dance this 2014 - paramount theatre · pdf filethank you for joining us at dance this 2014!...

Thank you for joining us at DANCE This 2014! Seattle Theatre Group is celebrating 16 years of this amazing program and we are so honored that you are celebrating with us! DANCE This features young and adult performers collaborating together and sharing their culture through the art of dance. In this Study Guide, you will find information about the different dances that will be represented in this year’s DANCE This. Additionally, you will find information about the dancers, choreographers and a few activities you can try out with your students and groups. Whether this is your first time experiencing DANCE This or you are a long time supporter, THANK YOU! Thank you, for keeping the arts vibrant in your community and helping us support this amazing program. Should you have any questions regarding this engagement guide please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]. Respectfully, Marisol Best Education Programs Manager 206.467.5510 x 1127

Welcome Letter

STG MISSION: Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region’s rich cultural identity while keeping these three landmark venues alive and vibrant.

ABOUT EDUCATION: Seattle Theatre Group education and community programs extend beyond the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatre stages and into the lives of the greater Seattle community. Each season, STG offers over 200 education engagements impacting over 24,000 students and community members from diverge ages and backgrounds.

THESE PROGRAMS…

Deepen significance to performances through opportunities to engage with artists Inspire youth and local artists through training and performance opportunities Provide exposure to the arts through access initiatives

About Seattle Theatre Group

Contemporary dance is commonly understood as the fusion of Ballet and Modern dance styles with a heavy in8luence of current musical composition. Ballet provides Contemporary dancers with the technical foundation and knowledge required for the movement of this dance style. Modern inspires the emotion, movement and style components. Contemporary dance has grown and continues to evolve in the dance community, becoming one of the most popular dance forms among dancers and audience members.

Spectrum Dance Theater Academy

Northwest Tap Connection

Hip Hop dance originated in the United States in the 1970s on the streets of inner city America among the young African American community. This dance style was inspired by 1920s jazz dances, such as the Lindy Hop. The combination of intricate footwork from earlier dance styles with the innovative music of the 1970s resulted in the new dance culture of Hip Hop. Over time, this genre has extended to many cultural groups around the world, especially Asian American, Hispanic, African American and Caucasian communities. Hip Hop has evolved and moved into mainstream media, constantly exciting youth across the globe.

Contemporary

Hip Hop

Dance Styles

African Journey

International Ballet Theatre

African

Ballet

Ballet originated in the Renaissance court of Italy and France in the early 1400’s, but became a performance art to be enjoyed by an audience in the 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV. This dance form has developed immensely since its beginning, acting as the technical foundation for the majority of popular dance genres such as contemporary, jazz, and musical theatre. There are many variations of ballet that are studied and performed today, including folk, which will be performed by International Ballet Theatre.

The culture of dance is a central focus of the African lifestyle. Dance teaches social patterns and values while helping young individuals grow and mature within their communities. Different styles of African dance are performed at celebrations, festivals, or funerals to recite history, poetry, and encounter gods that are representative of the African culture. The dance is extremely physical and involves the entire body, being representative of the music that is created from either human voice or authentic musical instruments, such as African drums.

Dance Styles

Bailardores de Bronce

Kalahi Philippine Dance Company

Mexican

Philippines

Mexican dance is known to be a blending of movement and elements that stem from the country’s history and indigenous heritage. There is a great amount of African and European in8luence in the physical and technical aspects of the Mexican dance form. Different movement and style aesthetics are often representative of the region in Mexico that it was originally created and performed. Mexican dance involves an immense amount of energy and historical pride to entertain the audience and represent the country’s history.

There are many different styles of Philippine folk dance, but speci8ically Singkil and Tinikling are styles being performed by Kalahi Philippine Dance Company. Singkil, based on the Darangan, the Mindanao epic, revolves around the amorous exploits of a prince, who falls in love with a lovely princess. Tinikling, originated in the Visayan Islands, on the Island of Leyte. The dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers.

Dance Styles

Garba and Raas UW DangeRAAS Dawgs

Musical Theatre CORE Theatrics

Musical Theatre is a style of dance that is most often enjoyed by audiences viewing a Broadway Musical production. The dance style incorporates theatrics that follow a speci8ic story line and musical score. The movement is derived greatly from technical ballet and jazz, and is often very physically demanding. This dance form adds an additional artistic layer to musical productions in order to tell a story to the audience by incorporating music, acting, and dance.

