Landscapes: An Evening of Dance Film Curator/Artistic Director Brandon Whited June 17, 2021 Center Stage Theater Director’s Note It is with great joy and pleasure that we welcome you back to the theater. It goes without saying that this has been an incredibly challenging year. While many industries have been effected by the pandemic in significant ways, the performing arts—and dance in particular—have endured devas- tating economic and structural ramifications. COVID’s impact on the arts has been widely un-addressed at the governmental level and it is due to the unshakeable support of arts advocates, donors, and community organizers that we are here today. As I tell my choreography students when they lament the narrow parameters of an assignment or creative prompt: Limitation liberates pos- sibility. Restriction activates creativity. The restrictions and limitations we have endured as a creative community over the past year offered a radical example of this lesson. With the whole world turning to digital, screen- based platforms for so many facets of our lives, the dance world made a collective pivot to dance film and live digital performance in order to continue to create and connect through art. While these efforts should be applauded and celebrated for the adaptability, ingenuity and perseverance they represent, we should not ignore the fact that for many in our commu- nity dance filmmaking has long been a central aspect of their practice. I say this is not to discount the creative shift that so many of us have nec- essarily embraced, but to honor and celebrate the rich history of dance on film. Dance Film can offer a visual experience that transcends space and time—the capacity to transport us. Film can rocket us across the globe; manifest imagined landscapes; evoke the familiar and nostalgic; and open doors to intimate, personal spaces. It has the power to destabilize our rela- tionship to time, and offer unique perspectives from which we can observe its chosen subject(s). Tonight’s offerings represent many of the different aesthetics, per- spectives and formats that emerge from the craft of dance filmmaking. I invite you to let the visual imaginary wash over you, and allow yourself to be moved.

Thank you so much for spending the evening with us, and for your ongo- ing support of the performing arts. We hope to see you again soon!

—Brandon Whited, Curator/Artistic Director Landscapes: An Evening of Dance Film

A Vanished Day / The Errant Sea Robin Bisio Films/Katia Lepore Mrazek Creators: Robin Bisio & Katia Lepore Mrazek Music: Billy Winger Best Existence / Park For Animals Performer: Katia Lepore Mrazek

Sylkies Psychopomp Dance Theater/Ryan Howard Direction: Ryan Howard Choreography: Shenandoah Harris Music: Riley Smith Production Assistant: Melissa Hartman Performers: Abigail Chuah, Nicole Flores, Shenandoah Harris & Erin White

Lizard's Mouth HR Moves/Hannah Ruth Brothers Movement, Video & Editing: Hannah Ruth Brothers Sound & Editing: Simon Blondell Performer: Hannah Ruth Brothers

Out There Victoria Finlayson Choreography & Video Editing: Victoria Finlayson Videographers: Hannah Ruth Brothers, Victoria Finlayson, Lydia Lamberth, Susan Shaberman, Mark Srednicki Original Score: Simon Blondell Performers: Hannah Ruth Brothers, Kara Le, Susan Shaberman, Eloise Uranga

Ride UCSB Dance Company/Joshua Manculich Choreography: Joshua Manculich Music: Julia Wolfe Costumes: Beatriz Borbon Performers: Amity Beardsley, Jayne Butler, Kelly Gao, Erick Martinez, Sera Shahgholian, Dakota Smith, Jenny Thach, Andrew To, Sophia Yacap Intermission Desert Picnic Wild Beast Dance/Tammy Carrasco Direction & Choreography: Tammy Carrasco Video & Editing: Megan Davis Bushway Drone Operator: Stephen Sugden Photographer: Can Burns Lighting Director: Benoit Beauchamp Costume Designer Emma Scholl Music:Adam Crawley, djplie.com; Dr. Panayiotis, Kokoras, Magic Piano (Excerpt) Performers: Tim Bendernagel & Chloe London

Renewal Psychopomp Dance Theater/Erin White Direction & Editing: Erin White Assistant Direction & Videography: Jacque Hartman & Ashley Wright Performer: Erin White

