BREAKING GROUND 2023
Saturday, January 28
Special Thanks to our sponsors:
Arizona Commission on the Arts
City of Tempe
Fury
Choreographer:
Carley Conder
Movement Generation by:
Kal, Spencer Dennis, Isiah Johnson, Kelsey Metz
Music:
"Discovering" and "Triplets" by Hansson & Karlsson. "Prelude" by Richard Wagner
Lighting:
Jordan Daniels
Costume Design: Cari Smith
Sculpture: Kris Manzanares
Performers:
Isiah Johnson, Kelsey Metz, Kal
“Fury” introduces a trio of flawed superheroes that introduce us to a captivating dystopia that invites the audience to confront their own opposing desires for destruction and deliverance. Inspired by The Furies, deities of vengeance from Greek mythology, this dance is designed to be provocative, muscular and entirely unforgiving.
"Fury" is a collaboration between choreographer Carley Conder, costume designer Cari Smith, and visual artist Kris Manzanares. Music is by 1967 psychedelia jazz duo Hansson & Karlsson and Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
Carley Conder is Artistic Director of CONDER/dance, founded in Arizona in 2003. Based in Tempe, Carley has invested her time and talents towards providing opportunities for contemporary dance artists in Arizona. CONDER/dance enjoys artist-in-residence status at Tempe Center for the Arts and Carley’s recent projects include creative collaborations with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Wonderspaces. Carley’s choreographhic work has been presented at Dixon Place (NYC), Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), Martha Graham Studios (NYC), John Ryan Theater (Brooklyn), and the Diavolo Space (Los Angeles). She was profiled in "Phoenix's 100 Creatives" by the Phoenix NewTimes and chosen as “Best Dancer of 2015” by the Phoenix NewTimes. Carley has been the recipient of arts funding through the City of Tempe, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Target Arts Grants and the Consulate General of Israel. Carley is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dance in the School of Music, Dance and Theater at Arizona State University.
On the Edge
BG23 Invited Student Artist
Choreographer:
Kyla Kabat
Music:
Metabolic Rift by Ecker and Meul
Costume Design:
Kyla Kabat
Performers:
Alexa Etter, William Hemminger, Kyla Kabat, Jordyn Lugo, Kiera Mathews
This piece explores the relationship of destruction and satisfaction when dealing with habits or substances that we tell ourselves we cannot live without. The things that we usually have power over, slowly take control over us. “On The Edge” relates to the idea of feeling that we may hit our breaking point or go over the edge, but we never truly fall as addiction is a never ending cycle.
Kyla Kabat is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator based in the Chicago area. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University along with a minor in business. While at Arizona State, Kyla has performed in multiple dance productions such as SpringDanceFest, Transitions, and numerous Undergraduate Project Presentations, in which her self-choreographed works were also presented. In 2021 Kyla premiered her work, Toxic Love, which had been chosen by Arizona State University to represent the school’s dance program in a national dance conference, ACDA. In spring of 2022, she traveled to the University of Oregon where Toxic Love was performed in front of a variety of schools from the west coast, receiving a great amount of recognition and rewards. Kyla is in the process of putting together her honors thesis and other choreographic works to be featured this spring.
Caminando
BG23 Commissioned Artist
Choreographer:
Liliana Gomez
Sound:
Mi Tesoro by Cornelio Reyna, Poem by Ruby Morales and Liliana Gomez, generated by stories from the cast with sound design by Jisun Myung, and Vortex Tres: Los Colores Que Bailan by Llinas
Lighting Design:
Esteban Rosales
Performers:
Erik Emilio Canales, Martha Patty Hernandez, Zarina Mendoza, Daniela Prieto and Steven Redondo
“Caminando” is a personal story of love, family, migration, an ode to our parents. The work is filled with stories of our childhood, music we heard at family gatherings, the food at the fiestas; the nostalgia of home. This work follows our journey as we walk in the footsteps of our parents while we collectively and individually find our path for what's next. Tonight's presentation is a short extract from Liliana's first evening length work; Caminando, a forty-five minute work with many layers, art, collaborators and is set to premiere in 2023.
Liliana Gomez is a choreographer, producer, and teaching artist based in Phoenix, AZ. She is passionate about sharing dance within her community and has choreographed for public spaces such as galleries, canals, gardens, libraries and more. Along with choreographing original dance works for Universities, Community Colleges, High Schools, and local dance companies. Liliana manages the Phoenix BlakTinx Dance Festival which presents the work of Black and Latinx choreographers. She is the Dance Department head at Phoenix Center for the Arts, and teaches a weekly class. Liliana is a 2020 cohort member for NALAC Leadership Institute, participated in the National Presenters Forum at Jacob’s Pillow, and has been an artist for Dance in the Desert; A gathering of Latinx Dance Artists. Her creative process is inspired by her lived experiences as a Mexican woman, an immigrant, a wife and a mother.
INTERMISSION
Virtual Body
Choreographers:
Seyong Kim & Dongwon Lee
Composer:
Sert Jimmy
Performer:
Kentaro Kikuchi + Seyong Kim
<Virtual Body> is a dance-theatre duet. This piece explores the inter/multi/trans-culturalism produced between confused identity and cultural instinct in a contemporary society in globalization.