Both Garba and Raas are forms of Indian dance originating in the state of Gujarat, India. Garba is traditionally performed in a circular formation while Dandiya Raas involves dancing with sticks, which are used to represent swords. Both dances are culturally signi8icant because of their regional and religious aspects. Garba/Raas is performed to honor the Hindu goddess Durga and to celebrate life. These dances are typically performed during festivals like Navaratri and wedding ceremonies.

Dance Styles

Mark Haim is an internationally recognized choreographer and dance teacher. He has created dances for dance companies such as the Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, and the Joffrey Ballet. He toured his full-‐evening solo, The Goldberg Variations, from 1997 to 2002 around the US and in Russia and Korea. His 2013 work for a company of 14, “This Land Is Your Land”, has been seen in Paris (Theatre de Vanves) and New York (The Joyce Theater). Most recently, he was choreographer for The Consul and Tales of Hoffmann at the Seattle Opera. He has been on the faculty of the American Dance Festival since 1993 and has taught dance as a guest artist in universities around the US as well as for companies and schools in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Chile and Argentina. He was Artist in Residence at the University of Washington Dance Program from 2002-‐08 and currently teaches at the Velocity Dance Center and the International Ballet Academy.

Artistic Advisor for DANCE This 2014

Daniel Cruz is the choreographer and director of Cruz Control, a Seattle hip hop company. He served as a Co-‐Dance Captain on the 1st National Tour of the Tony-‐award winning musical, In The Heights. Cruz has also worked with the 5th Avenue Theater, The Village Theater, MTV VMA's (Michael Jackson/NSYNC), BET (Ashanti), Musicology music video (Prince), Seattle Seahawks, Microsoft, STG, Napoleon & Tabitha D'Umo, Wade Robson and Brian Friedman. He has taught and choreographed for STG's DANCE This since 2005 and premiered new work at The Moore Theatre in 2008 and 2009.

Finale Choreographer

DANCE This Team

Spectrum Dance Theater Academy is the Pre-‐professional Division of Spectrum Dance Theater, Seattle’s premier contemporary dance organization. The highly dedicated and meritable students in this intensive training program range in ages 14 through 22 and study approximately 20 hours a week. The base of their study is Ballet and Donald Byrd Contemporary, however, this well-‐rounded dance program also includes Tap, Choreography, Gyrokinesis®, and World Dance.

Photo Credit: Christopher Nelson Spectrum Dance Theater Academy students work directly with Spectrum’s Artistic Director and world renown choreographer, Donald Byrd. With this diverse and challenging curriculum, the students are provided a rich artistic experience and the highest level of dance training. This dance piece is a contemporary style of dance. It was created to re8lect a community and all that entails.

About the Dance Piece

Spectrum Dance Theater Academy

http://spectrumdance.org/school/featured-program/

Northwest Tap Connection is an urban dance studio that specializes in rhythm tap, while also incorporating other dance styles such as African, jazz, modern, ballet, swing, ballroom, and hip-‐hop. Many generations of Northwest Tap Connection dancers have participated and performed in Seattle Theatre Group Community Programs . Other performance experiences range from studio shows to participating in an annual tap festival to broaden the students’ awareness of tap, improve skills, build self-‐esteem, and connect with the larger dance community. Northwest Tap Connection is dedicated to building the whole dancer through a love of dance, personal discipline, and respect for the community.

Photo Credit: Christopher Nelson

Northwest Tap Connection


Northwest Tap Connection will be performing two hip hop dance pieces. The 8irst piece is called Indigenous which will be a mixture of hip hop with Bollywood. The second piece will be called Better-‐Seahawks Anthem, in honor of the Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII Championship.

http://www.nwtapconnection.com

International Ballet Theatre (IBT) was founded in 2001 by artistic director, Vera Altunina, Ballet Master and choreographer from the State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia. IBT is committed to the preservation of classical ballet repertoire and presents productions that re8lect traditional as well as original choreography. Featuring elegant costumes, vivid sets, and a touch of magic, all performances are richly entertaining for audiences of all ages. IBT performances inspire imagination, and an appreciation of the performing arts, through the creativity and beauty of dance.


International Ballet Theatre


International Ballet Theatre will be performing a dance number from the Republic of Georgia. This piece is a folk/character dance piece with beautiful contemporary step work.

http://www.ibtbellevue.org


Gansango Music & Dance Co.