#danzarestless Performed by Mauricio Vera (in 4 parts) Restless - Chilean in Alicante Spain Direction, Editing & Choreography: Eduardo Zúñiga Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven Orilla - Mexican in Montreal Canada Direction & Choreography: Edgar Zendejas Editing: Eduardo Zuniga Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven & Ernersto Sebastian Arias Cruzado Music Editing: Esdras Hernández Villar & Eduardo Zúñiga Ocaso - Spanish in Santiago de Chile Direction, Editing & Choreography: Esdras Hernández Villar Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven Mauricio - Uruguayan in Montevideo Uruguay Direction & Choreography: Ernersto Sebastian Arias Cruzado Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven & Esdras Hernández Villar Edited: Esdras Hernández Villar Interpreter and camera: Mauricio Vera Window Ballerina: Julia Bengtsson Director’s Pick Cygnus Direction: Cara Hagan & Robert Uehlin Choreography: Cara Hagan Cinematography & Editing: Robert Uehlin Music Gesture 1 by Mike Wall Performer: Cara Hagan Cygnus by Cara Hagan was selected by the Artistic Director to be featured in the Re:Emerge Festival. Fresh off the Film Festival Circuit—with screenings in over 26 film festivals—Cygnus offers a prime example of the simplicity and nuance of masterful cinematography, serving as a foundation for vulner- able, transcendent expression of the human form. Ms. Hagan’s film offers a depth of vision and mastery of the craft of dance filmmaking, and also features her riveting performance and presence as the subject of the film. Directors-Choreographers-Filmakers Robin Bisio: Kaita Lepore Mrazek and I found ourselves suddenly cut off from studio rehearsals and film production protocols during the pandemic.We decided to have some fun and make two iPhone films at the beach across the street.The beach was solace and spoke of mysteries that it carried for those who sat on the shores to listen. We did and are so glad to present A Vanished Day and The Errant Sea.

Hannah Ruth Brothers seeks to discover what can be created with the materials at hand. Creating dance films with nothing more than her iPhone, she has danced on beaches, trails, and subway platforms, and in parking lots, grocery stores, and Am- trak bathrooms, as well as on many stages. She graduated with High Honors from Marlboro College, VT, with a BA in Dance, and has trained extensively in , , contact improvisation, dance improvisation, West African dance, and yoga. Her work has been presented in New England; Orlando, FL; Berkeley, CA; and her hometown of Santa Barbara, CA, where she current- ly resides. Since 2016, Hannah Ruth has managed her private practice, Hannah Ruth Massage for Wellness, serving clients in the Santa Barbara area. View her live performance work and dance films, includingLizard’s Mouth extras, at vim- eo.com/hannahruthbrothers, or find her on Instagram @hannahruthiedancequeen- machine.

Tammy Carrasco is a dance artist and educator based in Phil- adelphia. She received a MFA from The Ohio State University, BFA from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and is a Walnut Hill School alum. Her professional work has been presented by Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Dixon Place, Dumbo Dance Festival, ’s Frame x Frame Film Festival, Movement Research at Judson Church, and Triskelion Arts, among others. In academic settings, her work has been featured in ACDA Gala and National showcases. She has taught and staged work as a guest artist nationally and internationally, and held a full-time position for SUNY Brockport’s Dance Department. Outside of teaching, Carrasco imagines, creates, and clears space for possibility by making dances and fostering collaborations under the umbrella of Wild Beast Dance (wildbeastdance.com), and is co-orga- nizer of The Landingspace Project (landingspaceproject.org), a virtual maker’s space created for and by artists during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ernersto Sebastian Arias Cruzado Graduated from the ballet division dance school, BNS Ballet Nacional del SODRE Montevideo Uruguay Corps de ballet and Corifeo from 1998 to 2020. Dancer Corps de Baile del ballet of the Munici- pal Theater of Santiago (CHILE) 2004-2006, dancer of Laura’s Company Alonso (CUBA), 2009 and 2015. 2008 Choreographer of channel 10 Exhausted Local- ities, winner of the selection of choreographers of the BNS (Tory). 2014-2015 Represents Cuba as the first dancer in a cultural exchange with China, visiting 15 cities in the Asian country. In 2018 he was appointed master of the Julio Bocca company in the National Ballet of Sodre Uruguay. 2019 summons him to dance Onegin with Nadia Mara (principal of ballet) Reid Anderson and classi- fies it as the best performance he saw in his life being the person who premiered that role and going back for 50 years.