Seyong Kim is a Certified Movement Analyst, a Somatic Dance Educator, an ABT® Certified Teacher, and an Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University. He holds an MA in Dance Education from NYU and an MA in Dance from Sung-Kyun-Kwan University in South Korea. He earned Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Seyong has taught for the University of Georgia, Rutgers University, Kent State University, Randolph College, Peridance, World Dance Alliance-America (WDAA), American College Dance Association (ACDA), Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and Grand Rapids Ballet. Seyong has danced with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, Albania National Ballet Theatre, Traverse City Dance Project, TAKE Dance, and Oakland Ballet Company. His choreographic works have been presented at Landestheater Coburg in Germany, Florence Dance on Screen Festival in Italy, International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City, Taiwan JueDai Taipei International Dance Festival, ProArteDanza in Canada, Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK, Battery Dance Festival, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, American Dance Guild Festival, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, CrossCurrent Asian American Dance Festival, and Movement Research at the Judson Church.
After The Rain: Clearance
Choreographer:
Bobby Morgan
Music:
Deep Xcape - "After Da Rain (Original Mix)"
Performer:
Bobby Morgan
Is this experience happening to me or for me? Transmuting the curve balls life can throw at us into something that contributes to our evolution on a soul level. The rain representing what's needed for crops to grow, life's chapters of rainy moments are sometimes necessary for growth & lessons. This piece touches on the power we all have to recreate ourselves.
This piece is an excerpt from Bobby's full length production "Remembrance: Under The Same Moon" that will premiere this May in NYC.
Bobby is a freelance choreographer, DJ, spiritualist & student of life based in NJ/NYC. His mission as an artist is to assist in raising the vibration of the collective & the planet in these times of darkness, uncertainty & uncharted territory. Through movement & sound, his intention is to always remind us of the importance of human connection and keeping the heart space alive. Having background in many styles such as: ballet, jazz, hip hop, house, voguing, modern, contemporary; one thing that is a main source of passion across all those different genres is his love of music. Sound has the ability to create different realms in the imagination. For him, music is usually the source of where movement stems from. Growing up being apart of both concert, and commercial dance worlds; one of Bobby's missions as a choreographer is to curate spaces for those that live in between both of those worlds.
to get there
from here
(excerpt)
Choreographers:
Maria Gillespie + Nguyễn Nguyên+ Kevin Williamson
Music:
Angélica María, “Tu Sigues Siendo El Mismo” (“You Are Still The Same”); Khánh Ly, “Ru Ta Ngậm Ngùi” (“My Sorrowful Lullaby”)
Sound Design & Text:
Maria Gillespie + Nguyễn Nguyên + Kevin Williamson
Lighting Design:
Cari Koch
Performers:
Maria Gillespie + Nguyễn Nguyên + Kevin Williamson
to get there from here is a choreographic investigation on mapping memories, unfixed, in and through our bodies. We reflect on the allure and impossibility of destination through media, movement, stories, and songs to animate the tension of never quite arriving while being propelled forward.
Program Note:
Our process charts the physical and emotional landscapes enlivened by auto-ethnographic research where we negotiate inscribed pasts. In this process, Maria traces the erasure and restoration of her Mexican lineage, Nguyen navigates unfamiliar terrains as a refugee, and Kevin wrestles with discomfort and queer pleasure. In our live performance, we embody themes of reunion, transformation, and resilience.
Maria Gillespie (she/they) is a choreographer, performer, dance and somatic educator. She directs MG/The Collaboratory and Hyperlocal MKE, both dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration and improvised performance practice. She directed LA-based Oni Dance (2003-2015) and was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch". Her work has been presented at The Ford Amphitheatre, The Getty Museum, REDCAT, Cal Arts, Highways Performance Space, Joyce SoHo, CounterPULSE, Guangdong and Beijing Dance Festivals. She received her BFA from Purchase College and MFA in Dance from UCLA. She is a CLMA Laban Bartenieff Movement Analyst, Pilates teacher, and Associate Professor of Dance at UW-Milwaukee.
Kevin Williamson (he/him) is a L.A. based dance artist, Associate Professor of Dance at Scripps College, and certified somatic dance educator. His work celebrates queer multiplicity and the desire to belong. He is a Lester Horton Award recipient, Johnson Award recipient (research, teaching, and service), a Bates Educators Fellow, and CTG Sherwood Award Finalist. His choreography has been presented at DanspaceProject, REDCAT, Dixon Place, CounterPulse, LACMA, OUTsider Festival, Minnesota Fringe, and the Beijing Dance Festival. Kevin was a member of David Roussève/REALITY, Oni Dance, and Robert Moses' Kin. He received his MFA in Dance from UCLA.
Nguyễn Nguyên is a choreographer, dance filmmaker, and educator based in Los Angeles, born in Vietnam. His work has been presented throughout L.A., the Guangdong and Beijing International Dance Festival in China, and the International Performance Arts Festival in Thailand. Nguyên is a founding member of Los Angeles Movement Arts, an interdisciplinary arts collective. Nguyên has worked with artists including David Roussève, Cheng-Chieh Yu, Katsura Kan, Simone Forti, Taisha Paggett, Holly Johnston, Michael Sakamoto and Maria Gillespie. Nguyên is currently on faculty at RenArts Academy in Los Angeles and is a member of The Rock Collection.