Gansango Music & Dance is working with three master artists who will collaborate together to create a new piece, based on their dance and music traditions from Benin, Togo and Zimbabwe.

Gansango Music & Dance draws on the stunning talent of a multicultural group of international dancers and musicians presenting traditional and contemporary dance and music from West Africa. The company is directed by Etienne Cakpo, originally from Benin and now a teacher and choreographer based in Seattle, Washington. Gansango company collaborating artists perform regularly in the Seattle area, nationally and internationally for audiences of all ages.

www.gansango.com

Kalahi Philippine Dance Company is a Filipino American folk dance group for children and adults. This group is part of the Filipino Community of the Seattle Family Academy program, which promotes family participation and involvement in education, culture and arts. The program works to empower families and students to be proactive in the community and educational affairs. A key feature of Kalahi is the collaboration of both parents and children in learning and performing traditional dances. This pairing helps build the intergenerational bond and contributes to the enjoyment of the cultural learning process.


Kalahi Philippine Dance Company will be performing “Singkil” -‐-‐ based on the Darangan, the Mindanao epic, which revolves around the amorous exploits of a prince, who 8inally falls in love with a lovely princess. The second piece KPDC will perform is “Tinikling” -‐-‐ originating in the Visayan Islands, on the Island of Leyte. Dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers.

Kalahi Philippine Dance Company


https://www.facebook.com/FCSKalahi?ref=hl

Bailadores de Bronce started in 1972, as a group of students at the University of Washington, led by Jose8ina Jaramillo Alvarez, united in a common goal to demonstrate their pride in their Mexican heritage through music and dance. They questioned the lack of a Mexican dance group at the UW. In many ways it was a product of the Civil Rights and Chicano movements.



Bailadores de Bronce

Bailadore de Bronce will perform-‐ Xipe Pre-‐hispanic Azteca Dance, “Xipe”-‐-‐ an Aztec piece with sounds, song and dance movements of religious meaning and often accompanied by ritual acts. In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec ("the 8layed one"), was a life-‐death-‐rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths, liberation and the seasons. The second piece BDB will perform is a Mexican Folklore from Aguascalientes State, And “Pelea de Gallos”-‐-‐ representative of the state of Aguascalientes and more speci8ically the San Marcos Fair. The dance is full of color and the Spirit of bravery is shown throughout. The dance depicts the “palenques,” the arenas in which cock8ighting took place, part of the folklore of this region.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bailadores-de-Bronce/306291702714476?ref=br_tf

UW DangeRAAS Dawgs was founded in 2009 by two undergraduate students at the University of Washington and is the 8irst collegiate Raas team to represent Seattle, WA. Past performances include Desi Dhamaka (2011-‐2014), SGCS Diwali 2013, FIUTS CulturalFest 2014, and Northwest Folklife 2014. This team aims to promote the traditional dance forms of Garba and Dandiya Raas, which originate in Gujarat, India. As a team, DangeRAAS strives to create colorful performances, combining traditional Raas with the newly invented form of collegiate competitive Raas.


UW DangeRAAS Dawgs will perform a piece that features the folk dances Garba and Dandiya Raas, which originate in Gujarat, India. Garba is traditionally done in a circular formation while Dandiya Raas involves dancing with sticks, which are used to represent swords. This piece combines traditional Raas with the newly invented form of collegiate competitive Raas to create a high-‐energy and colorful performance.


UW DangeRAAS Dawgs

https://www.facebook.com/UwDangeraasDawgs

CORE Theatrics, based on the Eastside, offers young adults intensive training in the performing arts to prepare them for the world’s stage. Through classes, individual coaching, workshops and live performances, each individual is given the support and challenge they need to access their innate core strengths, and to become con8ident players in their own lives and families, as well as their society.

