oya (Ibeyi), River (Ibeyi), This World (Selah Sue), Eilean M’Araich (Mairi MacInnes), Circulo en el Rio (Braulio and Don Markese), La Salida de Lima (Anibal Kerpel and Gustavo San- taolalla), Zenamon: Demian-K rommer (Poco Meno) (Dale Kavanagh), Zenamon: Demian-El Senal De Cainm (Violento) (Dale Kavanagh), Wicked Game (James Vincent McMorrow; , performed by Matthew Garza ‘11), Claire De Lune (Debussy, played live by Maria Isabel Diaz ‘17), Old Skin (Olafur Arnalds), River (Bishop Briggs), Brim (Olafur Arnalds), and live violin improvisations by Sebastian Otero Projection Design: Aminata Coulibaly ‘19 and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly

Text: The Dry Salvages (T.S. Elliot), Negro Speaks of Rivers (Langston Hughes) plus Isabel Andrews ‘19, Assitan Coulibaly, Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Saulo Castillo, Kevin Panther Kehyei, Nyla Walker

Performers: New Works/World Traditions: Isabel Andrews ‘19, Jennifer Avery ’17, Galadriel Brady ‘20, Maria Isabel Diaz ‘17, Matthew Garza ‘11, Tessa Palisoc ‘20, Miranda Van-Boswell ’20, Oliver Arias, Saulo Castillo, Steven Choummalaithong, Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts: Cheyenne Camacho, Asia Delgado, Axel Rosario, Patrick Soben, Nyla Walker

Special Thanks: This piece began its development at the Dragons Egg Retreat Center in Ledyard, CT. I would like to thank Jason Roth, Myra Ursin, Dan Potter, Jessie Jarbadan, Sam Keamy-Minor, Sebastian Otera, and all of the beautiful and gifted dance artists who came together with generosity, curiosity, and compassion for themselves and each other. I am forever grateful to have such a remarkable company of thinkers, doers, and creators. —Michelle Bach-Coulibaly

RiverRun traces stories, songs, and dreamscapes of rivers through myth, metaphor, and imaginal realms. This new work was built from personal narratives, classic literature, news lines, reflections, autobiography, and cultural histories. Choreographer Bios

Michelle Bach-Coulibaly is an educator, choreographer and movement specialist who teaches in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University. Since 1987, she has developed over 35 new works for the stage, street, and screen that incorporate new music compositions, intermedial film work, and art installations that address social, political, and environmental concerns. As the co-founder of the Yeredon Centre for Art, Culture and Social Engagement in Mali, West Africa, Bach-Coulibaly works closely with international organizations in Mali and the USA to support transnational collaboration, cultural preservation, public health, and humanitarian projects. Gwi Young Bae is a professor and a choreographer who has staged fourteen personal performances with the production support of the South Korean government, where she was awarded the title, “Excellent Dancer’. In addition, she has created and staged over fifty original works including the opening ceremonies for the Korean national athletics game. With the sponsorship of UNESCO, she choreographed Korea’s Dance meets with World’s Music - Arab Music. She also choreographed the operas La Boheme and La Traviata. She is a columnist for the Korea Times in the United States of America and South Korea on the topic of “”. Her dissertation was on the “Anthropometric trait and ACE gene polymorphism in elite dancers.” Bae has served as a visiting professor at UC Riverside in 2008, and is currently the artistic director of Bae Gwiyoung Ballet Company and a professor at Changwon National University. Bae was also a visiting professor at Brown University in 2012. Robert Battle became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011 at the personal selection of Judith Jamison, making him only the third person to head the company since it was founded in 1958. He studied at Miami’s New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis and Gerri Houlihan, and then at the dance program at The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where he met his mentor Carolyn Adams. Upon his graduation from Juilliard, Robert joined the Parsons Dance Company and danced with them from 1994 to 2001, setting his own choreography on that company starting in 1998. In 2002, he founded Battleworks Dance Company, which made its premiere in Düsseldorf, Germany as the U.S. representative to the World Dance Alliance’s Global Assembly. —Erika Pujič was a founding member and rehearsal director of Battleworks Dance Company and has been dancing and setting Robert Battle’s works for the past 20 years. She is currently on the faculty at Skidmore College and works with American Dance Legacy Initiative. In 1995, Erika received a bachelor of fine arts in dance from The Juilliard School, where she was the recipient of the Martha Hill Award. Upon graduation, Erika worked with Lila York, as her rehearsal assistant, as well as with Gloria Marina’s Spanish Dance Ensemble, and was a principal dancer and rehearsal director for Henning Rubsam’s SENSEDANCE for seven years. Stanley Muñoz ‘17 is concentrating in Public Health. He began training in his senior year of high school with Piel Canela Latin Dance Company, until he decided to attend Brown instead of joining the professional company. After joining Impulse, Mezcla, and Fusion Dance Company (where he trained in Hip-Hop, Latin,and Contemporary) and studying West with Michelle Bach-Coulibaly he realized his passion for dance outweighed his love for academics. This past summer he began training at Broadway Dance Center with David Thomas, Joanna Numata, Theresa Stone, and many other faculty members where he was scouted and signed to Bloc Talent Agency. Stanley co-directed Impulse Dance Company and continues to dance and choreograph for various productions on campus. After graduation, he will be moving back to New York City to dance professionally. In the long- term Stanley is planning on creating his own dance company while also choreographing for commercial projects. Performance Companies