Victoria Finlayson (dancer/choreographer/actor) is new to videodance on the production/choreography side. She was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1984-1992 where she appeared in videodances by Merce Cunningham and Eliot Caplan, then she worked with the Lit Moon Theater Company from 1992-2020. She is currently working on independent projects and seeing where her move- ment and theatrical interests lead next.

Cara Hagan is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is informed by movement, words, digital space, contemplative practice, and community. Hagan is director and curator for ADF’s Movies by movers, an annual, international screendance festival under the auspices of the American Dance Festival. Her new book, Screendance from Film to Festival: Celebration and Curatorial Practice is due out in 2021 from McFarland Pub- lishing.

Ryan Howard was born and raised in Buellton, California. He has a degree in Theater Production and Design from the Uni- versity of California, Santa Barbara. He now works and lives in Los Angeles as a Designer and Maker. Ryan has worked with Center Theater Group as a Prop Artisan and Theater Techni- cian, and is the Director of Production and Design for Psycho- pomp Dance Theater. His work has been seen onstage at the Ahmanson Theater, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Kirk Douglas Theater. His current artistic adventure is exploring the world of analog film, in both still and motion picture formats. Ryan is thrilled to show his short film at Center Stage Theater!

Joshua Manculich, born in Windber, PA, is a recipient of a 2015 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship. His choreo- graphic adventures include: II, Collage Dance Collective, DanceWorks Chicago, Dancing in the Parks, Dayton Contemporary Company II, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Grand Valley State University, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Interlochen, METdance, Piel Morena Contemporary Dance, Point Park University, Santa Bar- bara Dance Theater, The Big Muddy Dance Company, Western Michigan Univer- sity, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Whim W’Him. Josh holds a B.A. in Dance and a Psychology Minor from Point Park University and an M.F.A. in Dance from Ohio State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Sam Houston State University. “Rather than looking at art as a distraction, I believe art is a bridge to understanding and amplifying lived experiences. As a teacher and choreographer, I am motivated by the belief that I can speak to an audience through the sweat and breath, the flesh and footfalls of movement in ways words cannot address. Although music remains a vital and generative engine in my cre- ative process, I strive to insure my work is never a slave to its accompaniment. “

Mauricio Vera Chilean artist Mauricio began his studies in 1998 with Hugo Urrutia Academy. In 2000 He was accepted at the Chilean Opera House School of Ballet of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, under the artistic direction of Patricio Gutierrez. He became corp of the Ballet De Santiago under the direction of Marcia Haydée. He participat- ed in several Chilean TV productions like the annual Festival International de Viña del Mar. In 2006, he continued studying at the National Ballet of Cuba of Alicia Alonso. After moving to the USA, he trained at Steps on Broadway and School at Steps in NYC and worked with Charleston Ballet Theater in South Carolina. He danced with State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara, CA for six seasons. He then moved back to the east coast and joined Roxey Ballet dancing principal rolls, Connecticut Bal- let Company, FJK Dance Company, Biannual Whitney Museum (Master & Form) installation and Solomon Guggenheim Museum. Mauricio has toured all over Germany, China, South America, as well as the EU invited as a principal guest artist especially for the Nutcracker season. He has danced and produced the first Las Condes International Ballet Gala and Festival Reencuentro de Coreógrafos in Santiago de Chile. He interpreted and produced #danzarestless collaboration, a quarantined short film that has recently received awards and nominations at Film festivals.