CORE Theatrics

CORE Theatrics will present young dancers who will perform the Elvis inspired “Jailhouse Rock” from the 2005 hit Broadway musical All Shook Up, choreographed for CORE Theatrics by Sheri Lewis.


http://www.coretheatricstheartofbeinghuman.com

CHOREOGRAPHERS

CORE THEATRICS Choreographer Sheri Lewis is the founder and director of Westlake Dance Center. Sheri’s desire to travel and dance led her to perform in exotic places like Bermuda, Puerto Rico and cruise ships right out of high school. This chance to perform and continue to study dance all over the world opened her eyes to different dance styles that in8luence her teaching today. Sheri got her license in massage therapy in 2001 where kinesthesiology and the study of anatomy gave her awareness to dance injuries and rehab in order to help dancers in class and out. Besides teaching at WDC, Sheri choreographs several musicals each year and at local conventions working with entertainment companies. Sheri is thrilled to have been guest teaching and choreographing for Ywam and Project Dance New York. Sheri also teaches for STG’s DANCE This Intensive.

NORTHWEST TAP CONNECTION Choreographer Shakiah Danielson is a self-‐taught hip hop instructor. She started choreographing over 13 years ago for theater productions put on by Restoration of the Arts (ROTA), a non-‐pro8it artistic organization focused on utilizing the arts to reach at-‐risk youth in South Seattle. She’s traveled to Mexico and Canada to teach dance workshops, and has taught at a variety of dance studios from Woodinville to Portland. Her style takes on an unbridled, bold, passionate approach to hip-‐hop coupled with an eclectic blend of music.

SPECTRUM DANCE THEATER Choreographer Donald Byrd became Artistic Director of Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater in December 2002. From 1978 – 2002, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York, that toured extensively, both nationally and internationally. He has created over 80 modern dance works for his own groups as well as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Philadanco! among others. He has choreographed for classical companies, including Paci8ic Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Aterballetto, MaggioDanza diFirenze, and Oregon Ballet Theater. He has worked with some of the most prestigious theater and opera companies in the U.S., including New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, the Intiman Theater, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera and New York City Opera. Donald has most recently been awarded a Mayor’s Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle; and has been selected among the 8irst group of Fellows to the American Academy in Jerusalem.

CHOREOGRAPHERS

BAILADORES DE BRONCE please see group page

INTERNATIONAL BALLET

Vera Altunina is a renowned and respected choreographer and ballet master from St. Petersburg, Russia, who has brought her talent and love of dance to the United States. Vera came to the U.S. in 1993 and worked as the lead ballet instructor and choreographer for the Washington Academy of Performing Arts. There she produced many original full-‐length productions and was a guest instructor for Cornish College of the Arts, Ewajo Dance Workshop, Whidbey Island Dance School, Olympic Ballet School and Ballet Bellevue. In 2001 she founded International Ballet Company and School and as Artistic Director produces four productions each season.

UW DANGERAAS DAWGS Kunjal Patel, Co-‐Captain, is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, majoring in Mathematics. She has been dancing Garba/Raas since she was little and performing with UW DangeRAAS Dawgs for the last four years. She is excited to join DANCE This for one of her last performances with the team! Arnavi Chheda, Co-‐Captain, is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, majoring in Computer Science and Human Centered Design & Engineering. She has been involved with Raas for the last two years, and is so excited about how far the team has come!

Kalahi Philippine Dance Company Born and raised in the Philippines, Lyrma Santodomingo received her formal training in Traditional Filipino Folk Dance at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. After many years performing in the Seattle area, the west coast, and abroad, she now serves as Artistic Director/Choreographer for the Kalahi Philippine Dance Company. She feels truly blessed to share her talents and artistic vision in bringing to life the beauty and pageantry of Filipino Folk Dance for all.