Arts, Communication & Teaching Academy (ACT) at Central Falls High School led by Deanna Camputaro, has a mission to challenge and inspire its members to become proficient, creative, and innovative teachers, learners, and producers of the arts and academics who respect and understand the global community at large. American Dance Legacy Initiative (ADLI) produces an annual project in collaboration with ACT students. Working with ADLI professionals and graduate students from the Brown Center for Public Humanities, class members learn Repertory Etudes and create original works of art and dance to explore in-depth the relationship between a professional choreographer and the lives of Central Falls teenagers. Having access to professional facilities, audiences, and content as part of this project gives students a powerful authentic opportunity to engage with dance as a rigorous, inspiring discipline, and the creative work that they produce adds to the vibrant ongoing dialogue between the legacies and the future of American dance. Dance Extension was established in 1979 as a modern repertory company in residence at Brown University. It was created by Brown University’s founding director of Dance, Julie Adams Strandberg, on the premise that the training of dancers must include the opportunity to perform, teach, and revisit masterworks. While the dancers in the company are encouraged and supported to create their own work, they also have the opportunity, rare in the academy, to work with some of our most revered choreographers and exciting contemporary innovators. Dance Extension has performed dances by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, Jack Cole, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Pilobolus, Colin Connor, Carolyn Dorfman, Anne-Alex Packard, Billy Siegenfeld ’70 and Lisa Race. The repertory includes works by Carolyn Adams, Ruth Andrien, Laura Bennett ‘92, Danny Buraczeski, Danny Grossman, Donna Jewell, Lorry May, Carla Maxwell, Donald McKayle, David Parsons, Pearl Primus, and Charles Weidman. Dance Extension has performed at elementary and secondary schools; at other colleges; for Brown University Alumni Clubs in England, Illinois, California, New York, and Washington, DC; for general audiences in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York City, Boston, and Saratoga Springs; and was hired to perform and lead workshops with dance educators and students in the Syracuse public school system. Dance for Parkinson’s and DAPpers (Dance for our Aging Population) classes are led by Rachel Balaban, ASaP co-director, adjunct lecturer at Brown University, and regular teacher of people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers. Rachel’s classes for those with movement challenges are designed to increase coordination and flexibility, release body tension, improve balance and core strength, and enhance body awareness. The classes offer a safe and comfortable environment for exploration and build a friendly and supportive community. This is the fifth year Rachel’s classes are performing a Repertory Etude. In 2016 they travelled with American Dance Legacy Initiative to New York City where they performed Rainbow Etude at the Paul Taylor Studios and had a coaching session with choreographer David Parsons on Parsons Etude. Dancing Legacy is the performing and teaching ensemble of American Dance Legacy Initiative (ADLI), housed at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. ADLI is dedicated to enabling individuals to appreciate and participate in the rich dance heritage of the United States of America and recognize it as a cultural asset relevant to all. A company of independent dancers, Dancing Legacy is committed to ADLI’s mission of preserving and sharing American dance heritage. Dancing Legacy performs as featured artists in ADLI events and also as part of extended residencies, as guest performers with other companies, and independently in showcases. The performing repertory includes both significant works of the 20th century and new contemporary choreography representing the dance legacy being created in our own time. In addition to performing, members play a central role in creating and delivering ADLI’s Repertory Etudes by taking part in development retreats and conducting teaching residencies with dance students nationally and internationally. Dancing Legacy maintains a flexible “jazz ensemble” format and invites guest artists to join for selected projects and performances. As both an active performance ensemble and a teaching corps, Dancing Legacy stands apart for its unique emphasis on the process by which great works of dance are passed on to new generations of audiences and performers. While dance as a field tends to celebrate the creation of new work, Dancing Legacy works to recognize the equally crucial need for a thoughtful, collaborative process to ensure that existing works are preserved and shared authentically. On stage, in the studio, and in the classroom, the company members are frontline representatives for ADLI’s philosophy of reflective, collaborative, and creative practice in communicating the dynamic heritage of American dance. IMPULSE Dance Company specializes in Hip Hop, but they relish the opportunity to infuse their choreography with a diversity of styles; they take pride in their versatility. They welcome those of all experience levels who share a common passion for dance. New Works/World Traditions is an international performance troupe committed to utilizing the power of performance to educate, deliberate, and inspire social engagement. Through research and cross-cultural exchange, New Works develops provocative theatrical experiences that address important political, public health, and social landscapes. These new theatrical works exist at the intersection of science, art, and social activism. New Works actively tours throughout the USA and West Africa to engage with communities in humanitarian projects devoted to cultural preservation, malaria prevention, environmental causes, and educational advancement. Comprised of Brown University faculty, alumni, current students, and professional international artist- activists, New Works’ mission is to further an egalitarian exchange of art and ideas through cross-cultural collaboration and social engagement programs between Malian and American artists. American Dance Legacy Initiative