Esdras Hernandez Villar Born in Torrelavega, Spain. At the age of 8 he began his dance studies. Eight years later he entered the ¨Ballet de Santiago¨, where he has been a soloist to this day. As a choreographer, since 2013 he has created more than twenty dance pieces, ranging from complete classical ballet to original works and video-dance, as well as concerts, musicals and video clips. In most of the original creations he is also in charge of the realization of the music.

Erin White was born and raised in Alton, IL where she be- gan taking tumbling, acrobatics and dance lessons at the local studio. She went on to graduate from Southern Illinois Uni- versity Edwardsville with a B.S. in Theater and Dance. Upon graduation, Erin made her way to Los Angeles where she began her education and performance career with DIAVOLO: Archi- tecture in Motion. Erin has had the privilege to showcase work at the Kennedy Center and was a Top 10 Finalist on America’s Got Talent. Erin is now a member of PSYCHOPOMP Dance Theater where her love of creating dance films was sparked. Erin uses her background in yoga and meditation to influence her movement qual- ity and is inspired to create work that makes the audience feel a sense of connec- tion and belonging. Now residing back in Illinois, Erin is grateful for how dance has had to adapt during the pandemic. Erin enjoys staying connected to her dance company as well as her students by teaching and performing remotely.

Edgar Zendejas Of Mexican nationality, 18 years old dancer for the bjm_danse company, as well as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. His choreography is requested internationally in companies and festivals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia, bjm-danse, Jacob’s Pil- low, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, DanceWorks Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, NorthWestDanceProject, , State Street Ballet, Eisenhow- ard Dance, Santa Barbara Dance Theater, Richmond Ballet and Ballet de Monter- rey, among others. Zendejas is the winner of the 2010 Hubbard Street 2 National Choreographic Competition, as well as a finalist in the GENESIS competition, with Milwaukee Ballet. He is also recognized as Outstanding Choreographer from the acclaimed Youth America Grand Prix 2012. His latest recognition is as a winner of the renowned “Winning Works” competition by Joffrey Academy in Chicago in 2019. Edgar Zendejas’s language of movement is spiritually seduc- tive. Colored by his Mexican heritage, his movement explores the qualities of the human soul with humor and delicacy. His vision and his contribution to a better world through choreography became a reality in January 2006 when he founded ezdanza, a company dedicated to free expression in collaboration with artists in contemporary dance and circus.

Eduardo Zuñiga Born in Santiago, Chile. Eduardo began his studies at the Santiago Ballet school. The following year he entered the Houston Ballet Acad- emy, finishing his studies of classical and contemporary technique receiving the Peter Schaer Award. As a dancer, Eduardo has been a member of several classical and contemporary companies, State Street Ballet, under the direction of Ben Stevenson, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. Santiago de Chile BAM as choreographer, rehearser and dancer. He is part of the cast of the (BANCH). Lucerne Tanz Theater in Switzerland. He currently dances and choreographs with Proyec- to Titoyaya directed by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano and Veronica Garcia Mos- cardo in Spain. He has danced works by John Cranko, Ben Stevenson, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Mathieu Guillhamoun, among others. As a choreographer, Eduardo has won the Gold Medal at the XIII International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers in Moscow, Russia and the Silver Medal at the IV Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition in China. First prize of Dance Chance Redux (Chicago), the Joyce Award in 2013 and Festival Reencuentro in GAM.

Performers Amity Beardsley is a 4th year transfer student. She will be graduating from UCSB in June, with a BA in dance and a minor in Educational studies. She plans on pursuing grad school in the near future to become an occupational therapist.

Hannah Ruth Brothers (see bio with Directors/Choreographers) Jayne Butler is a senior at UC Santa Barbara working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance. She grew up just down the coast in Thousand Oaks, CA and has been pursuing dance for as long as she can remember. Jayne has had the honor of training with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City, the School in Chicago, performing abroad in Germany and Austria, and more! She no longer dreams of being a ballerina in a pretty pink tutu, but instead is passionate about combining dance with other art forms and exploring a career in Dance Film. Jayne is grateful for the UCSB Dance Com- pany for giving her a feeling of purpose and movement during such an uncertain point in history.