CHOREOGRAPHERS

AFRICAN JOURNEY Kokou Al’nuzan Patrick Gbakénou has honed his professional dance and performance skills for over 15 years. Originally from Togo, West Africa, Kokou has toured in Germany, France and Belgium with various groups, and was twice in residency at l’Ecole des Sables in Senegal (Germaine Acogny). He led an artistic association called Circuit Cinéma et Arts Vivants (CCAV), and collaborated extensively with the French Cultural Center of Lomé, the Goethe Institut, and the dance companies such as Brin de Chocolat, and Théâtre Oriki. Prior to moving to Seattle in December 2013, he taught dance in Togo at the Lycée Français de Lomé and two primary schools. Since 2010 Kokou has worked on an original movement technique called “Magan.” Kokou integrates elements of Capoeira, hip hop and pan-‐African contemporary dance styles into his repertoire, in addition to his mastery of the traditional dances of Togo. Etienne Cakpo is an award-‐winning professional dancer, choreographer and musician from Benin, West Africa. He teaches and performs traditional African dance from Benin as well as contemporary African dance styles, and has been building his dance repertoire for over 20 years. He is director of Gansango Music and Dance, a dance company registered in Washington State. Gansango works closely with public libraries, schools and independent arts agencies locally and nationally to make performance of dance and music from Africa available to a wide range of audiences, including young children. Etienne was recipient of the Artist Trust Fellowship for Excellence in Performing Arts in 2013 and in 2006; his company Gansango has collaborated with Seattle Theatre Group on DANCE This since 2002. Jimu Makurumbandi, from Zimbabwe, is a multi-‐talented musician, dancer, choreographer, 8itness trainer, actor and storyteller. In addition to mastering the mbira and kora instruments, Jimu performs and teaches contemporary and traditional African dance forms, and is conversant in modern, ballet and jazz styles as well. Jimu has toured Europe, worked long-‐term with the National Ballet of Zimbabwe and Statens Balletthøgskole in Norway, and has many years of experience with Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in multiple capacities. A powerhouse of energy and talent, Jimu currently offers the fruits of his more than 20 years of dance experience as resident guest teaching artist with Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle.

Amanda Sweger is a lighting and scenic designer who has worked as a freelance designer in Chicago and Philadelphia. She received an MFA from Northwestern University in 2011 and a BFA from Webster Conservatory in 2004. She was a visiting lecturer at Vanderbilt University and has been an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Paci8ic Lutheran University for the past two years. She was the resident scenic designer at Timber Lake Playhouse for 5 seasons, and designed with companies such as The Second City, TimeLine Theatre, ArcheDream for Humankind, Mary-‐Arrchie Theatre Company, Porchlight Theatre, InFusion Theatre Company, Lakewood Playhouse, and many more. It gives her great pleasure to have the opportunity to light such an amazing diversity of dance talent.

Lighting Stage Manger

Cristine Reynolds is thrilled to be back with DANCE This, having stage managed DT in 2008, 2011, 2012. Locally, she stage manages at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Opera, and among others. National credits include: South Coast Repertory, Barter Theatre, Paci8ic Northwest Ballet, Long Beach Opera. International touring includes: Edinburgh International Festival, Sadler’s Wells-‐London, Singapore – Festival of the Arts.

Technical Artists

Ages: All Ages Risk Level: *** Creative Dancing   The leader of the group plays a song   Each participant draws what they feel represents the music being played   The participants create movement to represent what they have drawn   Each participant takes turns performing their movement to the group Ages: All Ages Risk Level: ** Word Play   Participants begin sitting in a circle   Each participant writes down an adjective on their piece of paper and puts it

in the middle of the circle   A participant picks a slip of paper from the middle at random and creates

movement to represent what is written on the paper   Everyone learns the movement   Going around the circle, each student picks a piece of paper from the

middle and creates their own movement while the rest of the participants learn the movement

ACTIVITIES

STG's Songwriter's Lab July 21 - 26, 2014 at STG's Neptune Theatre STG's Songwriter's Lab is for young musicians (ages 14-early 20s) interested in pursuing their artistic vision as songwriters and lyricists. All styles of music are welcome for more information please check out: http://www.stgpresents.org/education/songwriters

DANCE This Camp August 3 - 9, 2014 at Centrum in Port Townsend, WA Young dancers grades 9 - 12 study many styles of dance for one week in beautiful Port Townshend, WA. Please note: this is a residential program/camp. For more information please check out: http://www.stgpresents.org/education/dt-camp NEXT SEASON STUDENT MATINEE PERFORMANCES: Global Dance- Nov 7, 2014 @ 11 am at The Moore Theatre Circus OZ – February 6, 2015 @ 11 am at The Moore Theatre Silent Film- March 9, 2015 @ 11 am at The Paramount Theatre Zakir Hussain’s Celtic Connections- March 20, 2015 @ 11 am at The Moore Theatre More Music @ The Moore- May 8, 2015 @ 11am @ The Moore Theatre DANCE This-July 10 at 1:00pm @ The Moore Theatre

To book tickets for any of the performances above, please contact [email protected]

Education Programs

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Vicky Lee Director of Education & Performance Programs

Sarah Loritz

Education & Community Programs Manager

Marisol Sanchez-Best Education Programs Manager

Olivia Vellotti

Hillary Linton Interns

dance this 2014 - paramount theatre · pdf filethank you for joining us at dance this 2014!...

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