ADLI transforms how people think about and experience dance through collaborative programming that connects with American heritage and builds a dance literate public.

photo credit: Lucia Lopez

www.brown.edu/go/adli

Founded in 1993 by the trailblazing Adams sisters—Carolyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandberg, ADLI is housed at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University to strengthen a shared commitment to public engagement with the arts and culture.ADLI’s performing and teaching ensemble, Dancing Legacy, leads activities with ADLI’s network of artists, educators, specialists, and supporters from across the nation. Department Staff PRODUCTION DIRECTOR ...... Barbara Reo TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / LIGHTING DESIGNER ...... Tim Hett ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ...... Max Ramirez SOUND DESIGNER / ENGINEER / A/V COORDINATOR ...... Alex Eizenberg TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS ...... Emily Esposito ‘20 Mike Garth ‘19 Andrew Robbin ‘19 Rebecca Harless ‘20 Zach Silberberg ‘18 Eren Ileri ‘18 Matt Steinberg ‘19 Margaret Norton ‘18 Noah Usher ‘18 Simon Park ‘20 Sophia Washburn ‘17 Emmett Rahn-Oakes ‘18 Gerrit Veldt ‘20 Robert Williams ‘18 ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION MANAGER ...... Josh Cape ‘17 ASSISTANT TO THE PRODUCTION MANAGER ...... Tristen Moseley ‘18 JOHN STREET STUDIO TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ...... Alex Haynes JOHN STREET STUDIO ASSISTANTS ...... Jen Avery ‘17 Brenton Duhan ‘19 Maria Maddox ‘17 Stacie Farrow ‘18 Lilith Todd ‘18 COSTUME SHOP MANAGER ...... Ron Cesario COSTUME SHOP COORDINATOR ...... Fran Romasco COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS ...... Alyssa Cantu ‘18 Naomi Chasek-Malfoy ‘18 Paige Parsons ‘18 Talia Dutton ‘18 Anisha Rathod ‘18 Mika Matsumo ‘18 Isabel Thornton ‘19 Sylvia Nacar ‘20 Thomas Tomezsko ‘17 DEPARTMENT MANAGER ...... Jamie Tyrol ACADEMIC EVENTS & FACILITIES COORDINATOR ...... Chris Redihan EVENTS & FACILITIES ASSISTANTS ...... Josh Cape ‘17 Chloe Kibble ‘17 Siddharth Marthi ‘17 Tristen Moseley ‘18 BECKER LIBRARIANS ...... Midori Cassou ‘17 Siddharth Marthi ‘17 Joey Massa ‘17 Conor Sweeney ‘18 CUSTODIAN ...... Achim C Tah ACADEMIC COORDINATOR ...... Elizabeth Moloney MARKETING & BOX OFFICE COORDINATOR ...... Paul Margrave MARKETING ASSISTANT ...... Anna Stacy ‘17 FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGERS ...... Abigil Espiritu ‘19 Marcelo Rivera-Figueroa ‘18 Maya Frydman ‘18 BOX OFFICE ASSISTANTS ...... Randy Biagas-Hill ‘17 Midori Cassou ‘17.5 Brenton Duhan ‘19 Gloria Essien ‘17 Raadhika Kher ‘19 Jake Kuhn ‘17 Blanca Melendez ‘17