J street creations: Dancers Making Dance
February 28-29, 2020
We are thrilled to present a showcase of the NWABT artists presenting their own work
Enjoy!
This Pale Blue Dot
Choreography: Anna Fendley
Music: Til Enda by Ólafur Arnalds Vapor (a meditation) by the Liturgists
Dancers: Jane Arona, Mariah Bordovsky, Sierra DeYoung, Sarah Murphy, Chiara Ruff, Garrick Tompkins, Emma Speir, Jorge Urbina, Shayla Winkel, Cecilia Zanone
About this piece: It is human nature to struggle for something different, something more than what we already have—only to gain it, yet not be satisfied. Throughout history, humans have struggled to gain power over one another, to gain recognition for achievements, to gain wealth and comfort. In the end, none of it lasts. None of it satisfies. It’s all vapor; it vanishes and is gone. Yet there is hope...
The Best
Choreography: James Vessell
Music: Various Artists
Dancers: Carmen Felder, Wojciech Ogloza
About this piece: The Best is a new choreographic work about love. This work explores the infatuation between two young lovers and a glimpse of how they experience life and love. Love is more than just the beautiful and happy moments, but should be unconditional through the complications and grief, which this work analyzes.
Central Park
Choreography: Lillian Hill
Music: Talkies, Sing Swing Banda Bing, Almost A Year Ago, Piano Store by Huma-Huma, Doug Maxwell, John Deley and the 41 Players, Jimmy Fontanez
Dancers: Jane Arona, Mariah Bordovsky, Sierra Deyoung, Grace Hudson, Katie Pilone, Emma Speir, Garrick Tompkins, Shayla Winkle
About this piece: The inspiration behind this choreography is Leonid Afremov’s paintings, particularly “Under One Umbrella.” When I look into his artwork there is a sense of intimacy and romance, but also playfulness, which brings to life a majestical ambiance that is often lost in our day to day experiences. It is my hope to bring this fantastical moment to the stage. Hence he creation of “Central Park.” This ballet piece comprises of four short sections,“5am”, “The Andrews Sisters” , “Umbrella Pas de Duex” and “The Lady on the Bench.“ Together they depict a day in the New York City park. I hope you get lost in the moments and are filled with the same sense of joy these paintings brought me.
Home of the Strange
Choreography: Leo McGrath
Spoken Word: Written and Recorded by Leo McGrath
Soundscape: Nomadic Ambience
Dancers: Ava Cobb, Esther Gowin, Carmen Felder, Samantha Huebner, Ruby Mather, Sarah Murphy, Wojciech Ogloza, Jorge Urbina, James Vessell, Cecilia Zanone
About this piece: Home of the Strange is about how I think and the things I am specifically interested in including patterns, dreams, the nature of imagination, and creative inspiration. Frequently ignored imagination and creative ambition run many of the industries dominating the world markets today. As this piece has developed it has slowly become more and more about being young and creative without fear of judgement. Something that is certainly a challenge now. No good idea came without a few bad ones.
Intermission
Serendipity
Choreography: Jorge Urbina
Music: "Cellophane" by FKA Twigs & "Show Me Love" by Hundred Waters
Dancers: Ava Cobb, Anna Fendley, Carmen Felder, Samantha Huebner, James Vessell, Wojciech Ogloza, Leo McGrath, Garrick Tompkins
About this piece: The inspiration for this piece is the idea that people from all different backgrounds and walks of life cross paths for one night. And for that one night they impact each other’s lives in significant ways. Every face holds a story and everyone you encounter in life is going through something different. There is an awareness and understanding between these characters that although they are all experiencing different aspects of life, they will all eventually go those experiences themselves. Complex people with complex lives, coincidentally experiencing life together for one night.