Kelly Gao began to dance when she was 6 years old. She danced at danceca- pade and joined West Covina HS dance team before becoming a dance major at UCSB. Not only did she have a passion for dance, she also loves numbers. Now, she is currently a Fourth year student, double majoring in Financial Mathemat- ics/Statistics & Dance. Post graduation, her goal is to either pursue a Masters in Finance or an MBA and teach dance on the weekends. “Dance has brought me lifelong friendships and happiness”

Kara Le discovered the joy of dance initially through ballroom dancing and Argentine tango, and now passionately enjoys aerial dance, ballet, Cunningham, and any other form of dance she can find.

Erick Martinez, from Santa Ana, is a fourth year at UCSB, pursuing his BFA degree in dance. He has been training since his freshman year in high school with the help of his instructors.

Susan Shaberman has had a life-long relationship with dance. She has danced and choreographed internationally and continues to study locally. Once asked why someone of her age was continuing an intense involvement in the study of dance, the answer was simple - Love!

Sera Shahgholian was only six years old when she began Armenian Folk danc- ing in Iran. When she moved to the United States she started taking dance classes with her childhood dance teacher. She eventually fell in love with dancing again and decided to pursue her passion as a career. Sera has received her Dance Teach- ing Degree from the Glendale Community College, where she was the president of Dance Club and part of the Glendale Community Colleges Dance Company. She is currently studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she is planning to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Dance by Spring 2021. Her research includes combining Armenian dance with modern dance. With her hard-working skills, energetic personality, & her positive attitude, Sera is looking forward to gaining more experience in the dance world and becoming a profes- sional dancer.

Dakota Smith is a senior earning her BA in Dance and a minor in Theater Pro- duction and Design. Having danced for 18 years has given her the opportunity to perform in countries like Belgium, Germany, and the US. During her time at UCSB she has performed in several shows, her favorite being the 2019 Fall Dance Concert. Through the Design program, she has grown to love and focus on the world of costume design. After graduation she hopes to start a career in dance or costume design in London or New York. A native of sunny California, Dakota is thankful she had the opportunity to study at UC Santa Barbara, continuing her training in dance alongside inspiring students and faculty. She is delighted to end her senior year with the UCSB Dance Company.

Jenny Thach is a senior and is a double major in Environmental Studies and Dance as well as minoring in Applied Psychology. She plans on attending grad school in the future to become a Physical Therapist. Jenny loves and appreciates all the friendships she has made throughout her time in the dance department. She enjoys performing and hopes to continue to dance in her future.

Andrew To is a Senior BFA Dance major at UCSB. He is passionate about dance and dance accessibility within the community. He is President of Student Asso- ciation of Dance and an officer in Groove to Streetdance. Both programs provide dance opportunities to students and non students throughout Santa Barbara and virtually. He is hoping to continue his dance journey after graduation, wherever it takes him. His long term goals are to write for dance magazines and manage dance accessible companies.

Eloise Uranga is originally from the Bay Area, where she began dance studies in college. She became a member of the Mercer Dance Ensemble in New Jersey, and taught modern dance in Geneva, Switzerland. In Santa Barbara, she per- formed as dancer and actor with Drama Dogs, the Gilbert & Sullivan Company, the Real Shakespeare Company, Alhecama, and many independent projects. “Deep thanks to Vicki for creating this special work--I am so grateful to be a part of it. “

Sophia Yacap is a senior this year and is a double majori in Dance and Politi- cal Science. She has been dancing ballet and modern since she was just 3 years old and hopes to continue her dance career in New York City after graduating. Some of her favorite dance memories here at UCSB were being in the re-staging of Shen Wei’s Re-III as well as being an apprentice for Santa Barbara Dance Theater. In her last year here, she is excited to further her repertoire with UCSB Dance Company!