The Delicate Magics, The Little Deaths
Choreography: Blake Worthey
Music: Violin Sonata in A minor by Wilhelm Stenhammar- London Philharmonic
Dancers: Sierra DeYoung as Circe, Esther Gowin as Bia, Katie Pilone as Athena, Ruby Mather as Medea, Kerridwyn Schanck as Nike
Choreographic Biography: Blake Worthey is a dance-theater artist interested in trying to make the world a better place.
About this piece: This is the final battle. After feeling the death of Medusa, Circe and Medea decide to scorch the earth. Athena, Nike, and Bia will try to stop them to save the world as we
A Blessed Unrest
Choreography: Kerridwyn Schanck
Music: House of the Rising Sun performed by Lauren O’Connell
Dancers: Anna Fendley, Sarah Elizabeth Murphy, Chiara Ruff, & Isabella Saclolo
Lost & Found
Choreography: James Vessell
Music: Kanye West
Dancers: Jane Arona, Ava Cobb, Grace Hudson, Leo McGrath, Kerridwyn Schanck, Jorge Urbina
About this piece: Lost & Found is a restaged work I originally choreographed at Ballet Memphis’ Interior Works shows back in 2017. This work was inspired by the music and how music can bring all types of people together. Music creates beautiful relationships and I wanted to explore that through movement.
Choreographers
Anna Fendley
Anna is excited to share this brand new work with NWA, in the very theater she performed in as a child. She has spent the last ten years choreographing musicals and plays such as Pride and Prejudice, The Three Musketeers, Into the Woods, Charlie Brown, The Pink Panther, and The Boyfriend, as well as choreographing for her own ballet studio performances involving over 100 kids and adults at times. She choreographed an original story ballet for her students entitled “Freedom,” which tells the story of several girls who escape from slavery. She loves to see dancers of all levels bring the stage to life through her choreography and hopes to inspire audiences to connect with dance through seeing it relate to their own personal struggles in life. She is in her fourth season with NWA Ballet Theatre and when she’s not dancing, she’s usually spending time with her husband of four years and her 2-year-old son.
Lillian Hill
In her ten year professional career Lillian has danced with Richmond ballet, Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, and is now in her second season with NWA Ballet Theatre. From a young age she loved choreographing, creating pieces on her classmates in elementary school and continuing through middle school, high school and college. The past several years she has produced numerous works for dance studios throughout the south florida region, including her own staging of the friends scene from “Coppelia” Act 1. Last year was her first time choreographing on the NWA Ballet dancers and she is thrilled to work with them again. It is such a special and valuable gift to be able to create an entire atmosphere and moment in time for audience.
Leo McGrath
Leo grew up in Savannah, GA where he began dancing at age 7. A little over a decade later, choreography slowly became a point of interest as he began his journey into company life. While at Ballet Tucson, Leo had his first opportunity to produce a staged work. Interested primarily by the intricacies of daily life and the human experience, Leo is interested in finding a voice that best captures the optimism he finds in humanity. He hopes to bring that optimism to life.
Kerridwyn Schanck
“This will be my choreographic debut. Choreographing on my colleagues has been a long time dream of mine- to know someone personally and then see how they bring their own idiosyncrasies to what I can create is such a beautiful thing. About this piece: I explore the strength that it takes to live as a woman, and both the difficult and victorious moments of this journey. It represents my own experiences, but also those of my friends and my mother.”
-Kerridwyn Schanck
Jorge Urbina
Jorge Urbina is from Alpha, Illinois. He attended Butler University where he continued his training. Jorge’s first experience as a choreographer was his freshman year of college. He was given the opportunity to showcase a premiere for a student choreography project. As his career evolves he hopes to continue experimenting and growing with new works.
James Vessell
James discovered his love of choreographing as a freshman BFA dance major at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. After college, James began to choreograph at dance studios, special projects, music videos, summer camps and intensives. James has created a few works professionally and is excited to see where his choreographic endeavors will lead him.
Blake Worthey
Blake Worthey is a dance-theater artist interested in trying to make the world a better place. He has been fortunate to have performed all over the US and Vancouver, BC. He is really excited to share his ideas with such talented artists.