Artistic Director/Curator

Brandon Whited is an Assistant Professor of Dance with a focus on creative/choreographic research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and men’s/masculinities studies. Dancing Professionally in New York City, Mr. Whited freelanced with various companies including Steeledance (Teri and Oliver Steele), Randy James Dance Works, and Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company. In 2008 he joined Shen Wei Dance Arts, touring domestically and internationally, and origi- nating roles in four works. Taking a step back from his performance career, Brandon attended The Ohio State University to earn his Masters in Fine Arts and then accepted his current position at UC Santa Barbara. Mr. Whited’s choreographic research has been presented domestically in New York, Maryland, Ohio, Washington, Texas and California, and in Italy and Australia international- ly. Brandon has created multiple works for Santa Barbara Dance Theater as both a guest performer and choreographer and presented 95 North (2019) and Petit Pas (2017) in the 2019 Dance Gallery Festival in New York City and Texas respec- tively. He serves as the Board President of the newly re-formed Santa Barbara Dance Alliance, will begin next season as Artistic Director of Santa Barbara Dance Theater, and has been thrilled to serve as Curator/Artistic Director for the Re:Emerge Dance Festival at Center Stage Theater.

Producers

Teri Ball, Center Stage Theater Executive Director, has a background in the performing arts that includes experience as an Executive Director, Development Director, Marketing Director, non-profit management consultant and professional theatrical stage manager and production manager. In addition to her many years of professional experience Ms. Ball holds a masters degree in Non-ProfitArts Management from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelors degree in Theater from Cal State Northridge and was a long-time stage management member of Actors Equity the union of professional actors and stage managers.

Center Stage Theater exists to provide a professional, affordable, and accessible arts venue for the Santa Barbara community. The theater offers an environment where people of all ages, levels of expertise, and socio-economic backgrounds can participate in a hands-on experience as artists, technicians and audience members. Center Stage encourages work that celebrate new artists and the cultural diversity of our community. The offerings at Center Stage are reflective of our mission to be a venue to serve the community. One day that may be the premier of an orig- inal dance piece or play, the next might be a lecture on Buddhism and there will absolutely be numerous performances featuring young singers, dancers and actors as young as 3 or 4 years old. We are proud that each year our renters include organizations that have made Center Stage their home for years along with many first-time producers. We are also pleased to serve the full spectrum of community events including dance, music, theater, lectures, meetings and films with a breadth of types of performances from young dancers and actors appearing on stage for the first time to seasoned professionals.

Initiative for New and Reimagined Work Supported by the University of California Santa Barbara, within the Department of Theater and Dance, The Initia- tive for New and Reimagined Work explores the past, the present, and the possi- ble! Our mission is to encourage and support new and reimagined works while nurturing the next generation of choreographers, playwrights, directors, designers, administrators, and performers. CREATE FORWARD!

Vickie J. Scott is a Lighting and Scenic Designer for Dance, Theatre, and Themed Entertainment, and is the Executive Producer for Dramatic Women, founded in 1993 to explore and promote the participation of women in all areas of theatre and to produce original scripts for the theater by Santa Barbara, California based writers. She is also the Resident Lighting Designer and the Production Coordina- tor for the Ojai Playwright’s Conference in beautiful Ojai, California and a faculty member in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she teaches lighting design for theater and dance, designs lights and mentors students. Vickie is proud to be the founding producer for the Initiative for New and Reimagined Work. Initiative for New & Reimagined Work Founding Producer...... Vickie J. Scott UC Santa Barbara Henry T. Yang, Chancellor David Marshall, Executive Vice Chancellor Irwin Appel, Chair Department of Theater and Dance

Center Stage Theater Board of Directors

Kathy Marden, President Laurel Lyle Hallie Anderson Matt Tavianini Meredith Cabaniss Pamela Vander Heide Miriam Dance

Center Stage Theater Staff

Executive Director...... Teri Ball General Manager ...... Nathan Quinney Technical Director ...... Antonio Cruz Ventura Asst. Technical Director/Video Engineer...... Kaede Kogo Center Stage Theater is funded in part by the Organizational Development grant program of The City of Santa Barbara in partnership with The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.